By Robert Croan Opera is an expensive enterprise, combining musical requirements (singers, orchestra) with all the trappings of drama (stage director, lighting, sets). South Florida is fortunate to be served by two big-league companies – Miami-based Florida Grand Opera, and Palm Beach Opera in West Palm Beach – as well as a smaller group that operates on a shoestring budget … [Read more...]
‘Not In My Town’: New opera makes a strong impact
In a politically unsettled time, it’s helpful to have artworks that take on the issues of the day and give us something to think about. Not In My Town, a new opera by Wilton Manors-based composer Michael W. Ross, is nothing if not politically engaged. The story of the 1998 torture-killing of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was part of the impetus for a … [Read more...]