The Atlanta Opera Presents FROM OPERA TO OPRY, Today

The Atlanta Opera will present the first-ever production of From Opera to Opry: Liquor, Love and the Lord on Wednesday, December 7 at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. The concert event, in collaboration with ADA Ovations, will feature renowned professional opera singers... as well as the bluegrass and country stylings of Cletus McHatfield and the McHatfield Fambly Singers. The evening will include an entertaining blend of country music, bluegrass, opera arias, and humor that gets right to the heart of the striking similarity between the themes and inspiration that drove both legendary opera composers and iconic country songwriters to write the music that speaks to us all.

The Atlanta Opera presents From Opera to Opry: Liquor, Love and the Lord on Wednesday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. The Playhouse opens at 6:15 p.m.for early drinks and dinner. Single tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased online at atlantaopera.org or by calling 404-881-8885. Tickets are $50 and all seating is General Admission. Some content may not be suitable for children. Parents and guardians should use discretion.

Created and conceived by baritone Michael Mayes and produced in collaboration with ADA Ovations, From Opera to Opry includes hits from opera and country music alike. Featured are arias and duets by composers such as Puccini, Verdi, and Mozart, as well as songs from country favorites Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, George Jones and more. From Opera to Opry introduces its own brand of humor and music that will appeal to fans of the arts, opera, country music and comedy. (Audiences can also expect a drinking song or two!)

The concert will be performed on the set of "A Christmas Carol" at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. This is the second time The Opera has performed at The Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse. Last January, The Opera presented "Pints & Pirates" to a packed and delighted house. The evening included an abridged version of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance (which was presented in full in March 2016 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre) and an improv performance by ImprOper (a collaboration of singers and comedians from The Atlanta Opera and Dad's Garage). These types of musically and artistically diverse performances are becoming more common as The Atlanta Opera expands beyond its standard repertoire .

With a "powerful" voice and an "arresting stage presence", Michael Mayes is known for his consummate portrayals of iconic characters in the operatic repertoire. Michael sang the lead role of Joseph De Rocher in Dead Man Walking, which Tomer Zvulun (General & Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera) directed him in early 2016 at New Orleans Opera. Zvulun and Mayes also worked together on Rigoletto with the Boston Lyric Opera, in which Mr. Mayes sang the title role. Originally from Cut and Shoot, Texas, Michael has performed with opera companies across the United States in a multitude of roles. In the 2016-2017 season, Michael will take his De Rocher to Washington National Opera (debut) in addition to Pensacola Opera, and appear with Boston Lyric Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, Nashville Opera as Older Thompson in Glory Denied, and return to Dallas Opera as Doug in Everest. Future seasons include debuts with Virginia Opera and the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Atlanta-resident soprano Leah Partridge was most recently seen onstage in Atlanta as Musetta in La bohème during the 2015-16 opera season. She previously sang the roles of Rosina in The Barber of Seville in 2006 and Adina in The Elixir of Love in 2009 with The Atlanta Opera. Partridge currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at Kennesaw State University and graduated from Mercer University. Ms. Partridge has received consistent praise worldwide for her intelligent and compelling interpretations of opera's most beloved heroines. She has performed over 40 leading roles in her short career with an acclaimed debut in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor. Her Metropolitan Opera debut came in 2008 as the First Niece in Peter Grimes followed by several return engagements. She has performed around the globe at Deutche Oper Berlin, Vlaamse Oper Antwerp Belgium, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Palau de les Artes Valencia Spain, Opera Philadelphia, Maggio Musicale Florence Italy, Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova Italy, Washington National Opera, and Seattle Opera, to name just a few.

Baritone Corey Crider is an alumnus of Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center and recently returned to the company as Malatesta in Don Pasquale. Additional recent highlights include Marcello in La bohème with Arizona Opera and the Munich Philharmonic, Cavaliere di Belfiore in Un giorno di regno with Sarasota Opera, and Escamillo in Carmen with Opera Lyra Ottawa. In the 2014-15 season Corey debuted the title role of Sweeney Todd with Madison Opera.

American tenor JoNathan Burton has been praised for having "thrilling power and beauty" (Baltimore Sun) and for being "an engaging all-around singer with a powerful, full-bodied sound" (Opera News). In 2015 - 2016, this exciting tenor joins Nashville Opera as Calaf in Turandot, Sarasota Opera as Radames in Aida, and finally Knoxville Opera and Central City Opera as Cavaradossi in Tosca.

About The Atlanta Opera

The Atlanta Opera is one of the finest regional opera companies in the nation. In 2013, the company recruited internationally recognized stage director Tomer Zvulun as its General and Artistic Director. In the 2014-15 season, the company launched the acclaimed Discoveries series of operas staged in alternative theaters around Atlanta. The series was recognized by the Atlanta Journal Constitution as part of its Best of 2015 awards and the company was nominated for the International Opera Awards in London in 2016. In the 2016-17 season, the company expanded its mainstage season from three to four productions at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre while ushering the Discoveries series into its 3rd season for a total of six productions. The Opera works with world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers who seek to enhance the art form and make it accessible for a sophisticated, 21st century audience. The Atlanta Opera was founded in 1979 and to this day adheres to its mission to enrich lives through opera.

About ADA Artist Management

Founded in 2004, the team at ADA Artist Management works to identify exciting new talent and nurture the careers of the finest performers who excel in a variety of genres and repertoire, from emerging to internationally renowned artists. Our goal is to be as dedicated to our craft as our clients and to maintain and build positive relationships throughout the industry.

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