Amazing Guest Artists Join us for Favorite Opera Moments

Soprano Megan Weston has performed with Orchestra Nova on several occasions, both in the Nova Classics series and as a Messiah soloist. She has performed nearly 50 roles in opera, operetta and musical theater across the U.S, and her voice has been featured prominently in feature films, national commercials and television shows on NBC and PBS.

Susana Poretsky, a mezzo-soprano, was born in Lvov, Ukraine (former Soviet Union), made her American debut in Carnegie Hall in 1993 and that same year performed with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra to sing the Jeremiah Symphony for Leonard Bernstein's 75th birthday. She has performed with some of the best opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera and La Scala. She developed a close relationship with Plácido Domingo after winning his prestigious competition and gave a concert with the famous tenor while on tour in Japan.

Tenor Robert MacNeil has performed works from Copland to Wagner, in cities from Los Angeles to Rome. An accomplished concert artist, he has sung in more than 60 performances of Handel's Messiah (including recent productions by Orchestra Nova) as well as great choral works including Elijah, Berlioz and Verdi Requiems and Carmina Burana.

Baritone Gregorio Gonzalez has been praised by Plácido Domingo as being "one of the up-and-coming young talents in opera today." Gonzalez was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and moved to Poway when he was 16 years old. He began studying music seriously in college and began his career singing in the San Diego Opera chorus. In 2002 he was offered a position with the Los Angeles Opera and has been on the rise ever since. Gregorio has won awards in several competitions and has performed throughout the U.S., Europe and in his native Mexico.

Favorite Opera Moments

We are so pleased that you will be joining us for our upcoming Favorite Opera Moments concert. This special performance is perfect for both those who are new to opera as well as die-hard fans.  And whether this is your first time enjoying the Nova Experience, or you’re a returning guest, we are very excited to see you all and let you in on some of the fun we have in store for you. Here's a video to see what the Nova Experience is all about!

Orchestra Nova will be joined by a quartet of spectacular guest artists to sing these amazing opera pieces:

To learn more about the singers and pieces that will be featured in this performance, we invite you to check out the Favorite Opera Moments on our web site. 

The lobby doors open at 6:00, where you will be immersed in the full Nova Experience, before the music even begins.  This experience will include:

·        The opportunity to take your picture with “Jung-Faux” or a costumed opera character

·        Develop your Music Memory with Nova in the Classrooms!

·        Explore the history and stories of opera, thanks to a new partnership with the San Diego County Library

·        Singing demonstration and lessons from professional opera singers

·        Delicious Italian tapas style plates of pasta, drinks and desserts for purchase:     

o   $10 small plate entrees:  Your choice of short rib ragu or vegetarian pasta primavera with garlic cream sauce – both served with sundried tomato and artichoke flatbread

o   $5 dessert: Two chocolate dipped biscotti

o   $3 Coffee

o   $6 Beer or Wine

o   $10 La Dolce Vita Lemon Pop

To pre-order your meal at Qualcomm Hall, please click here.

To pre-order your meal at Sherwood Auditorium, please click here.

The Extraordinary Nova Experience

We just finished this video from the November concert, here's what you're missing if you haven't experienced Nova 2.0 yet.

The Nova Experience continues in November

We want to give you an inside look into the fun we have in store for Bach, Baroque, Beatles and All That Jazz.

The Nova Experience will begin the minute you enter the lobby, and here are just some examples of what you’ll find when the doors open at 6:00 p.m.:

•         Dave Scott from KUSI performing with his jazz combo in our “speak-easy”
•         Beatles display
•         Leave the food and drinks to us!  German sauerbraten and New Orleans style jambalaya are on the evening’s menu, with bread pudding for dessert.
•         Get jazzed up with the life-sized faux Jung-Ho and have your photo taken (available online for printing later)

…and many more surprises in store!

Food and drink tickets will be available for sale at 6:00 p.m. – so join us for a light supper (kids are welcome, of course!) before the performance.  Prices are $10 for a small plate of food, $3 for coffee, water and/or dessert. Wine is available at Qualcomm Hall and Sherwood Auditorium for $5.

***The Nova Experience begins at 6:00.  The Orchestra Nova performance begins at 7:30.

Friday, November 18: Coronado Performing Arts Center - 650 D Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118

Saturday, October 22: Qualcomm Hall, 5775 Morehouse Dr., San Diego, CA 92121

Monday, October 24: Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St., San Diego, CA 92037

***The entrance to Sherwood Hall will be different this year – enter through Axline Court (main lobby of the Contemporary Museum of Art San Diego in La Jolla.)

Join us at 6:00 p.m. during our Nova Classics series for the new and expanded Nova Experience

We want to give you an inside look at  what Nova 2.0 will mean for you at our season opening performances on October 22nd and October 24th.

First of all, leave the food and drinks to us! Lobby doors will open at 6:00 p.m. and we will have plenty of delicious fare available for purchase. The theme of the evening is, of course, Mozart Loves Prague – and the Nova Experience will begin the minute you enter the lobby.

Some examples of what you’ll find:

• Minuet dance lessons
• Exhibit of Czech glass and beads
• A chance to pick up a musical instrument and get photos taken standing next to a life-sized faux Jung-Ho (available online for printing)
• Plates of beer-braised short ribs with caramelized mashed potatoes, wild mushroom strudel with German potato salad, apple strudel, Viennese desserts – even sausages in a blanket for the young or young-at-heart
• Viennese coffees and teas, wine and German beer
• Opportunities to use your SmartPhones to tweet responses to our Nova “Twivia” questions, shown on monitors inside and outside the hall

Food and drink tickets will be available for sale at 6:00 p.m. – so join us for a light supper and fun lobby activities before the performance.

***The Nova Experience begins at 6:00. The performance begins at 7:30.

Saturday, October 22: Qualcomm Hall, 5775 Morehouse Dr., San Diego, CA 92121

Monday, October 24: Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St., San Diego, CA 92037

***The entrance to Sherwood Hall will be different this year –enter through Axline Court (main lobby of the Contemporary Museum of Art San Diego in La Jolla.)

Getting around Nova 2.0

Wondering about Nova 2.0? This should help illustrate what you can expect.

Lunch with Mr. Almanza (our Mr. Holland)

Most people assume only a large team could pull off everything that we do, but in reality Orchestra Nova has a small administrative staff; just a handful us are in the office full time. We come from a variety of different backgrounds, career paths and generations, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered the musical connection with my colleague Erin Oleno.

Earlier this year I was on the phone speaking with my former high school band director, Richard Almanza, regarding some music that I was lending to his school orchestra. After I hung up the phone I heard “were you just talking with Mr. A-l-m-a-n-z-a?” Soon Erin and I realized that we had the same music teacher, nearly a decade apart and at different high schools in San Diego County. I was a band student at Helix High School in La Mesa in the mid-1980s and Erin was a choir student in the early-90s in Escondido.

After realizing this connection, we started reminiscing about musical days gone by and talking about the powerful impact a dedicated music teacher could have. I attribute my 20-plus years in the performing arts to not only my years as an energetic, young tuba player, but also to the positive guidance and confidence I received from my band director. Like in many good movies, it’s the football coach or school counselor or English teacher that shapes a student’s experience in high school and who has a life-changing and lasting impact on them. Erin has said that knowing she was selected to sing the National Anthem at graduation kept her spirits (and attendance) up during her final year of high school.

Both Erin and I always knew we were destined to work in the arts, but we never would have guessed that we also share the teacher who nurtured our passion.

After coordinating schedules, the three of us finally found time to meet over lunch. Sitting across the table, Erin and I both felt that his calm demeanor and bright smile was still there after so many years – refreshingly unchanged. Even though he has inspired thousands of young music students over his more than twenty years as a teacher, we still felt like we were the most important people he was talking with that day. As we parted, he reminded us that it was okay to call him “Richard” instead of “Mr. Almanza.” We’re not sure about that…

By Paige Satter, Concerts and Education Manager

Richard Almanza is currently Instrumental Music Director for Valhalla High School