With a star-studded cast, full orchestra, sumptuous costumes and beautiful sets, these performances mark the return of your opera company, Opera on the James.
With a star-studded cast, full orchestra, sumptuous costumes and beautiful sets, these performances mark the return of your opera company, Opera on the James.
Join us on the lawn at Point of Honor on October 11 at 5pm for a live concert of opera arias, songs, and chamber music. Listen to beautiful music while staying safe and physically-distanced in this historic Lynchburg location.
Bring your own chairs!
(a few chairs will be provided)
Tickets:
$35 online
$40 at the gate
Limited tickets available, due to safety and distancing protocols.
This performance made possible with help from Academy Center of the Arts.
These protocols have been devised in consultation with Lynchburg Dept. of Health. Dr. Laura Gateley will be present during the show to supervise that all measures are followed appropriately.
On the day of the show, prior to arrival, guests should fill out in a simple health questionnaire online and bring a printed copy or a screenshot of the result on their mobile phone. Go to questionnaire by clicking the link below: https://covid19symptomchecker.spectrumhealth.org/welcome
OOTJ is limiting the total number of guests on the lawn to 200.
Upon arrival, wearing mask is required to interact with OOTJ and Point of Honor staff.
Contactless check-in: At Will Call guest will just show a printout of their ticket or the confirmation on their mobile phone.
After check in, guests will be directed by OOTJ and Point of Honor staff to a clearly marked “family pods”, where they will be able to take their face covering off. (We suggest that, whenever possible, our guests keep their face covering on, for added safety).
No more than 6 people per pod.
Guests in pods will have to keep a 6 feet distance from other guests not in their pod.Guests must adhere to social distancing controls during queuing.
Gathering in groups outside one's family pods is strongly discouraged.
Thank you for keeping each other, as well as our artists and crew safe, so we can all enjoy art together!
Marco Nistico I General Director
The 19-20 Metropolitan Opera Broadcast schedule at the Historic Academy Theatre is as follows:
Turandot (Puccini)- Saturday, October 19, 2019 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast)
Manon (Massenet)- Sunday, October 27, 2019 2:00 PM (Rebroadcast)
Madama Butterfly (Puccini)- Saturday, November 9, 2019 12:55 PM (Live)
Akhnaten (Glass)- Sunday, November 24, 2019 2:00 PM (Rebroadcast)
Holiday Encore- Magic Flute (Mozart)- Saturday, December 21, 2019 12:55 PM (Rebroadcast)
Wozzeck (Berg)- Sunday, January 19, 2020 2:00 PM (Rebroadcast)
Porgy and Bess (Gershwin)- Saturday, February 1, 2020 12:55 PM (Live)
Argippina (Handel)- Saturday, February 29, 2020 12:55 PM (Live)
Der Fliegende Hollander (Wagner)- Sunday, March 15, 2020 2:00 PM (Rebroadcast)
Tosca (Puccini)- Sunday, April 19, 2020 2:00 PM (Rebroadcast)
Maria Stuarda (Donizetti)- Sunday, May 10, 2020 2:00 PM (Rebroadcast)
All Met Broadcasts, except the ones marked “Live”, will be preceded by a lecture by Ezra LaFleur, professor at Liberty University.
At each MET HD Broadcast event, if you leave your business card or name and email you will be entered in a drawing for two (2) tickets.
In time for the holiday season, Opera on the James and Liberty University School of Music bring Gian Carlo Menotti’s magical Christmas tale, Amahl and the Night Visitors, to the Historic Academy Theatre. At its core, this heart-touching piece is a retelling of the story of the Three Kings—Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar—who visited the infant Christ while he lay in a manger in Bethlehem. The hero of the opera, Amahl, is a disabled boy who, through his meeting with the Three Kings, discovers the meaning of generosity and grace. Its Christmas message has moved audiences since it was first performed in 1951, in a live performance from Rockefeller Center transmitted coast to coast over the airwaves by NBC.
Bowden Miller is excited to make his operatic debut as Amahl. Bowden enjoys performing and until today, his favorite role has been as Simba in The Lion King Jr. in Liberty University’s summer theater camp in 2018. In April, he will perform the role of Book Seller in T.C.Miller’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.” Bowden enjoys playing the violin and is very passionate about basketball and baseball. He is a member of All Peoples Church, is the son of Drs. Gabriel and Samantha Miller and big brother to Jude.
West Virginia native, Samantha Miller, is thrilled to make her debut with Opera on the James alongside her son, Bowden. Samantha enjoys a hybrid career in opera, oratorio, musical theater and commercial genres. Samantha was an artist in the prestigious Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance program in New York City and a Resident Artist at Virginia Opera. In addition, she has appeared with companies such as Southern Ohio Light Opera, Akron Lyric Opera, Opera Louisiane, Opera in the Heights, Opera Columbus. Her most notable roles include Musetta in La Bohème, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Adina in L’elisir d’amore. Samantha performs concert repertoire with professional choral ensembles and symphony orchestras throughout the region and will make her debut with Roanoke Symphony in just a few weeks as a Messiah soloist. Dr. Miller is an Associate Professor of Music at Liberty University and is the worship leader at All Peoples Church in Lynchburg, along with her husband, Gabriel. She resides in Lynchburg with Gabriel and her two sons, Bowden and Jude.
E. Daryl Duff is an Assistant Professor of Commercial Music and Voice at Liberty University School of Music. He is a retired Chief Musician who served 23 years as soloist, vocalist and Leading Chief Petty Officer with the United States Navy Band Sea Chanters Chorus. Stationed in Washington D.C. from 1990-2013, he provided musical support to 4 U.S. Presidents, the Department of the Navy, as well as senior ranking military and government officials. He has been a featured soloist on 7 U.S. Navy Band recordings and several U. S. Navy Band concerts televised by the Armed Forces Network.
Dr. Richard M. Jupin is a vocal pedagogue, performer, Kodály music educator, and Alexander Technique practitioner. Completing his undergraduate studies in Music Education at The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Voice Science from Louisiana State University. Dr. Jupin’s vocal studies include working with master vocal pedagogues Stephen Austin, Cornelius Reid, and Thomas Blaylock. Presently, he serves locally at Heritage Baptist Church. Dr. Jupin has performed multiple times with the Opera on the James, and performs regularly on the Liberty School of Music Faculty Concert Series.
Dr. John W. Hugo trained with many outstanding teacher/performers, but the most influential was legendary New York Pro Musica tenor Ray DeVoll (d. 1993), with whom he studied for many years. Hugo specializes in French and German classical repertoires, and has performed solo roles in major works by Bach and Handel. He has performed leading tenor roles (Ralph Rackstraw, Edwin, and Lord Tolloller) in several Gilbert & Sullivan productions. This is his fourth LU performance of the role of Caspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors.
He has appeared as tenor soloist with the Opera Roanoke, Phoenix Bach Society, the Shenandoah Bach Festival, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Lynchburg Symphony, the Salem Choral Society, the Jefferson Choral Society, and in theatrical productions at Liberty University and at the Lynchburg Performing Arts Center. He has also performed the Messiah arias around the country for nearly 40 years.
Dr. Hugo is a former Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Virginia District. He holds the Master of Vocal Performance degree from Arizona State University, where he studied with renowned tenor Warren Hoffer. He currently serves as Chairman of the Department of Music Theory and History at the Liberty University School of Music. He teaches undergraduate private voice, choirs, music history, and choral conducting. He is also the founding Chorus Master of the Roanoke Symphony Chorus, and is now in his 21st year of service in that position.
In time for the holiday season, Opera on the James and Liberty University School of Music bring Gian Carlo Menotti’s magical Christmas tale, Amahl and the Night Visitors, to the Historic Academy Theatre. At its core, this heart-touching piece is a retelling of the story of the Three Kings—Melchior, Balthasar, and Gaspar—who visited the infant Christ while he lay in a manger in Bethlehem. The hero of the opera, Amahl, is a disabled boy who, through his meeting with the Three Kings, discovers the meaning of generosity and grace. Its Christmas message has moved audiences since it was first performed in 1951, in a live performance from Rockefeller Center transmitted coast to coast over the airwaves by NBC.
Bowden Miller is excited to make his operatic debut as Amahl. Bowden enjoys performing and until today, his favorite role has been as Simba in The Lion King Jr. in Liberty University’s summer theater camp in 2018. In April, he will perform the role of Book Seller in T.C.Miller’s production of “Beauty and the Beast.” Bowden enjoys playing the violin and is very passionate about basketball and baseball. He is a member of All Peoples Church, is the son of Drs. Gabriel and Samantha Miller and big brother to Jude.
West Virginia native, Samantha Miller, is thrilled to make her debut with Opera on the James alongside her son, Bowden. Samantha enjoys a hybrid career in opera, oratorio, musical theater and commercial genres. Samantha was an artist in the prestigious Martina Arroyo Prelude to Performance program in New York City and a Resident Artist at Virginia Opera. In addition, she has appeared with companies such as Southern Ohio Light Opera, Akron Lyric Opera, Opera Louisiane, Opera in the Heights, Opera Columbus. Her most notable roles include Musetta in La Bohème, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Adina in L’elisir d’amore. Samantha performs concert repertoire with professional choral ensembles and symphony orchestras throughout the region and will make her debut with Roanoke Symphony in just a few weeks as a Messiah soloist. Dr. Miller is an Associate Professor of Music at Liberty University and is the worship leader at All Peoples Church in Lynchburg, along with her husband, Gabriel. She resides in Lynchburg with Gabriel and her two sons, Bowden and Jude.
E. Daryl Duff is an Assistant Professor of Commercial Music and Voice at Liberty University School of Music. He is a retired Chief Musician who served 23 years as soloist, vocalist and Leading Chief Petty Officer with the United States Navy Band Sea Chanters Chorus. Stationed in Washington D.C. from 1990-2013, he provided musical support to 4 U.S. Presidents, the Department of the Navy, as well as senior ranking military and government officials. He has been a featured soloist on 7 U.S. Navy Band recordings and several U. S. Navy Band concerts televised by the Armed Forces Network.
Dr. Richard M. Jupin is a vocal pedagogue, performer, Kodály music educator, and Alexander Technique practitioner. Completing his undergraduate studies in Music Education at The Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance and Voice Science from Louisiana State University. Dr. Jupin’s vocal studies include working with master vocal pedagogues Stephen Austin, Cornelius Reid, and Thomas Blaylock. Presently, he serves locally at Heritage Baptist Church. Dr. Jupin has performed multiple times with the Opera on the James, and performs regularly on the Liberty School of Music Faculty Concert Series.
Dr. John W. Hugo trained with many outstanding teacher/performers, but the most influential was legendary New York Pro Musica tenor Ray DeVoll (d. 1993), with whom he studied for many years. Hugo specializes in French and German classical repertoires, and has performed solo roles in major works by Bach and Handel. He has performed leading tenor roles (Ralph Rackstraw, Edwin, and Lord Tolloller) in several Gilbert & Sullivan productions. This is his fourth LU performance of the role of Caspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors.
He has appeared as tenor soloist with the Opera Roanoke, Phoenix Bach Society, the Shenandoah Bach Festival, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Lynchburg Symphony, the Salem Choral Society, the Jefferson Choral Society, and in theatrical productions at Liberty University and at the Lynchburg Performing Arts Center. He has also performed the Messiah arias around the country for nearly 40 years.
Dr. Hugo is a former Governor of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Virginia District. He holds the Master of Vocal Performance degree from Arizona State University, where he studied with renowned tenor Warren Hoffer. He currently serves as Chairman of the Department of Music Theory and History at the Liberty University School of Music. He teaches undergraduate private voice, choirs, music history, and choral conducting. He is also the founding Chorus Master of the Roanoke Symphony Chorus, and is now in his 21st year of service in that position.
A Concert of Opera & Song
The Academy Center of the Arts continues the Metropolitan Opera HD Broadcast series, featuring Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites on Sunday, May 26, 2019, at 2:00pm in the Historic Academy Theatre.
Philip Garmey will host the upcoming Opera on the James Pre-Show Talk, beginning at 1:00pm. This pre-show event is free to all and included in your ticket price.
Historic Theatre at the Academy Center of the Arts, 524 Main St., 24504
La Traviata will bring the splendor of the opera voice to a space that was built to showcase it! This love story of fate and sacrifice by Giuseppe Verdi is considered his most famous opera. Violetta delights in high-class pleasures, but she is secretly dying. Will this fallen woman know true love before death claims her? Tickets will be sold by the Academy - pricing and other ticketing information to come.
Free Prelude Talk for ticket holders at 2:00pm.
Historic Theatre at the Academy Center of the Arts, 524 Main St., 24504
La Traviata will bring the splendor of the opera voice to a space that was built to showcase it! This love story of fate and sacrifice by Giuseppe Verdi is considered his most famous opera. Violetta delights in high-class pleasures, but she is secretly dying. Will this fallen woman know true love before death claims her? Tickets will be sold by the Academy - pricing and other ticketing information to come.
Free Prelude Talk for ticket holders at 6:30pm.
Westminster Canterbury, 501 V.E.S. Road 24503
Don’t miss performances by rising stars of opera. Free and non-ticketed.
ACOA Joy & Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre, Corner of 5th & Commerce Streets, Lynchburg, VA 24504
Save the date for this evening of glorious opera sung by the talented artists of LA TRAVIATA, delicious food and drink, and exciting auctions at this fundraiser to support OOTJ. Tickets $150 ($75 of which is a tax-deductible donation).
Opera on the James Building, 701 Main Street, Lynchburg
Maestro Peter Leonard discusses LA TRAVIATA, the upcoming mainstage production presented by OOTJ. Co-presented with the Dante Alighieri Society of VA, this lecture is free, open to the public, and will be followed by a complimentary reception.
Historic Theatre at the Academy Center of the Arts, 600 Main St., 24504
A showcase event featuring the Resident Companies of the Academy Center of the Arts. All five Resident companies, including Opera on the James, Charlottesville Ballet, Endstation Theatre Company, Jefferson Choral Society, and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, will present a 15–20 minute performance under the ‘legacy’ theme, which ties back to the Historic Academy of Music Theatre and its own complex legacy.
Tickets range from $5-$50 and are sold by the ACOA: 434-846-8499 or https://academycenter.org/event/a-legacy-celebration/.
Randolph College Smith Hall Theatre, 2500 Rivermont Ave., 24503
As part of the Randolph College Chamber Orchestra Fall Concert, OOTJ artists will perform A HAND OF BRIDGE (Barber). The concert is free, non-ticketed, and open to the public.
Timberlake United Methodist Church, 21649 Timberlake Rd., 24502
Performance of SWEET BETSY FROM PIKE (Bucci), TROUBLE IN TAHITI (Bernstein), concert selections from PORGY AND BESS (Gershwin), and classical arrangements of cowboy and American folk songs. General seating and all tickets $20. To purchase tickets, please call OOTJ at 434-528-3397.
AMERICAN OPERA BONANZA! is a 40-minute introduction to American opera for children, grades K-8. Learn about opera while being engaged by talented, professional opera performers. The artists will demonstrate the vocal and dramatic skills needed to sing fun & captivating sections from a variety of American Operas.
