Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan

.	General Information of Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan
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	The Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging appreciation of the music of Giuseppe Verdi and other composers of opera and popular music for the theater. This is done through concerts, workshops, dinner-theater performances, various media promotions and the active participation of the members in the society's cultural activities. One of the goals of the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan is to promote goodwill and friendship among all people, through music, for everyone's enjoyment and cultural enrichment. Founded in May 1988, the company's opera presentations, exhibits, and performances in theaters, clubs, schools, restaurants, civic centers and public parks have already delighted thousands of people- Some of the accomplishments: Opera lectures, presentations and performances to students at many Detroit Metropolitan area high schools, exhibits on opera at the Italian-American Cultural Center in Warren, the German-American Cultural Center in Detroit, the 'Toledo Opera Association in 'Toledo, Ohio, the Verdi Club in Amherstburg, Ontario, Canada, the Italian Riverfront Festival at Hart Plaza, Detroit, and elsewhere. Artists of the Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan performed with the Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, in concert, versions of "La Traviata," "The Barber of Seville' and "I Pagliacci", also with Michigan opera theatre, the Parma opera, with Metropolitan opera basso, Michele Pertusi, and the Birmingham- Bloomfield symphony orchestra, Suzanne Acton conducting L'elisir D'amore. Other notable concerts were held at the Marquis Theater in Northville, the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dearborn, the Somerset Collection in Troy, Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester, the Sicilia Club in Windsor, and in many other important community centers. Principals of the Verdi Opera also served as co-hosts of the Bel Canto Opera Competition and of the Piccolo Regional Opera Society Vocal Scholarship Competition. Also the Verdi Opera annually sponsors the "Italian Songs and Arias Vocal Competition for Michigan High School Students" now in its 13th season, in cooperation with the Italian-American Cultural Society of Livonia and Warren. The Verdi Opera Theatre of Michigan established a subsidiary, the Statue of Enrico Caruso Society, to honor one of the greatest opera singers the world has known: Enrico Caruso. As a tribute to this great artist, the society commissioned Master Sculptor Ferenc Varga to create a life-size statue depicting Caruso as the Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Rigoletto", one of Caruso's most famous roles. The statue, cast in bronze and mounted on a marble pedestal, was donated to Detroit Symphony Orchestra Hall and is permanently on display at the Detroit Opera House/Michigan Opera Theater. A miniature replica of the Caruso statue is periodically presented by the society to worthy representatives of the opera world for their outstanding contribution in promoting this art. Past recipients of the Caruso award: tenors, Carlo Bergonzi, Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, and Placido Domingo and baritone Sherrill Milnes. The society also awards a bust of Giuseppe Verdi to outstanding artists from Michigan and elsewhere who have contributed to the development and appreciation of opera in Michigan and around the world. Past recipients of the Verdi bust: Coloratura Soprano, Janet Williams, Metropolitan Opera basso, Ara Berberian, Michele Pertusi, Luciano Pavarotti, Mezzo Soprano, Cecilia Bartoli, Irina Mishura, and resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Leslie Dunner. Verdi Classical and Spiritual Radio Program, airing operatic selections, hosted by Dino Valle is heard every Sunday from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. on 1090 AM, in the greater Detroit Metropolitan area. Now you can listen to the radio program on line at www.divinemercy.tv. Celebrating 36 years on air. For more information about the radio program and for advertising rates, please call: PHONE: DINO VALLE AT 313.702.9264 EMAIL: DINOOPERA@YAHOO.COM The Statue of Enrico Caruso Society *Click Image to Learn More* .....