Hawaii Opera Theatre
The Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT) is the islands' only major
HOT performs most of its mainstage productions at the
History
The first opera ever presented by the organization was
The year 2002 saw HOT's "Bad Girl Season" with productions of La traviata, Salome, and Carmen. Sets and costumes for Salome were designed by artist Thomas Woodruff.[2] The 2007 production of Madama Butterfly, a co-production with Opera Omaha, featured set and costume designs by the visual artist Jun Kaneko.[1]
The Summer Season was launched in 2004 with Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, followed by The Pirates of Penzance (2005), The King and I with Richard Chamberlain (2006), South Pacific (2007), and A Little Night Music (2008). The summer production for 2009 was cancelled for budgetary reasons. Charity Navigator has awarded the company its top "4-star" rating for responsible fiscal management since 2007.[1]
In 2014, HOT staged a modern production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado in Honolulu and on Maui. Akina led his artistic team in creating a presentation that included anime, harajuku girls, and yakuza-inspired characters.
In 2015, HOT launched its Opera in a Warehouse initiative. A part of its #ImHOT campaign to take opera into the community and develop a new generation of opera goers, the company staged Jonathan Dove's chamber opera, Siren Song, a story of a young sailor involved in a catfish scandal. The company took over an empty warehouse in the arts district of Kaka'ako and turned it into a production venue. Siren Song, directed by Akina, received rave reviews and combined a modern, relevant story with the designs by video designer Adam Turner dancing on the white warehouse walls to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
In 2016, HOT added two special one-night only concerts to its calendar including Rigoletto in Concert starring Hawaii's Quinn Kelsey and the Hawaii debut of the internationally acclaimed trio Sol3 Mio. A family of classically trained singers from New Zealand, Sol3 Mio presents a blend of opera and pop that have thrilled audiences around the world.
Educational programs
A classroom-based education program was begun in 1981 and was expanded to more elementary and
HOT's Education Team serves over 25,000 keiki and adult learners each year through its innovative programming. The OFE program stages over 75 performances at schools on multiple islands throughout the State of Hawaii.
See also
- Beebe Freitas – Former Head of Music
References
- ^ a b c d Program for Le nozze di Figaro, January 2010.
- ^ Thomas Woodruff web site Archived 2009-07-22 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ HOT website