We're Celebrating Our 35th Season in 2021
Our Mission is to provide opportunities for area talent to study and perform a wide range of opera repertoire; to introduce opera to young people and the general public through performances, workshops and educational programs and to foster collaborations between creative and interpretive artists and technicians.
The Delaware Valley Opera is a member of the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, the Arts Council for Sullivan County, NY. Our address is Delaware Valley Opera Center 6692 NY-52, Lake Huntington, NY 12752 and phone (845) 887-3083.
The DVO has been in residence each summer at the Tusten Theatre in Narrowsburg since 1991. Now the company owns it's own theater in Lake Huntington and will present the first performances in the New Delaware Valley Opera Center on December 4th and 5th with "The Gift of the Magi".
Seeking Your Support to Build and Improve Our New Home!
DONATE NOW You can support the work to renovate the new opera center by making a donation in any amount!
Introducing Richard Pearson Thomas
We are honored to have Richard Pearson Thomas join us as the Music Director and Pianist for The Gift of the Magi! Mr. Thomas is a renowned pianist and composer. His works have been performed by the Boston Pops, Covent Garden Festival, Sydney Opera House, Houston Grand Opera, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, Banff Centre, Portland Opera, and before the U.S. Congress by artists such as Audra McDonald, Sanford Sylvan, Lauren Flanigan, John Muriello and Kurt Ollman. His works include operas, chamber music, cabaret and songs.
Among his operatic works are: The Nero Show! (a quasi-operatic vaudeville cabaret show); A Wake or A Wedding ; Parallel Lives; and Ladies in a Maze.
As a pianist, Mr. Thomas has concertized with singers and chamber musicians worldwide and we proudly welcome him to the DVO family.
DVO Board of Directors Gets Two New Members!
Introducing Charlene Trotter and Debra Courtright.
Debra Courtright comes to the DVO with outstanding credentials and experience in numerous areas. In addition to her accounting skills, she is a Quickbooks ProAdvisor and a writer of personnel employee handbooks.
She has degrees in Business, Accounting and Music. For almost 20 years she was the President and Producing Director for the "La Bella Voce Opera Ensemble" in Roseland, NJ where she was their human resources administrator and also responsible for all financial management. Debra is dedicated to introducing young people to music and opera and will be heading the DVO's new Opera Workshop for Children, which is due to debut in Summer 2022.
Charlene Trotter Last month, Charlene Trotter joined the Board of Directors and became our new Treasurer. She is president of C.Trotter Consulting in Glen Spey and offers small businesses fundraising strategies, marketing advice, resources, and strategies for relationship building. She is also the Director of Development & Membership Administration for the Barrymore Film Center & Museum in Ft. Lee, NJ. With her vast experience in communication and leadership, accounting, public relations, and social media with not-for-profit organizations, professional accounting firms and Chambers of Commerce, Ms. Trotter will be a valuable participant in the DVO's future content.
Gratitude for All the Volunteers!
Words could never fully express our heartfelt gratitude, nor fully encapsulate what their work means to the community. After all, time is our most valuable possession.
Thank you to everyone who has generously and joyfully donated it so abundantly: Lucas and Teresa Arzilli, Lucy Arzilli, David Swendsen, Barclay Lottimer, Keith Eisenstark, Sam Militello, Betsy King, Rebekah Creshkoff, Alison Peck, Patrick Field, Sebastian Kiraly, Sarah Andrews, Tony Castro, Zoot, Charlene Trotter and our tireless President of the Board, Suzann Dvorken! What a team!!
BIG THINGS ARE HAPPENING!
Delaware Valley Opera Buys Its Very Own Theater!!!
Today is a day of BIG news! It is with enormous pride and considerable emotion that the Board of Directors of Delaware Valley Opera announces that DVO has purchased its very own theater, the former "Nutshell" bar, restaurant, art gallery, theater and nightclub on Route 52 in Lake Huntington, NY. After 35 years (remember that "Magic Number," 35!) performing at venues ranging from the theater at SUNY Sullivan to "Harmonie Hall" at the Western Hotel to the Lumberland Town Hall to the Tusten Theatre and beyond (with lovely memories attached to each and every one of them), DVO finally has its own, year-round home: The Delaware Valley Opera Center!
Although we will be doing upgrades, beautification and renovations for years to come, the Delaware Valley Opera Center is "performance ready" and we will be producing our inaugural production...David Conte's "The Gift of the Magi"...in its main theater this December. Amenities include a stage and large theater featuring flexible seating options, from traditional rows to dinner-theater and more, an intimate cabaret-style space (perfect for smaller concerts), office space, ample rehearsal, dressing room, and storage space, space for workshops and educational programs, a commercial kitchen and full bar capacity, and much, much more.
What this means is that DVO can "up" its involvement in the region year-round, without the difficulties of securing rented space. Workshops (for both children and adults), lectures, concerts, and small productions (in addition to our traditional summer operas and operettas) will increase, with ample opportunities for involvement by regional and visiting performers, as well as by members of the community and interested children and youth. Now, more than ever, DVO will be YOUR company, a place to call "home," a venue to nurture your creative soul....
Introducing DVO's 2021 Season!
Introducing DVO's Summer Season...
Delaware Valley Opera is elated to announce that we will return to performing "live" again this summer, with three wonderful, staged concerts on tap.
The first production will be an "Operetta Concert ~ Feisty! Frivolous! Frothy!" (July 10th and 11th), featuring the music of Gilbert & Sullivan (The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, The Gondoliers), Strauss (Die Fledermaus), Lehar (The Merry Widow), Romberg (The Student Prince), Herbert (Angel Face, The Red Mill), and many more light, tuneful songs that will have you humming upon leaving the theater. Our featured performers will include Annie Chester, Marcus Huber, Elise Mark, Ken Parks, Brooke Schooley, Jonathan Stinson, and Nicholas Wuehrmann, with Stage Direction by Nicholas Wuehrmann, Musical Direction by Matthew Rupcich, and Accompaniment by Erica Rome.
The second production is an "Opera Concert ~ Lovers! Liars! Libertines!" (July 24th and 25th), featuring pieces from some of the best-loved, most beautiful opera classics that the world has known. Stay tuned for specifics about this fabulous production soon!
Our end-of-the-summer will feature a rollicking concert by the "Opera Cowgirls ~ Divas! Dolly! Done Me Wrong!" (August 14th and 15th) that we know you'll absolutely love. The Opera Cowgirls have been delighting audiences with their clever blend of opera, country, and rock, truly bringing Grand Opera to the Grand Ole Opry, melding The Three Tenors with The Dixie Chicks!
Our early winter production will be David Conte's beautiful and moving rendering of the classic O. Henry holiday tale, "The Gift of the Magi" (December 4th and 5th).
DVO has the tremendously good fortune to be staging its summer productions at the breathtaking Callicoon Hills Resort, in Callicoon Center, NY (website: https://callicoonhills.com/). Described by features writer Steven Israel in The Times-Herald Record article "Modern Pioneers" (May 31, 2021) as a popular, up-and-coming "...historic country resort," Callicoon Hills has the gorgeous, on-site Haypress Barn, site of sumptuous catering facilities, airy, and offering the flexible seating arrangements favored in our post-pandemic world. The Saturday evening performances will be at 8:00 p.m. and the Sunday matinees will be at 3:00 p.m., with dinner-theater packages available for our patrons at both performances.
Tickets for all summer events are on sale now at https://myrivertickets.com/categories/concerts Seating is limited, so get your tickets early!
Be sure to mark your calendars for July 10th/11th, July 24th/25th, August 14th/15th, and December 4th/5th.
We have missed our audiences dearly and look forward to welcoming you back with memorable nights and afternoons of music in a warm and lovely setting. See you at the opera!
It’s 2021 and We’re Back!
After a year of being idled by the dreaded Covid-19 virus, the DVO is excitedly making plans to return to live performances in the Summer of 2021!
We will be announcing our season line-up shortly, which will bring wonderful music sung by glorious voices to our audiences in a concert format designed to conform to the safety protocols expected to be in place by July of 2021. All concerts will be held in a lovely rustic setting that will enhance the musical experiences we have planned. Stay tuned for more details soon!!
There are also lots of exciting developments on the horizon for the DVO, and we are eager to share that news with you when the time is right. We know you’ll be as excited hearing the news as we will be sharing it with you! Stay tuned!!
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Saturday, Dec 4th, 2021
