THE DALLAS OPERA LAUNCHES NEW STREAMING PLATFORM FOR GLOBAL AUDIENCE: THEDALLASOPERA.TV
Monthly Subscription Provides Access to Video Catalogue from tdo network, OperaKids Programs, and Performances; New Content will be Added Regularly
Premium Films—Known as Originals—to be Featured Periodically as Special Pay-Per-View Rentals
The Dallas Opera (TDO) announces the launch of its new subscription streaming platform. Available starting today, the website brings together TDO’s full catalogue of existing video content—which ranges from full opera productions for audiences of all ages, to musical conversations and original opera-themed sit-com style episodes, to artist-hosted series that spotlight their interests and careers, educational series, and more—with new original opera films created specifically for a virtual audience.
The Dallas Opera represents a new avenue of presentation and production for an opera company, beyond the physical space of an opera house. Rather than offering only streams of staged productions filmed archivally, The Dallas Opera’s platform offers primarily original content filmed exclusively for streaming, available for viewing 24/7, 365 days a year by a global audience.
“We are so thrilled that thedallasopera.TV is launching today,” said Ian Derrer, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO. “To watch this project go from idea to reality in less than a year has been amazing to see, and we’re so proud of the content that we have ready to offer our global audience. This platform truly helps redefine our company as a leader in digital content, as well as on the opera house stage. We are breaking new ground in the field while continuing to preserve the great traditions of live opera.”
“What we’ve learned over the course of the past year without live performances is that there is a thirst for quality online content, and we are so happy to lead the way in producing that for our eager fans around the world,” said David Lomelí, a tenor, TDO’s Artistic Consultant, and creative force behind the initiative. “Statistics show that viewers ages 18-34 and 34-45 are online for more than 10 hours each day, and our efforts to reach that demographic—through unique and creative offerings—have proven successful, growing in just a year from 2,000 unique views in March 2020 to more than 150 million unique views today on our Facebook channel. Our hope is that this streaming model will reach even more.”
Subscriptions to the streaming platform are available for $4.99/month with a free seven-day trial. In addition, premium content–Originals–will be offered periodically at a pay-per-view price.
Two Originals are available as thedallasopera.TV launches today: “That Which We Love”, a recital by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, and “Vanished,” a three-part art film starring countertenor John Holiday and tenor Russell Thomas with music by Gluck, Monteverdi, and Janáček assembled into a new narrative. A third original, “The Heart of the Song,” featuring conversation with and performances by tenors Javier Camarena, Rolando Villazón, and David Lomelí, will be released on May 25 for a limited viewing period.
Thedallasopera.TV Content
Video content on thedallasopera.TV will be housed in four categories—Originals, Stages, tdo network, and OperaKids—and available via an app for mobile devices (iOS and Android), on smart TVs via Fire TV and Roku, and on the website for desktop/laptop users.
Originals
· “That Which We Love” – Isabel Leonard in recital, pianist John Arida
This program features a mix of classical and popular songs by Sondheim, Bernstein, Kern, Offenbach, Berlioz, Bellini, and others. Rental fee = $6.99 for three months. Available now.
· “Vanished” – an art film in three parts about longing, heartbreak, and the search for love featuring John Holiday and Russell Thomas
Directed by bass-baritone and film-maker Ryan McKinny, Vanished uses a variety of special effects and cinematic techniques to create the world of imagination depicted in the film. The soundtrack includes all 22 songs from Janáček’s “The Diary of One Who Disappeared”, as well as scenes from Gluck’s “Orfeo ed Euridice,” and Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea.”
Pianists for “Vanished” are Kevin J. Miller and Kathleen Kelly. The story is by Ryan McKinny, Tonya McKinny, and Kathleen Kelly. McKinny’s production company, Helio Arts, filmed, produced, and edited the film. Rental fee = $19.99 for all three episodes for six months. Available now.
· “The Heart of the Song” – tenors Javier Camarena, Rolando Villazón, and David Lomelí
Three famous Mexican-born tenors and friends engage in serious conversation and humor-laced repartee as they offer a celebration of much-loved Mexican and Latin American songs. Filmed in Dallas, Zürich, and Paris, the show is produced by director Laura Prieto and producer Jeremy Tang. English subtitles are provided for the songs, which are all sung in Spanish.
Rental fee = $11.99. Available May 25-31 only.
Stages
Stages content is included with thedallasopera.TV subscriptions, and will feature a catalogue of “greatest hits” from The Dallas Opera, including full-length operas, concerts, recitals, and archival video streams and radio broadcasts.
Thedallasopera.TV platform launch includes:
· The company’s 2019 production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, presented in the 1999 Sir Peter Hall production. Conducted by Emmanuel Villaume, TDO’s Mrs. Eugene McDermott Music Director, the cast includes Italian tenor Paolo Fanale as Tamino, soprano Andrea Carroll as Pamina, soprano Jeni Houser as The Queen of the Night, baritone Sean Michael Plumb as Papageno, and bass Morris Robinson as Sarastro. Kyle Lang directed the production for TDO.
· “The John Holiday Experience,” a recital by recent finalist on The Voice, was recorded April 9 at the Winspear Opera House in TDO’s first live presentation since early 2020. Holiday, along with pianists Kevin J. Miller and Neeki Bey, performs a wide-ranging program of songs by Stevie Wonder, George Gershwin, Henri Duparc, Tyshawn Sorey, Norah Jones, and others.
· A celebration of the first five years of The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors, which features selections from the five annual Showcase Concerts that mark the culmination of each year’s Institute. Featuring Hart Institute participants and The Dallas Opera conducting The Dallas Opera Orchestra.
tdo network
Launched in February 2020, tdo network has amassed a viewership of nearly 157 million followers from 50 countries in the past year with its ever-evolving collection of whimsical, topical, and informative original content hosted by artists and social media influencers. Access to all tdo network content is included with thedallasopera.TV subscriptions.
OperaKids
OperaKids offers programming for children, as well as educational resources for parents and children, all produced by The Dallas Opera’s education department and included in the monthly subscription price.
Two family operas are available now, as is Kids Opera Boot CampTM:
· “Jack and the Beanstalk” (music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and others; words and story adaption by John Davies) brings the classic fairy tale to the opera stage in a screen adaptation by Mary Dibbern and Ryan Lescalleet of John Davies’ delightful children’s opera.
· “Dr. Miracle” (music by Georges Bizet and others/libretto by Leon Battue and Ludovic Halévy) tells the tale of young love through a series of disguises, mishaps, and eventual happily-ever-after in a screen adaptation by Mary Dibbern and Ryan Lescalleet of this opera in one act that the composer wrote when he, too, was just a teen.
· Kids Opera Boot CampTM—an interactive look behind the scenes at the opera, where viewers can learn from a series of five video lessons what it takes to make an opera, how to make an opera set, and how to learn music like an opera singer. Each of the five episodes is designed to show students what it takes to create opera through an engaging combination of hands-on activities, fun facts, and laugh-out-loud characters. The program concludes with a performance of The Bremen Town Musicians—a screen adaptation by Mary Dibbern and Ryan Lescalleet of John Davies’ delightful children’s opera about the value of teamwork. Designed for grades K-6.
Thedallasopera.TV is made possible through the McCasland Strategic Opportunities Fund with additional support by The Dallas Opera donor family.
SEASON SPONSOR: The Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Family
The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: Elsa von Seggern Foundation; Texas Instruments; the City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture;
the Texas Commission on the Arts; and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera.
Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. NorthPark Center, the official shopping center of The
Dallas Opera The Dallas Opera is a proud member of OPERA America.
