Virginia Opera

The opera is something I had always been interested in attending and the performance certainly did not disappoint!

My wife and I visited the Carpenter Theatre for the first time to see a production of the Virginia Opera of Madame Butterfly.....it was fabulous....seats were great...accustics were wonderful and the performance was wonderful.....appropriately tear filled ending....the lead soprano was absolutely unforgettable....we loved it

Beautifully staged, with absolutely wonderful singing. The memory of it haunted me, in a good way, for days afterward.

This was the first opera for my wife and me and we looked forward to a pleasant experience in the new Carpenter Center. It was great except for three things. The lead tenor was hard to hear during a good portion of the four acts. Some times I felt the orchestra overpowered him but the other voices came through just fine, especially the powerful soprano. The tenor and some others also seemed to be just plodding along from note to note without much emotion. Except for the soprano the final act would have been a flop. Our other complaint is the length of three intermissions. Others in the audience had about had it when the third intermission just dragged on, and some began clapping. It seems scene changes could be made a little faster. Some work on the sound quality would enhance the beautiful Carpenter Center.

It was a wonderful experience to attend the performance of La Boheme.

As this was my first opera experience, I can say that I definitely had no idea what to expect from the performance, but I was blown away. The performers are all extremely talented and the set design was stellar.

The Carpent Center was beautiful after its renovation. I have seen many performances of La Boheme and this one was not the best but a good one. I would still go to any staging of that opera. The music is beautiful and so was the orchestra at this performance.

This was the first opera at the newly renovated Carpenter Center. Nice facility, great opera and beautiful sets.

Virginia Opera's production of La Boheme is very professional. The performers are all top grade.

The singers, orchestra, and sets for VA Opera's LA BOHEME were outstanding, creating a unified, totally enjoyable, production. Congratulations to the entire company.. Especially notable was the pre-opera lecture. Whoever presented that lecture/demonstration is an invaluable member of the VA artistic community.

Another intermission? Count 'em, one, two, three. Long intermissions broke up the flow of the opera and I felt like I was more at a fund raiser. People standing in the their seats during intermissions, mingling, drinking, socializing. Seemed to be a lot of emphasis placed on drinking. Allowing patrons to bring drinks into the theater now gave it a football game atmosphere. All in all, I never felt as if I had a true opera experience with all the distractions. The sets were wonderful, but maybe not worth the time to change them out. I've been to this opera before which utilized sets on circle turn arounds. Sets are nice in the opera, but hearing the music and passion of the story is more important to me.

The opera was incredible! The voices of all the performers were beautiful, polished, and strong. They handled the difficult score with ease. The staging was fantastic--the use of movable scaffolding was a creative way to change the scenery. The shutters used to decorate reminded me of southern-style hurricane/island architecture. However, our seats were TERRIBLE! We were seated in the last row of the parterre right, and could not see the supertitles because the balcony overhang obscured our view. We stayed in our seats for the first act, as we did not want to disturb other theater patrons by moving around. We were forced to scrunch down in our seats to have even a minimal view of the screen. Fortunately, we were able to move forward for the second act. I think someone should have checked to be sure the screen was placed properly so that all seats had a view. Although the performance was wonderful, I have a sore neck this morning from straining to see the supertitles!

While the "translations/subtitles" were slightly distracting they added greatly to our understanding of the play. I've not been to many opera's so maybe this sort of thing is standard practice. The Carpenter Theatre in particular and Richmond's Center Stage in general are a destination worth the trip for any production. Whow! What a marvelous job of renovation. Gorgeous indeed.

Everyone involved in the production deserves kudos for an excellent production.

First of all the set was great.. the costumes were good.. but the major you go to the opera is for the voice, and that just was not there.... Porgy was great, and the highlight of the show... Bess was wonderful in her high register, but lost defination and pronunciation in her lower notes... Clara's first rendetion of Summertime. ended in a missed note, which made her on the reprise, not even try to hit the final note, instead settling for a lower note... she did make up for it some in the final chorus where she clearly projects over everyone... Maria is usually one of my favorite characters... and i am sure she has a wonderful voice, but she was unable to project over the orchestra and the other singers... Serena was a shinging star... what a wonderfully clear voice.. i would imagine great things from her in the future... Crown was also quite good.. he voice was deep and chilling.. pronuciation was lost a bit... Sporting Life was a major disappointment...his character is usually a favorite.. but i noticed at least twice when he missed notes... a real disappointment... all in all it was only a fair production.. not worth seeing...

This was a great experience. I was afraid I wouldn't understand the words in opera style, but the Virginia Opera puts the words up on a screen for you. It was great! I was able to follow along without a problem. The music and story were unforgettable.

I was mesmerized by the beautiful singing and the acting. I am a South Carolinian and I can relate to to the Catfish row scenery in Charleston, SC. It was surreal! I felt like I was there during the entire opera. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would like for it to return to Richmond so that I can encourage my family and friends to attend.

Porgy was just fine - he did a great job of not only singing beautifully but of staying in character with appropriate acting skills. Bess was good. But I was quite disappointed that the orchestra's volume was so loud it often drowned out the singing. I hate to say it but it sounded like an amateur production and I don't expect that in Richmond, having attended a fair number of performances--but not operas. The two minor characters of Crown and the dope pusher could have been better with more direction. They both could obviously dance but they looked spastic in their movements. The sets worked very smoothly and were very well done. The audience was extremely appreciative but overall I would just give it a C.

The cast of this performance are incredibly talented and I was moved at several points in this tragedy. The Carpenter Center is beautiful and was an appropriate venue for this Opera.

I had never seen an operatic perfomance before viewing Porgy and Bess. Though it was long, I enjoyed every moment. The singing was magnificent and the young woman who played the role of Bess actually gave me chills while she sang. I didn't even know what the story line was, but there's nothing like a story about a man's love for a woman. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a great Broadway performance. I hated the drug peddler's character, but the actor was wonderful in that part. Check it out!

The cast, voices, orchestra, set, and lighting were all exemplary. Easily on par with Broadway or Carnegie Hall.

I was so happy that Porgy & Bess was to be presented. Although the music is very well known, the opera itself is rarely produced.I bought tickets the day I heard about the show, 5 months ago. We were not disappointed. The singing, acting, symphony, sets, costumes, lighting were fabulous. I couldn't have been more pleased. It was my first time at the Carpenter Theatre and second time to hear the Virginia Opera. I can't wait to see another production.

I felt the male lead singers voices were not powerful enough. The staging and choreography were good. The first act was too long and, unfortunately, the seats in the carpenter center are not that comfortable.

Show was wonderful- Actors great but even with knowing what the words were that they were singing by the screen- we still couldn't understand most of the singing. Maybe the mics were'nt set right or the actors should have personal mics on their person. Set design was wonderfully unique.

A strong, solid cast, amazing performances, and beautiful voices. Even the staging and lighting was remarkable! I highly recommend Porgy and Bess to any fan of opera, theater, or any Gershwin enthusiast.

The scenery adaptation was fascinating. It helped with the movement of the opera and kept things flowing, allowing subtle shifting of the imagination to place one in the scene. Sound and other effects were also excellent. Singing and acting quite good - well worth seeing.

Great performance which brought out all the emotions of the story with amazing talent shown by all the artists

The opera was fantastic! The characters and the singers fulfilling the roles were awesome. The new and improved Carpenter Center was great as well.

A splendid and well put together production. One of the best of this show I"ve ever seen.

This is the second Virginia Opera production of Don Giovanni I have seen and it was by far the better of the two. The stage sets were very simple and elegant, the costumes were lovely, and the performers themselves were in excellent voice and seemed to be having a lot of fun up there! This was the final performance and it showed in how smoothly it was performed. I'm now a huge fan of the Sunday matinee event.

This was our first opera and we think it was a good one to start with.

I'm a network engineer so I wouldn't exactly call myself a music aficionado. But I know what I like and I liked this production of Don Giovanni very much. I found that I disliked the Don Giovanni character immensely, which is to say that Matthew Worth did a wonderful job of selling the part of a detestable scoundrel. Cristina Nassif gave a striking performance of Donna Elvira and I found that I eagerly anticipated her on stage moments. But the star of this show was Daniel Mobbs as Leporello. He came across as guileless and engaging while still delivering a powerful and confident performance. I had a wonderful time and extend my thanks to the company for their efforts.

A very good production, and I have probably seen about 8 different Don Gs. Sets were simple, but effective. Humor was occasionally broad, bordering on lewd.

The recent production of Don Giovanni confirmend the high artistic standards of the Virginia Opera. A capacity house at the Carpenter Center in Richmond were treated to an operatic experience with a strong cast of singers, very good staging, excellent orchestra, and dramatic and comedic impact.

Very well done and highly enjoyable. The singers were all excellent . We enjoyed the opera much more than we would have previously since we attended 2 sessions on Don Giovanni presented by Glenn Winters here in Charlottesville. This gave us much more insight into the music.

A truly enjoyable afternoon. Cristina Nassiff was phenomenal as Dona Elvira. Please bring her back again and again.

Loved it had a wonderful evening, anyone who enjoy's opera need to see it the new center stage is very nice.

Just a great production all around of Don Giovanni

Great cast, magnificent talent with powerful voices, it was a joy to watch and hear. Loved the way the sets were changed. If there's one opera your going to see this year, this should be the one...

This opera is humorous, delightful and artistic - those involved in this performance fully captured Mozart's brilliance and more. The story and dialogue is wonderful- it is fun to hear the Italian and follow along with the English subtitles. The singing is superb - there wasn't a weak singer in the cast - they all sang like superstars, and acted brilliantly as well. They had a nice set and costumes too.

Some singers stronger than others, but all in all, very enjoyable. Played for laughs without being goofy or too broad.

I thought the performance was spectacular! I enjoyed the way the scenery changes flowed with a minimum of distraction and allowed the viewers to adapt quickly. The orchestra was superb, as were the voices of Butterfly, Suzuki, Pinkerton, and Sharpless.

The timeless music is always beautiful The title lead has an amazing voice and the stage setting was unque

First time back at the CC since the renovation - it is wonderful. Loved the resoration and the new touches. The sound was excellent. Looking forward to going more often. Thought the Opera was average. The stage business was very good - wonderful use of miniumal props, but it was a bit stark. Costumes a bit bland for this particular production. Singers were fine - no outstanding missteps, but no outstanding vocal performances either. Was more impressed with the supporting cast than the principals.

Horrible. My wife and I walked out at intermission and we were not the only ones leaving.

...but I think I prefer Italian opera! Still, the story was quite interesting and as usual the production itself was wonderful. The orchetra particularly deserves a standing O.

I came thoroughly expecting to be horrified at a cut down version of a pretty perfect music drama, but none of the grandest music was tampered with : "Wintersturme," "Leb Wohl," etc. Fine singing, good support from what was basically a chamber orchestra.

The singing and the music were fantastic. The costumes were awful with several of the main singers dressed in rags. The set design was uninspired, and the staging stunk.

My teenage wanted to attend an Opera. Since virginia Opera has a light comedy offering with "Cosi Fan tutte", I thought it would be a good introduction. She got a little apprehensive about the crowd around her being rather gray-haired. After the Opera got going, she really enjoyed herself. She did not want to leave her seat during intermission. The performace was perfect.

I was blown away by the Opera, well deserving of a production even at the Met in NYC. FiKile Mvinjelwa's Rigoletto was amazing he bought the charactor to life and his singing of the part was flawless. Sang-Eun Lee's Gilda was excellent and hopefully will return in the role of Madama Butterfly in April. Go see this if you can you won't regret it.

Sang-Eun Lee, Fikile Mwinjelwa, and (my personal favorite, wink wink) Aurelio Dominguez rocked the socks off this opera--I hope to see any or all of them again in other performances in the future. My husband and I were blown away.

absolutly an amazing experience. Outstanding performance.

The characters were wonderful and exciting. I laughed, I cried and I wondered.

This was my first Opera experience..I have always enjoyed the ballet and musicals so I thought it was time to broaden the horizon....I am so glad I did!!! My boyfriend and I both adored it and we are looking forward to Madama Butterfly in the spring!!

Rigoletto was performed masterfully from a musical perspective. Gilda was amazing and Rigoletto has a great voice. The orchestra was very good but the cellos were weak. The sets were contradictory with tapestry on one side and scaffolding on the other. The rotating unit on stage right was very well designed. The stage directing in Act II left a lot to be desired. Chorus reaction to the discovery of Rigoletto's presumed mistress as his daughter was non-existent. Keeping Rigoletto from going through a non-existent door then leaving the access totally unprotected was not credibile. However, acting and stage directing are not why we go to the opera. All in all, it was a night to remember and I highly recommend it. The soprano was the best I have heard!

Porgy & Bess was an amazing performance! It was full of emotion. The singers were soul-stirring. This is a must-see!

Overall I found the performance fascinating and moving. It hit on all the emotions from sadness to laughter.

Wonderful play, the singing .and acting was excellent.... Enjoyed every minute of it.

Wonderful show !! a must see for everyone of all ages. i enjoyed the show from begining to end. this show will go on for another 35 years and still receive the honors and awards it deserves. amazing voices and actors and the storyline had you waiting to see what was going to happen next, while the singing had your hair on your standing up with excitement. porgy displayed what a person in love would do to be happy and bess showed us how being alone in this world is a heart breaking event. take everyone in the family to go see Porgy And Bess.

Amazing! Sets were stellar. Voices superb. Ability of "Porgy" to be a cripple unbelievable. The dancing interpretations perfectly fit each event portrayed.

The performance was outstanding; would recommend to my friends and family to me next season as a family and friends outing.

We thought Porgy and Bess was very well done and that the singers were excellent, and of very high caliber. We really enjoyed the staging effects and the clever use of lights. You really felt that you were on Catfish Row.

The vocalists were wonderful....the music was transporting

We bought tickets for ourselves and another couple from the Eastern Shore. It was a fabulous production. We all had a great time. The music was wonderfully sung and as great art does, evoked a deep emotional response by all. We loved seeing Porgy and Bess at the Ferguson Center. We would love to have more opera brought to the Peninsula.

We bought tickets for ourselves and another couple form the Eastern Shore. It was a fabulous production. We all had a great time. The music was wonderfully sung and as great art does, evoked a deep emotional response by all. We loved seeing Porgy and Bess at the Ferguson Center. We would love to have more opera brought to the Peninsula.

Started a little slow, gained momentum, then accelerarted to the end. It was great. Read the synopsis ahead of time.

The Porgy And Bess presentation at Ferguson Center on Friday, May 7 was a thoroughly enjoyable event. The enthusiasm of the cast was palpable. Their voices and acting were outstanding. When reading the program discussing the main cast backgrounds, it is easy to see why they have traveled across the United States and overseas to play in other operas. Their talents are outstanding.

Very impressive & moving opera, done very well. Though the synopsis makes the plot sound simplistic, there is surprising depth to the characters & plot. Also, Ferguson Center at Christopher Newport University is beautiful. Great line of sight from everywhere, intimate setting.

The cast is wonderful; not a weak voice among them. The orchestra ably supports the show. Very powerful, moving production. One that we will remember for a long time. It is a long show, so plan your baby sitting plans accordingly.

This was a fabulous production of Porgy and Bess. All players did an outstanding job in this performance Friday May 7. The soprano voices were quite thrilling. The renditions of "It Ain't Necessicarily So" and "There's a Boat Leaving for New York" and "Bess You Is My Woman NOw" were my personal favorites of ths show!

The production, performance and voice outstanding. Would love to see it again.