Heritage and Hope: Celebrating Diversity in Performance and Pedagogy 2016 Indianapolis

Our 2016 convention was held in Indianapolis, IN, January 6-10, 2016.

THE NATIONAL OPERA ASSOCIATION 61st ANNUAL NATIONAL CONVENTION
and
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING WINTER WORKSHOP

"Heritage and Hope: Celebrating Diversity in Performance and Pedagogy"
Honoring the 20th Anniversary of the "Lift Every Voice" Legacy Awards

The Conrad Hotel, Indianapolis
January 6-10, 2016

Convention Schedule

Full convention schedule is available here: 2016 Convention Schedule

2016 Convention Highlights

SPECIAL NOA & NATS PRE-CONVENTION EVENTS

For Early Arrivers on Wednesday, January 6!

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK FOUNDATION EXPERIENCE

The Great American Songbook Experience is a multifaceted exploration of the vibrant and timeless music from the Golden Age of American popular music. We’ll begin the experience with a visit to the acoustically perfect, Palladium Hall, where these classics are regularly performed through the Center’s Songbook Series. Once we’re done exploring the exhibit, we’ll get a sneak peek at the Great American Songbook Archives & Library, which houses artifacts such as sheet music, personal papers, recordings, and musical arrangements of the songwriters and performers who helped to create the music. We will also hear about efforts to promote the Great American Songbook through the Great American Songbook Competition.

Reservations for both NOA and NATS members must be made in advance:
Cost $20 per person; NOA members please reserve on the NOA website on the registration link.

Space is limited, so please reserve your tickets early!

THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK FOUNDATION
(At the Center for the Performing Arts)
One Center Green
Carmel, IN 46032
www.TheSongbook.org

NOA & NATS PRE-CONVENTION DINNER

Welcome to Indianapolis!
A catered dinner in the beautiful glass-domed Artsgarden on the second floor of the Conrad Hotel, followed by an "Open-Mic" session for NOA and NATS members

David Duncan, Pianist

Reservation required on the NOA website or through NATS

COLLABORATIVE PIANO SUMMIT IN THREE SESSIONS

Coordinated by Margo Garrett, Collaborative Piano, Chamber Music, and Vocal Arts Faculties, The Juilliard School

SESSION 1: Why build one, and formulas for design and funding

SESSION 2: Developing a curriculum for a collaborative piano program

SESSION 3: The Down and Dirty Guide to Playing Orchestral Reductions and Teaching others to Play Them

Margo Garrett will share with us all her criteria for starting a program and for designing the specifics of any program.

OPENING CEREMONIES AND LUNCHEON

KEYNOTE ADDRESS—DONNIE RAY ALBERT

Now in his 40th year of performing professionally, DONNIE RAY ALBERT has sung baritone roles with opera companies in Austin, Cincinnati, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Vancouver, Berlin, Bordeaux, Bregenz, Cologne, Dresden, Hamburg, Milan, Prague, and Sao Paolo. Mr. Albert has performed such roles as Wotan and the Wanderer in New National Theater (Tokyo, Japan) productions of Die Walküre and Siegfried, Macbeth at Klangbogen Festival in Wien, Austria, and Falstaff in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Opera.

He was a 2011 NOA "Lift Every Voice" Legacy Award honoree.

HERITAGE AND HOPE FROM THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE:
CAREER INSIGHTS AND ADVICE FROM THREE SUCCESSFUL GENERATIONS

with NOA Legacy Lift Every Voice honorees:
George Shirley, Olive Moorefield Mach, Willie Anthony Waters
and other distinguished panelists

A panel discussion featuring prominent African American artists from several generations.

Panel Moderators: Frederick Kennedy, Gail Robinson-Oturu

OPERA AMERICA SINGER TRAINING FORUM

Jeffrey Larson, Artistic Services Manager, OPERA America

Dr. Carleen Graham, Director, Crane Opera Ensemble SUNY Potsdam

This session will facilitate dialogue between collegiate-level opera directors, voice teachers, young artist program managers, administrators, artist managers and others to help share resources and improve methods for identifying talented singers and providing well-rounded training to best prepare them for careers in opera.

SINGING ON STAGE: AN ACTOR'S GUIDE

Jane Streeton, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London

Ms. Streeton has made a specialty of working with actors with no background in singing--many of these singers have later gone on to sing the West End, on Broadway, and even in opera, and have been nominated for Tony and Olivier awards.

STYLISTIC PERFORMANCE OF THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK

David Duncan, Pianist, Organist, Conductor, Choral Arranger

With his experience working closely with the Indianapolis Cabaret Theatre at the Columbia Club, accompanying the Cabaret Conservatory Master Classes given by current Broadway artists, as well as serving as the pianist with The Great American Songbook High School Vocal Competition with Michael Feinstein, and as a teacher of jazz piano and improvisation, David Duncan has much to share about performing the Songbook repertory with style and flair.

DOMINICK ARGENTO CHAMBER OPERA COMPOSITION WINNER

THE CLEVER ARTIFICE OF HARRIET AND MARGARET
Leanna Kirchoff, Composer and Librettist
Dr. Keith Brautigam and Dr. Lisa Dawson, Co-Directors
Dr. Jason Thompson, Conductor
Produced by Indiana Wesleyan University

GALA CONCERT: WHAT'S PAST IS PROLOGUE

THE LEGACY CONTINUES

A Gala Concert Honoring the "Lift Every Voice" Legacy Awards

Artists TBA

COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES OF VOICE TEACHER AND STAGE DIRECTOR

Dr. Soo Ah Park, University of Texas, Tyler

Dr. Robert DeSimone, Director, Director of the Butler Opera Center, University of Texas, Austin

This session will feature a live performance of an opera scene directed by a voice teacher, then a critique of their performance from the perspective of a stage director. A panel discussion will follow that addresses common mistakes that voice teachers make with opera directing.

SACRED IN OPERA INITIATIVE

HAGAR
by William David Cooper (Excerpts)

Joachim Schamberger, Stage Director, Depauw University
Dr. Michelle Louer, Conductor, Music Director, The Second Presbyterian Church
Dr. Isai Jess Muñoz, Production Coordinator, Indiana Wesleyan University

A performance at the historic Christ Church Cathedral Episcopal of excerpts from a new Sacred Opera, Hagar, by recent winner of the Charles Ives Composition Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, William David Cooper, commissioned by Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis.

MASTERCLASS: COACHING SINGER AND PIANIST TEAMS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF OPERA ARIAS

Julia Faulkner, Director of Vocal studies for The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, Lyric Opera of Chicago

Margo Garrett, Collaborative Piano, Chamber Music, and Vocal Arts Faculties, The Juilliard School

These internationally renowned master teachers will work with singer-pianist pairs in a unique “tag-team” format. The goal is to help the singers and pianists make the adjustments that can lead to more compelling, artistic performances.

21st ANNUAL LEGACY GALA BANQUET AND AWARDS

and Vocal Competition Winner's Concert
David Holley, Master of Ceremonies
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AND LEGACY AWARDS
GEORGE SHIRLEY, 2016 NOA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
2003 NOA "Lift Every Voice" Legacy Award Winner
2015 National Medal of Arts winner, recently awarded by President Obama

Past NOA Conferences