Annapolis Opera

Founded at the Charles Carroll House in 1993, Annapolis Opera's holiday tradition, Mozart by Candlelight has grown lovelier since moving to the historic First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis in 2003. The candlelit setting and acoustics of the church, built as a theater in 1828, make it an ideal location for the concert. For the near-capacity audience of 390 on Sunday, there seemed a glow marking the end of the worldwide 250th birthday celebrations of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Ronald J. Gretz, the Annapolis Opera's artistic and music director, reminded everyone of Mozart's legacy, noting that only three of the evening's selections had been heard in past Mozart concerts he'd arranged.

J. Ernest Green and the Annapolis Chorale and Chamber Orchestra reached a new artistic pinnacle last weekend in concert-setting performances of Verdi's La Traviata. The music director's promise to "put the audience in the thick of the action, close to the singers so that music and drama envelop them" was fully realized, creating a memorable experience for the audience at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. On opera stages in Brazil, Paris and Hawaii, Green has become known as "a singer's conductor."

Baritone Jason Stearns has mastered the demands of being in demand. During a 2 1/2 -week break from rehearsals of Wagner's Lohengrin at the Leipzig Opera House in Germany, he returned to his Eastport home to fulfill concert commitments at the German Embassy in Washington and at the Chesapeake Arts Center. The day after he sang in the second concert of the Performing Arts of Linthicum's 25th anniversary, Stearns flew to Leipzig for final rehearsals of the opera, which opens Nov. 18. Stearns arrived in the United States shortly after the Sept.

After its most successful season to date, Annapolis Opera president Dennis Monk says, "I think the best is yet to come." It opens this season, themed "Exploring the World of Opera - Espana" on Oct. 21 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Annapolis with A Night in Old Seville, featuring tapas, Spanish wines and a taste of The Barber of Seville. Gioacchino Rossini's popular comic opera, first performed in Rome in 1816, will be staged in the spring at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts.

The mood of the audience was unmistakably celebratory and anticipatory Friday night as Jose-Luis Novo wrapped up his first full season at the helm of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. It seemed fitting that the concert began with a salute to Mozart's 250th birthday - an event celebrated this season at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts with the first collaboration of the symphony with the Annapolis Opera in the production of The Magic Flute. Under Novo, the overture sounded even more polished, spirited and balanced than when conducted by Ronald Gretz of the Annapolis Opera.

Annapolis Opera's The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) conjured up some unanticipated magic when its Papageno - Peter Couchman - was sidelined by a vocal cord injury and his friend, baritone David Adam Moore, who recently sang the role at the New York City Opera, was called upon. Moore came from New York to Annapolis to sing Papageno while Couchman spoke the English dialogue and acted the role. Together the pair saved the production, with Moore lending his magnificent baritone to Couchman's inspired lip-synched, onstage performance to produce their own unique stage magic.

Eight-year-old Emily Harper stayed up past her bedtime to watch the full dress rehearsal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, which will be presented by the Annapolis Opera tonight and Sunday afternoon at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts. "I liked the man dressed as a bird," Emily said at the end of the first act, referring to Papageno, the Queen of the Night's merry bird catcher in a fanciful plot that takes place in ancient Egypt. Emily came Wednesday for the run-through with her mother, Laura, two brothers and an older sister.

What better way to start the new year than by joining the four resident companies at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in a festival celebrating the 250th birthday of 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The festival also celebrates local performing groups - the Annapolis Symphony, the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, the Annapolis Chorale and the Annapolis Opera - with each offering programs this month through March. "The Maryland Hall Mozart Festival is as much a celebration of Mozart's genius as it is a celebration of the arts in our community," Annapolis Symphony Orchestra President R. Lee Streby wrote in an e-mail response.

Annapolis Opera's musical tradition for the holiday season, "Mozart by Candlelight," has been even lovelier the past three years after moving to the historical First Presbyterian Church of Annapolis. Built as a theater in 1828, it became a church in 1846, a year after the Naval Academy was established. The candle-lit setting and acoustics make the church an ideal location for the Mozart concert. At Sunday's event, the church was close to its 390-person capacity. Opera President Dennis Monk welcomed the audience, noting that the Annapolis performing arts community will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - which is Jan. 27 - with festival events scheduled at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts: the Annapolis Symphony next month, Ballet Theatre of Maryland in February, the Annapolis Chorale in early March and the opera's Magic Flute in mid-March.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 250th birthday isn't until Jan. 27, but by following a long-standing tradition, fans of the Annapolis Opera will get a head start Sunday on saluting the composer's milestone at the group's "Mozart by Candlelight" concert. This concert, always held on the first Sunday in December, has a history of getting too big for its venues, according to Annapolis Opera treasurer Nancy Lindley. "`Mozart by Candlelight' was first presented at Carroll House and outgrew that location," she said.