Arts & Entertainment

The Taconic Opera Comes To Tarrytown

Published 1 year ago1y ago • Bookmarks: 161

October 28, 2024

By W.B. King–

After 27 years of successfully producing more than 70 stage shows, the Taconic Opera is moving from the Yorktown Stage Musical Theatre to the Tarrytown Music Hall. General Director Dan Montez told The Hudson Independent the move is both exciting and challenging.

“Everything is different. Administration style, technical organization on stage, advertising, location access, orchestra pit, balcony, wing and fly space, dressing rooms, lighting…you name it,” he said, noting that the departure from the Yorktown Stage Musical Theatre was due to the closure of the orchestral pit.

Support our Sponsors

“It’s almost as if we have to learn from scratch again after 27 years. I find much of my job, during this first opera there, to be keeping all of my volunteers and artists calm and happy as we navigate new territory,” he continued. “Everyone is a bit nervous.”

Old School Opera House

Over the years, the Taconic Opera, which Montez founded, has produced numerous operas, some of which have be true to form, while others were updated with what he said is “unique versions of traditional repertoire.” With the understanding that the move was on the horizon, Montez and his team visited Westchester venues in hopes of finding a suitable new home.

“The first thing I loved about the Tarrytown Music Hall is that it looks like an opera house on the inside. It’s quite lovely and old school. We had looked at it a few years back when our board was having discussions about expanding the company. Tarrytown was so nice to us. It was almost overwhelming how nice,” he said. “So, when Yorktown Stage decided to permanently close up their orchestra pit, we felt lucky to have already had conversations with Tarrytown and they had open arms.”

To further test the waters, the Taconic Opera performed two piano concertos on the stage in May 2024: Maurice Ravel’s “Piano Concerto in G Major,” and the world premiere of Montez’s “Piano Concerto in C Minor.”

“We wanted to feel out the venue. But doing an opera is quite a different undertaking with so many more moving parts,” said Montez, a professional tenor who has appeared in principal roles in over 60 productions on stages including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the San Francisco Opera. “So as much as we tried to prepare, we are going to do our best to cross all the ‘t’s’ and dot all the ‘I’s.’”

For Music Hall Theatre Manager Karina Ringeisen, the addition of the Taconic Opera is in concert with the venues long history of supporting this artistic genre, including productions of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida and Rigoletto and Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca, among others.

“We are really looking forward to having them here,” she said. “They will also be doing shows and inviting local schools, which is very special because most schools would have to go to the city to see opera but now, they can come here,” she said. “I think they are doing a great service, especially introducing kids to opera.”

Building on Ringeisen’s thoughts, Montez said what sets the Taconic Opera apart from other organizations, in part, is performing its mainstage productions for school aged children throughout the county. These children attend a special school performance before the production is open to the public.

A Family Ensemble

Taconic Opera productions, he noted, are often updated with a modern twist, but he ensured the company doesn’t do “weird for weird’s sake,” adding that they hire vocalists who are both good singers and accomplished actors.

“People are compelled by the stories. Our sets and costumes serve the story and don’t hide bad acting,” he said. “We use the union orchestra of Westchester for all of our performances and have one of the best conductors in the U.S. conducting our shows, Jun Nakabayashi.”

Calling the Taconic Opera a “family,” Montez said whenever possible, he uses the same singers for each production rather than featuring a “flavor of the month” singer. This approach, he added, removes the possibility of attracting “diva-like” performers.

“They all work together as an ensemble to bring a story to the stage as a team. They get used to each other’s acting styles and movements on stage. This brings a better show to the masses,” he continued. “Many of the positions in our company, off of the stage, are filled by long-term volunteers who have each learned to become experts at their jobs. This makes the company work more smoothly.”

Carmen

To kick off its new Tarrytown Music Hall residency, the Taconic Opera will open the 2024-2025 season with a production of the famed opera, Carmen by Georges Bizet. On November 2 at 2:00 p.m. and November 3 at1:00 p.m., the opera will be performed in French with English supertitle above the stage, which is meant to enhance the theatrical experience, Montez noted.

“Carmen is perhaps the most performed and attended opera in history. Since we are introducing ourselves to a new community in Westchester, we felt that we should do a traditional opera. But we also felt that we should do it our way,” he said. “As a regional company, we cannot compete with the big budgets of huge opera companies, so, we have to bring our own unique creativity and vision to the stage.”

While this version of Carmen may be different for traditionalists, Montez said the Taconic Opera has built a reputation “for exciting people with the story and with the acting as well as beautiful singing. People not only love our productions but are shocked that something of this quality is possible in Westchester.”

On tap for 2025 are two oratorios by Camille Saint-Saens and Francis Poulenc, which will be performed with full orchestra with the soloists and chorus of the opera company. Additionally, Montez said Taconic Opera will offer free operas of Ballo in Maschera by Giuseppe Verdi and Cenerentola by Gioachino Rossini. “Next fall we hope to bring back [Richard] Wagner’s famous epic, The Flying Dutchman.”

For more information, visit: www.taconicopera.org.

Read or leave a comment on this story...

Support our Sponsors