Vanity at Versailles

Rameau’s colorful ballet “buffon” made a splash at its premiere at Versailles in 1745, and now the marsh nymph prepares to make her debut on DMMO’s mainstage. It’s strange to imagine how an opera that is primarily an exercise in comeuppance was commissioned for a wedding celebration. Platée was composed for the nuptials of the…

Long Live the Queen

While Eugene Onegin is his most popular opera, The Queen of Spades may be Tchaikovsky’s best. In it, the composer of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake tackles Pushkin’s eerie Russian ghost story. If any composer embodies the essence of “Russianness,” it is Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky, whose music often evokes his country’s landscape and is characterized…

Attend the Tale

Des Moines Metro Opera founder Robert L. Larsen explains how Sondheim’s musical thriller came from Broadway to Des Moines Metro Opera’s stage. The origin of this strange tale may have been a recorded murder in the later 18th century in the area of Fleet Street in London. A version appeared in serialized form for The…

“Des Moines Metro Opera Presents Bon Appétit!” receives Emmy nomination!

Iowa PBS’s broadcast of Des Moines Metro Opera presents Bon Appétit! has been nominated for an Upper Midwest Regional Emmy in the Arts/Entertainment division! The official nominees from the Arts/Entertainment division are: Becoming Wild: Ryan Donato – Minnesota Wild Broadcasting Delina White Fashion: Common Ground 1113 – Lakeland Public Television Des Moines Metro Opera Presents Bon…

Q&A with Kaylah Hicok

Name: Kaylah HicokPosition at DMMO: Guest Services Manager and Education Coordinator How did you get started at DMMO? I started ushering for DMMO in 2015 after my freshman year at Simpson College. It was at Simpson that I met Dr. Larsen and learned about the opera. In 2017, I was hired as a Box Office…

My First Opera

In this new series, DMMO Board Member and Iowa City resident Tim Krumm reflects on his first experience with Des Moines Metro Opera. The first opera I remember seeing at DMMO is Madama Butterfly in 1974 with my mom, dad, my brother David and Grandma Laura. The great Carol Stuart was singing the role of…

A note from Michael Egel

Dear Friends, “If any further proof were needed that Des Moines Metro Opera is at the forefront of operatic excellence in America, their theatrically searing, musically impeccable Wozzeck would cement this assertion.” This was the opening line of a review from Opera Today in July and I hope you agree. Four all-original productions delighted us during…

Q&A with Mané Galoyan

The soprano with “a voice of dazzling security and range, topped by a wonderfully projected mezzo voice that makes you hang onto every note…” (Classical Source), Mané Galoyan makes her company and role debut with DMMO as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème! In our second artist Q&A of the season, the Armenian native shares her…

Q&A with Thomas Glass

Baritone Thomas Glass returns to the role of Marcello for his company debut in DMMO’s beloved revival of Puccini’s La Bohème. With opening night fast approaching, we asked Glass a few questions about his long history with La Bohème, his passion for sports, and his favorite role he’s performed — complete with a fight scene! You’ve portrayed…

Q&A with Jill Grove

Mezzo-soprano Jill Grove returns to the DMMO stage this season in the role of The Old Lady in Leonard Bernstein’s Candide. Audiences will remember Grove from last season as Ježibaba in DMMO’s new production of Rusalka. In our first artist Q&A of the season, Grove answers questions about her beginnings in opera, her big plans…

Des Moines Metro Opera Announces Staff Transitions

(seated from L-R: Ellen Diehl, Timothy McMillin; standing from L-R: Michael Egel, Adam Bogh) Indianola, Iowa – Des Moines Metro Opera announced today that Ellen Diehl of Ankeny, Iowa, will transition from her current role with the Company to the newly created position of Anniversary Projects Director. This position will focus on exploratory efforts and special initiatives to…

Des Moines Metro Opera Announces Additional Performance of Bon Appétit!

Indianola, IA — Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) General and Artistic Director Michael Egel announced today that an additional performance of Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appétit!, has been added on Friday, July 19 at 6:00pm. “Even though we’re over two months from opening night, the first two performances of Bon Appétit! have already sold out, making this our most…