News Archives - 2009
Auggies take on the Fringe Festival
If you think opera is for stuffy socialites and overly dramatic fine arts majors, Opera Bob is about to show you differently.
Started in 2008 by Augsburg adjunct voice instructor Janet Fried and Will Graham, formerly of the North Carolina School of the Arts, Minnesota's newest opera company provides an opportunity for emerging professional singers to present seldom-performed opera.
That's where Anna Brandsoy '01 and Maggie Lofboom '05 come in. The two studied vocal performance at Augsburg with Fried and went on to graduate school at the University of Minnesota.
Brandsoy says Opera Bob (that's Bob, at left) started forming when she and her colleagues at the University were frustrated by the lack of performing opportunities for emerging opera singers in the Twin Cities.
Both Brandsoy and Lofboom appreciate the opportunity to work again with Fried as well as Jill Dawe, assistant professor of piano, who serves as the public relations manager and occasional reherasal pianist with Opera Bob. "Janet is an incredible artist and mentor," says Brandsoy. Lofboom adds, "She gives you the framework and allows you to find your own process."
The Fringe Festival show is Opera Bob's debut. Brandsoy says the Fringe coordinators are excited about including an opera in the festival, and the company is hoping to attract a wide audience to the performances.
In addition to performing works of Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi, Opera Bob's Fringe Festival show will feature two pieces composed by artistic director, Phil Fried, husband of Janet Fried.
Lofboom suggests that people attend the show to see homegrown talent—most of the performers are Minnesotans—and to get over their opera phobia. "We're doing something different for the opera community and for the Fringe."
Secrets Revealed: Opera Bob Opens His Drawers
These tabloid-worthy scenes from operatic potboilers are guaranteed to satisfy theatergoers, opera virgins, and fussy opera queens alike. The seldom-heard music is by Mozart, Puccini and Verdi with a running commentary by Opera Bob's own resident composer, Dr. Phil Fried.
Sat., Aug. 1 at 8:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 2 at 10:00 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 8 at 1:00 p.m.
Performances are at the U of M Rarig Center. Go to the Fringe Festival website for more information and to purchase tickets.
Anna Brandsoy
A native Minnesotan, soprano Anna Brandsoy's recent operatic roles include Mimi (La Boheme), the Governess (The Turn of the Screw), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Elle (La Voix Humaine), and Giulietta (Les Contes d' Hoffmann). She was a member of the Minnesota Opera Chorus for two seasons and often performs with the Rochester Aria Group.
Maggie Lofboom
Mezzo-soprano Maggie Lofboom is a native Minnesotan who has recently performed in Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins, and Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. Locally, she has been a member of the Minnesota Opera Chorus, North Star Opera, and the Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company.
