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Union Avenue Opera (previously Union Avenue Opera Theatre) is an opera company based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded in 1994 by Scott Schoonover, the music director of Union Avenue Christian Church, which serves as the company's venue in St. Louis' Visitation Park neighborhood. ==Company history== In the summer of 1995, Scott Schoonover, with the support of the Arts Group of Union Avenue Christian Church and on a shoestring budget, mounted Union Avenue Opera Theatre's first production: Purcell’s ''Dido and Aeneas'', and since that time UAOT became an integral part of the St. Louis arts community.〔UnionAvenueOpera.org ('About Us' )〕 After two seasons of smaller productions from lesser known operatic repertoire, Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Schoonover produced a full-scale production of Mozart's ''Le nozze di Figaro'', sung in English, in 1998. This production spurred increased audience attendance as well as a growing donor base. Professional singers from beyond St. Louis took an interest in auditioning for the company as well, causing the company to expand its audition cities to Chicago, Kansas City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City.〔YouTube.com, () Union Avenue Opera Theatre profile on ''Living St. Louis'' (KETC YouTube Channel)〕 Early seasons featured operas either in English or foreign language works sung in the vernacular. However, with its 2000 production of Giacomo Puccini's ''La bohème'' sung in Italian, Union Avenue Opera Theatre began its ongoing practice of presenting opera in the original language with projected English supertitles.〔Rix, Christian C., "Small Company Delivers Appealing ''La Bohème.''" ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 20 Aug 2000.〕 Between 1998 and 2003, Union Avenue Opera Theatre usually produced one to two full productions per summer along with a concert staging of an operetta. For the company's 10th season in 2004, Schoonover expanded the season to three full productions in the summer. It was also during this season that, as a nod to the company's inaugural season, ''Dido and Aeneas'' appeared once again in the repertory to critical acclaim.〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Union Avenue Opera Celebrates 10th Season With Rags To Almost Riches Story." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 20 Jun 2004.〕 In 2005, the company began offering off-season productions in October which focused on suspense-driven, "spooky" repertoire including Gian Carlo Menotti's ''The Medium'', Benjamin Britten's ''The Turn of the Screw'', Béla Bartók's ''Duke Bluebeard's Castle'' and Puccini's ''Il tabarro''.〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Union Avenue ''Medium'' Has Good Points, Needs A Stage." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 31 Oct 2005.〕 Schoonover also revealed major renovation plans between the company and Union Avenue Christian Church.〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Director Has Big Plans For Union Avenue Opera." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 16 Jul 2006.〕 In 2007 a new orchestra pit and expanded stage were constructed successfully completing UAO’s first capital campaign. This renovation coincided with major improvements to the church sanctuary.〔〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Union Avenue Opera Puts Itself In A Hole ... A 6-Foot Orchestra Pit." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 24 Jun 2007.〕 That season marked the welcoming of guest conductor Kostis Protopapas, of Tulsa Opera, to conduct a double bill of ''Suor Angelica'' and ''Gianni Schicchi''.〔 Protopapas has since returned to conduct productions of ''Otello'', ''Lakmé'' and ''La fille du régiment''. Capping off the 2007 season, Union Avenue Opera collaborated with The Black Repertory Theater of St. Louis to present George Gershwin's ''Porgy and Bess'' in a staging by the Black Rep's founder and producing director Ron Himes. At the start of the 2008 season, Schoonover imported a production of Donizetti's ''L'Elisir d'Amore'' in 2008 as a shared production with Elgin Opera and Muddy River Opera Company.〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Union Avenue Opera Promises New Talent, Old Favorites." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 6 Jul 2008.〕 This production earned raves, and distinction as the most "Family-Friendly Opera" of the year, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Great Concerts Mark A Year Of Changes." ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' 28 Dec 2008.〕 In December 2009, UAO presented for the first time Menotti's ''Amahl and the Night Visitors''. The company revived ''Amahl'' yearly as a holiday production through 2011.〔Miller, Sarah Bryan, "Classical holiday concerts." ''Saint Louis Post-Dispatch'' 29 Nov 2009.〕 In recent years, Union Avenue Opera has been awarded grants from several organizations including the Missouri Arts Council, the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission, the Arts and Education Council and the Fox Associates Performing Arts Foundation. Union Avenue Opera's 2013 season will include Puccini's ''Manon Lescaut'', Wagner's ''Die Walküre'' (in an adaptation by British composer Jonathan Dove) and Leonard Bernstein's ''Trouble in Tahiti''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Union Avenue Opera」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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