MORE Opera Celebrates National Opera Week with Performance and Sing-Along of Verdi's "Il Trovatore"

Online, October 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Manhattan - The Manhattan Opera Repertory Ensemble (MORE Opera) is proud to join dozens of other opera organizations nationwide to celebrate National Opera Week (October 28 - November 6), coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, with support of the National Endowment for the Arts with a concert performance and audience sing-along of Verdi's "IL TROVATORE" at St. John's in the Village, 218 West 11th Street (one block West of 7th Avenue). The performance features soprano Cheryl Warfield, mezzo-soprano Laura Smith, tenor Mark Franko-Filipasic, baritone Charles Karel, bass-baritone C. David Morrow and the MORE Opera Chorus. Wei-En Hsu will conduct from the piano.

National Opera Week celebrates the vibrancy of opera in America today, and brings the inventiveness and excitement of opera to a national audience. The strength and diversity of established opera companies, community opera ensembles and opera training programs across the United States will be shared through free, dynamic activities designed to engage novices, opera lovers and everyone in between.

"From behind-the-scenes tours to enlightening performance talks to Twitter contests and more, there is something for everyone during National Opera Week," states Marc A. Scorca, president & CEO of OPERA America. "National Opera Week draws attention to the creativity and dynamism that propels our field today. We are proud to highlight this depth of opera activity across the United States."

Engage your inner opera singer for your very own operatic debut as you watch and participate in (if you like) in Verdi's "IL TROVATORE." Join the ensemble for the famous "Anvil Chorus" (words and phonetic guide provided) as the conductor prompts you to sing. Music will be performed in Italian with piano accompaniment. Learn interesting quips about the opera, composer and music. Q & A and conversation follow the rehearsal. Spectators only are welcome too. Dress comfortably and experience a performance of a lifetime! Absolutely FREE to all.National Opera Week is important to New Yorkers because New York need MORE Opera!

Launching National Opera Week will be the NEA Opera Honors award ceremony on Thursday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Washington, D.C. For the first time, this event will be available worldwide through a live webcast that also will be archived after the event and accessible at neaoperahonors.org. The NEA Opera Honors is the nation's highest award in opera and recognizes outstanding artists for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the excellence and perpetuation of opera in America. This year's honorees are stage designer John Conklin, general director Speight Jenkins, mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens and composer Robert Ward. The October 27 award ceremony and live webcast will feature video tributes, guest performances from artists such as tenor Lawrence Brownlee and mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson, and an onstage conversation with the honorees. For additional information, visit neaoperahonors.org.

For more information about National Opera Week events around the country, please visit www.operaamerica.org/operaweek. Join the National Opera Week conversation on Twitter with #OperaWeek.