“The evening proved a total triumph. Surprising incidents and double entendres had the audience in stitches. Yuan Xuan Cao led the Frost students in a brilliantly articulated, colorful reading that brought out the best in Dove’s scoring. With a stunning airport terminal set by Stephan Moravski, Jeffrey Marc Buchman’s staging vividly pointed up the light and dark elements of the story with each character specifically detailed and the action never flagging.”
- Frost Opera Theater soars with Dove’s heartening “Flight”
“With a talented cast of young singers and inventive staging, the nearly flawless presentation proved one of the Frost Opera’s finest productions ever. The score requires a large cast and the Frost singers were outstanding, both vocally and dramatically, from the major leading roles to the many smaller parts. Jeffrey Marc Buchman’s pitch perfect combination of searing drama and showbiz pizzazz illuminated the comedic and melodramatic elements of the libretto and lyrics by Langston Hughes and Rice. His ensemble tableaux following the murders was visually stunning. Rosa Mercedes’ eye-catching choreography lit up the stage. Conductor Yun Xuan Cao drew smooth and burnished playing from the Frost Symphony Orchestra and brought out the synthesis of operatic and populist elements in Weill’s score. Despite its student provenance, this Frost production can hold its own with the best professional presentations.”
- Frost Opera Theater serves up a memorable “Street Scene”
Recognized in Top Ten Performances of 2024 by South Florida Classical Review
“It would be difficult to imagine a performance of greater musical dedication and refinement than that presented by the Frost faculty forces.”
- Frost Opera Theater brings riveting life to “Death of Webern”
“Under the direction of Alan Johnson, the Frost school’s opera department has produced a series of innovative productions in recent seasons. This pairing of Igor Stravinsky’s Mavra and Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar exceeds all previous offerings. Outstanding performances across the board by the casts in both operas, superb playing by members of the Frost Symphony Orchestra and director Jeffrey Buchman’s brilliant staging were far above the student level and would have graced the stages of many a regional opera company. Johnson masterfully conducted Golijov’s score, never allowing the dramatic momentum to flag and drawing luminous textures from the student players. Projection designs of walled graffiti, the ocean off the Cuban shore, blood-drenched walls and religious symbols were stunning and eye filling. Buchman and choreographer Rosa Mercedes staged a series of powerful tableaux that carried the drama forward in thrilling fashion. Mercedes’ choreography was intrinsic to the drama, ranging far beyond standard flamenco patterns.”
- Frost Opera Theater reaches new heights with Golijov-Stravinsky double-bill
“The University of Miami’s Frost Opera Theater production, which opened Thursday night at Gusman Concert Hall, does full justice to this brilliant comic opera. With a versatile cast and outstanding musical and theatrical direction, this Albert Herring is a high watermark for the Frost Opera Theater.”
- Frost Opera Theater triumphs in delightful “Albert Herring”
“In an age when most opera composers write intimate works with small casts and modest settings, Michael Dellaira has dared to think big. Dellaira’s The Leopard is an unabashedly grand opera with a large cast of characters set against historic societal upheaval. The world premiere of this ambitious work was a landmark production for the University of Miami’s Frost Opera Theater. The composer could not have wished for a better production. This presentation was a huge step forward for Frost Opera Theater. The theater’s excellent acoustic allowed the voices to shine and the playing space encompassed a series of striking stage pictures that captured the drama’s historical milieu. Gerard Schwarz brought out the full measure of Dallaira’s soundscape, drawing lustrous playing from the Frost Symphony Orchestra. His fine pacing and balance kept the voices to the fore while moving the drama forward. Jeffrey Buchman’s staging fully conveyed the familial passions, class tensions and societal sweep of the drama. Rosa Mercedes’ graceful choreography in the ballroom sequences had a ghostly undercurrent, suggesting the twilight of an era.”
- Frost Opera Theater triumphs with ambitious world premiere of “The Leopard”
“Frost Opera Theater presented a brilliant new realization of this seldom-performed masterpiece. Director Jeffrey Buchman has returned the opera to the milieu that produced it. During the so called Great War, Ravel was an ambulance driver at the Western Front. The writer Colette, who began work on the libretto during the conflict, was a nurse in a hospital treating wounded soldiers. Both saw the carnage of the war first hand. Buchman sets the story on the battle field. A mortally wounded soldier experiences flashbacks of his life in his dying moments. The household objects and animals become people he has known, loved and wronged. Working in partnership with the School of Communications, Buchman has devised nearly an hour of compelling theater that remains true to the spirit of Ravel and Colette’s adult fairy tale. This is one of Ravel’s greatest works and it is well-served by the student forces. The large cast does not have a weak link. Alan Johnson led a sensitive, musically scrupulous reading that brought out Ravel’s conflation of joy and sorrow.”
- Frost Opera Theater presents moving, brilliant staging of Ravel’s “L’Enfant”
Recognized in Top Ten Performances of 2019 by South Florida Classical Review
“Buchman’s cinematic direction was gripping. Produced and staged with imagination and flair. The final tableau, as the sisters extended a rope around the protagonist was stunning. Alan Johnson’s pitch-perfect conducting brought out the vigor, pastel shading and ruminative darkness of the score’s changing aura, with first rate playing by members of the Frost Symphony Orchestra.”
- Artistry of Frost Opera Theater singers comes across in “Masquerade 2021”
“The double bill was a triumph for the gifted young singers and a top-notch production team headed by director Jeffrey Buchman. Buchman filled the Gusman Concert Hall stage with a scheming rogue’s gallery of relatives, constantly in motion almost like a silent film comedy. The comedic high jinks were a prelude to a splendidly conceived and deeply moving Suor Angelica. Members of the Frost Symphony Orchestra gave outstanding readings of Puccini’s beautiful scores. Alan Johnson’s pacing was near-perfect. He highlighted the witty wind writing in Gianni Schicchi and drew shimmering string sonorities in Suor Angelica‘s moments of darkness and hope.”
- Frost Opera Theater serves up outstanding performances in Puccini double bill
“Frost Opera Theater’s fall highlights programs always feature interesting repertoire centered around a thematic premise. ‘Eye on American Opera (1900-2024)’ offered a primer on the diversity and creative spirit of American music theater. The student singers were consistently excellent. Jeffrey Buchman’s staging created atmosphere and dramatic tension. Alan Johnson conducted with total authority and sympathy across the many varied styles of American opera. The entire program was both a fascinating educational exploration and great entertainment.”
- Frost Opera Theater serves up a richly varied smorgasbord of American opera
“The towering figure of Jean-Baptiste Lully was central to Jeffrey Buchman’s clever staging. Buchman’s production utilized every inch of available space in the intimate theater including the hall’s side isles and rear and spotlighted some highly promising vocal talent in the enthusiastic student cast. Music director Alan Johnson splendidly conducted, bringing out the divergent lightness and drama.”
- Frost Opera Theater takes a delightful trip to Paris
