"Messiah belongs to the community, and this award allows us to place the music directly into people's hands," Amelia Island Opera artistic director John Tibbetts said in a press release that OperaWire reported in August. The award he meant is a $15,000 grant from the Terry Family Foundation. It buys sheet music so that up to 300 community members can get scores at no cost and sing as the chorus behind professional soloists.
Three hundred voices is more than a chorus. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, that many of your neighbors could be on their feet at Amelia Plantation Chapel singing Handel. In the same press release, Tibbetts described the idea as "instead of asking audiences only to listen, we are inviting them to participate." In five years, the island's professional opera company has gone from a few singers looking for an audience to asking that audience to sing with it.
Two November events, two rooms on the island
The company's sixth season is called "From Page to Stage." It has two events on the island this November, and they ask very different things of you.
| A Night at the Sock-Hopera | Community Sing-Along Messiah | |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7 | Sunday, Nov. 29 |
| Time | Festivities at 6 PM, curtain at 7 PM | Doors at 2:15 PM, music at 3 PM |
| Venue | Amelia Community Theatre, 207 Cedar Street | Amelia Plantation Chapel, 36 Bowman Road |
| Admission | $75 general admission, $81.70 with fees | $30 general admission, open seating |
| Your role | Audience, with a 1950s dress code encouraged | Chorus, if you want to be |
At the Sock-Hopera you watch. At the Messiah you can sing. To see why the company is ready to ask that of residents, it helps to know how fast it has grown.
A company that started with three singers in 2021
Amelia Island Opera says it was founded in 2021 by three singers, Victoria Isernia, Robyn Marie Lamp and John Tibbetts II. The COVID-19 shutdown brought them to Amelia Island, where they found an arts-friendly community that wanted more classical vocal music. All three still lead it. Isernia is executive director, Lamp is board secretary and Tibbetts is artistic director.
By the end of Season 5, OperaWire reported that the company was a professional company member of Opera America and had just had five sold-out performances in a row. The seasons got bigger along the way. Season 3 included La bohème in concert and Songs of the Sea. Season 4 put on Hansel & Gretel and Madama Butterfly in concert. Season 5 closed with a double bill at Amelia Plantation Chapel on May 22: Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti and Rossini's Il Signor Bruschino.
Season 6 opened in September with two events:
- Something's Brewing, Sept. 13. This was the company's first collaboration with First Coast Opera. It paired Donizetti's Rita with Bach's Coffee Cantata at Story & Song Center for Arts & Culture, and the company announced a full house.
- The Paul Bosland Young Artist Festival, Sept. 25–27. Nine finalists competed for more than $2,500 in prizes. Rudy Polk won first place, Isaac Rodriguez second and Lazuli Bruno-Clark third. Faith Collins and Alyssa Pimentel shared the Audience Choice Award.
So the company that wants you in the chorus fills its rooms and runs a vocal competition for emerging singers. This past June it also held a free Amelia Island Opera Youth performance. The Messiah carries that same open-door idea to the whole community, at a much bigger scale.
The Sock-Hopera is the lighter evening
The first November weekend is the company's 4th Annual Opera Gala with Amelia Community Theatre. The main piece is Gian-Carlo Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief. The company calls it a "witty radio opera," and the evening adds 1950s favorites and a cocktail hour that starts at 6 PM. The company's own pitch tells guests to "break out your poodle skirts, leather jackets, or vintage glamour."
The cast, as listed on JaxPlays, includes:
- McKenna Slack as Laetitia
- Emily Geller as Miss Todd
- Jesse Malgieri as Bob
- Co-founder Robyn Marie Lamp as Miss Pinkerton
- Featured soloists Bethany Griffin, John Tibbetts and Victoria Isernia
Carroll Freeman directs, and Arthur Bosarge is musical director and accompanist. The company has been promoting Griffin as one of its Young Artists. Both performances start at 7 PM. Tickets are sold through Amelia Community Theatre's box office at $75 general admission, which comes to $81.70 with listed fees.
All three founders, Lamp, Tibbetts and Isernia, are on stage the first weekend. A little over three weeks later, Lamp and Tibbetts are back as Messiah soloists, singing next to whoever shows up.
November 29, from the singer's side
The company's homepage describes the Messiah simply: "No auditions. No pressure." It welcomes singers and listeners of all experience levels, from people who have sung Handel's oratorio for years to people who just love the "Hallelujah" Chorus. Here is how the afternoon runs, according to the Zeffy ticket page and the company's site:
- Get a ticket. General admission is $30 with open seating. You can add a donation to Amelia Island Opera Inc. at checkout.
- Sort out your score. The ticket page reads "Bring your own score!" The Terry Family Foundation grant pays for free scores for up to 300 community singers. The ticket page doesn't say how those copies are handed out, so if you want one, contact Amelia Island Opera well before the 29th.
- Come early. Doors open at 2:15 PM at Amelia Plantation Chapel, 36 Bowman Road. Seating is open, so early arrivals choose where they sit.
- Sing from 3 to 5 PM. The program is familiar selections from the oratorio, from "And the Glory of the Lord" to the "Hallelujah" Chorus.
The soloists are soprano Robyn Marie Lamp, mezzo-soprano Katherine Kincaid, tenor Edward Brennan and baritone John Tibbetts. OperaWire reports that Curt Tucker will conduct and Arthur Bosarge will play piano, which puts Bosarge at the keyboard for both November events.
November 29 is the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. If family is in town, it's a $30 afternoon where everyone can sing or just listen. OperaWire calls this the company's inaugural Community Sing-Along Messiah.
Where the season goes after November
The rest of Season 6 is a big step up. The company has announced Massenet's Werther and calls it "breathtaking." OperaWire reported that Werther is planned for May 2027, directed by Scott Skiba, with Isaac Hurtado, Victoria Isernia and Brooklyn Snow in the principal roles. For now, the company's homepage says tickets are "on sale soon."
So this fall runs from a 1950s radio comedy to a sing-along to grand French tragedy, from the same founders over about six months. The comedy is November 6 and 7 at Amelia Community Theatre. The Messiah is November 29 at Amelia Plantation Chapel, at 3 PM.
If you're new to Amelia Island and want help finding its stages, chapels and community calendars, Maria Pinto Malek is happy to share what she knows, in English or Spanish. Let's connect.
