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Opera news

Fort Worth Opera unveils daring new direction for landmark 75th anniversary season

Stephanie Allmon Merry
Jul 13, 2021 | 8:46 am

It’s out with the old and in with a new vision for Fort Worth Opera’s historic 75th anniversary season.

Unveiled Tuesday, July 13, FWO’s calendar of events for 2021-22 looks, at first glance, to be filled with many things that are not actually opera. That’s because the eyes must adjust to the dramatic shift away from FWO’s routine from the past 14 years:

There’s no opera festival.

Instead of staging a few operas over a few weeks in spring and calling it a season — a format that worked well in 2007 when critics could fly in and review all the operas at once (now: what critics?) — the company will present recitals, concerts, children’s programs, and yes, a couple of operas, too, at various venues throughout the city, throughout the year.

“Fort Worth Opera will return this upcoming season as ‘The People's Company,’ focusing more on concerts and performances in the community and building strong relationships with other arts and civic organizations,” says general director Afton Battle in a release.

The schedule will include celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month in October and Black History Month in February. Performance venues will include Whiskey Ranch, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, Fort Worth libraries, Rose Marine Theater, I.M. Terrell Academy, and Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium.

The one opera staged at Bass Hall (of which FWO is a resident company), will pay homage to the company’s roots: La Traviata was the very first opera presented by FWO, to a sold-out house at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium on November 25, 1946. More than 75 years later, La Traviata will be presented as a modern-day, streamlined, 90-minute chamber version of Verdi’s grand romantic masterpiece. Two performances in April 2022 will be accompanied by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

“For the 75th, I wanted to honor the women (Eloise MacDonald Snyder, Betty Berry Spain, and Jeanne Axtell Walker) who started FWO 75 years ago,” Battle says.

Of the three 2020 festival operas canceled amid the pandemic, one — Zorro — will be reprogrammed next year. (La Boheme and Die Fledermaus will not.) Zorro will finally get its big world premiere in January 2022, and will include a special collaboration with the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.

One event longtime FWO patrons won’t see on the schedule is the annual Frontiers showcase of new works. It has not been forgotten.

In this year of post-COVID recovery, Battle says, reining in the number and scale of FWO’s commitments — like Frontiers — will position the company better for continued success.

“Coming out of this extended pause, it’s important that FWO focus on what we have become known for over the past 10 months — building community through our civic activities and engagement, and building a fiscally responsible and sustainable company post-COVID,” she says. “Producing three full length and mid-large scale operas is not honoring that commitment to being fiscally responsible and sustainable. (And) we have to bring our beloved programming, like Frontiers, back slowly.”

The schedule also does not include The Last Dream of Frida and Diego, which FWO announced in 2017 it had co-commissioned with San Diego Opera, the College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, and DePauw University. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz and Latin Grammy winner and composer Gabriela Lena Frank, the work was originally set to premiere in 2020.

“This piece continues to be developed by the composer and the librettist, and Fort Worth Opera looks forward to continuing to follow its development,” Battle says.

Here’s the Fort Worth Opera’s 2021-22 season at a glance:

Entre Amigos: A Concert in Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month
October 9, 2021 at Rose Marine Theater
A live concert of arias, art songs, and folk music as part of FWO’s fall Noches de Ópera community programming.

Fort Worth Opera’s Children’s Opera Theatre Presents: Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World
Music by Joe Illick; Libretto by Mark Campbell
October 9 & 10, 2021 at Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT)
October 16, 2021 at Reby Cary Youth Library

Fort Worth Opera’s Children’s Opera Theatre Presents: Stone Soup
Music by Joe Illick; Libretto by Mark Campbell
November 20, 2021 at Northwest Branch of the Fort Worth Public Library

75th Anniversary Fall Preview
November 6, 2021 at Firestone & Robertson Distilling Co.'s Whiskey Ranch
Star-studded concert featuring live performances, an open bar with craft cocktails, and catered hors d’oeuvres courtesy of Chef Juan Rodriguez.

Holiday in the Garden
December 2021 (Date & Time TBD) at Fort Worth Botanic Garden Parking Lot
Free concert of arias, duets, Christmas songs, and holiday classics.

Zorro (World Premiere)
Music and libretto by Héctor Armienta
January 26, 28, 2022 at Rose Marine Theater
January 30, 2022 at Will Rogers Memorial Auditorium (Note: A Fort Worth Stock Show Experience Package, including the FWSSR PRORODEO Tournament, family dinner at Reata at the Backstage Club, and final performance of Zorro will go on sale in September.)

A Night of Black Excellence
February 20, 2022, at I.M. Terrell Academy for STEM and VPA
Co-curated by American soprano Karen Slack and FWO General Director Afton Battle

Fort Worth Opera Spring Gala
April 9, 2022 at City Club of Fort Worth
Starring Elaine Alvarez, Nathan Granner, & Kenneth Overton and Joe Illick, piano

La Traviata
Music by Giuseppe Verdi; libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
April 22 and 24, 2022 at Bass Performance Hall
Featuring the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

FWO Lesley Resident Artist Recital
Featuring Brandon Bell, Gabrielle Gilliam, and Megan Koch
May 2022Location TBD

For more information and tickets, visit www.fwopera.org.

FWO will present La Traviata, but the modern, streamlined version probably won't look much like this.

Houston Grand Opera La Traviata, Albina Shagimuratova, Thomas Glass, HGO Chorus
Photo by Lynn Lane
FWO will present La Traviata, but the modern, streamlined version probably won't look much like this.
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This week's hot headlines

Magnolia Avenue restaurant closure leads this week's 5 most-read Fort Worth stories

Stephanie Allmon Merry
Nov 12, 2022 | 10:15 am
Salmon, Fixture
Photo courtesy of Farrar Food Photography [http://www.farrarfoodphotography.com]

Fixture's menu showed creativity, like this salmon.

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Fort Worth chef reluctantly closes Near Southside brunch favorite. A neighborhood restaurant from an acclaimed Fort Worth chef has closed: Fixture, which served comfort food and craft cocktails in Fort Worth's trendy Near Southside, closed on November 7, after eight years. Chef-owner Ben Merritt says he was sad to have to shutter the restaurant, but that circumstances that have emerged since the pandemic forced the closure.

2. All the Veterans Day 2022 deals in Dallas-Fort Worth that honor military service members. Ahead of Veterans Day on Friday, November 11, we unearthed some of the best deals around Dallas-Fort Worth to ease the strain on the bank accounts of all military veterans and current service members. While most special deals were for one day only, some businesses offer discounts for veterans year-round.

3. Texas will host CMT Music Awards for the first time ever in 2023. Big news for country music fans: the CMT Music Awards are coming to Texas. During Carrie Underwood's sold-out show in Austin on November 2, CMT Music Awards co-host Kelsea Ballerini came on stage to announce that country music's grandest night would come to the city's new Moody Center. Airing Sunday, April 2, 2023, the fan-voted awards ceremony will be hosted in Texas for the first time ever.

4. Pop rock powerhouse Paramore heads to Fort Worth on new North American arena tour. Fort Worth fans of alterna-emo-pop group Paramore and their radio-ready hooks can catch the trio next year during a just-announced stadium tour. The act famous for anthemic singles such as "Ain't It Fun," "Misery Business," and "Still Into You" will hit Dickies Arena on July 8, 2023, with Foals and The Linda Lindas as openers.

5. Where to see the most spectacular Christmas lights dazzling Dallas-Fort Worth in 2022. Tis barely the season for Dallas-Fort Worth to light up, merry and bright, for the 2022 holidays — from towering trees that twinkle and shine to dazzling drive-thru displays and immersive walk-thru experiences. Here's our 2022 guide to the biggest, brightest, most spectacular Christmas light displays in the area.

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Entertainment Venue News

Main Event adds in-house restaurant to fun & games at all Dallas-Fort Worth locations

Teresa Gubbins
Nov 11, 2022 | 2:57 pm
main event family kitchen
sanantonio.culturemap.com

Check out the spread at Main Event.

Main Event, the Dallas-based entertainment chain known for its arcade games, sports, and prizes, has added something edible to its roster: a full restaurant called Family Kitchen that puts a creative spin on arcade favorites such as burgers, sandwiches, and pizza.

The restaurant has been added to all six of its locations in the DFW area: two in Fort Worth, plus Grapevine, Grand Prairie, Lewisville, Plano, and Frisco. It launched November 1.

Main Event's chief marketing officer Ashley Zickefoose says the idea for a restaurant was inspired by the company's goal to be a place for families to bond.

“From shareable favorites with our Family Feasts to offering something tasty and memorable for everyone in the family, our new restaurant showcases that Main Event is not only the premier place to have fun, but also a top-notch place to dine with families and friends," Zickefoose says.

The menu was devised by chef Wiley Bates III, Main Event's director of culinary innovation, and features more than 50 items, from chips & queso to wings.

Highlights include:

  • Triple Lava Burger, featuring three hand-smashed patties with American cheese, cheese sauce, and caramelized onions
  • PBB&J Burger, with two burger patties topped with peanut butter, blueberry jam, American cheese & bacon
  • Pan Pepperoni Pizza, with giant pepperoni, tomato sauce, and garlic butter on a crisp pan crust from house-made dough

A big priority is shareables such as loaded fries, nachos, and pizzas, in family-size servings for four to six people, as well as more inclusive options such as vegan Beyond Meat and salads.

Mocktails are also offered, although selections such as a Cotton Candy Shirley seem to be more about being fun for kids than catering to sober adults. (Alcoholic drinks are available at the bar or the restaurant, but are not included on the online menu.)

"Family Kitchen was developed with extra care, attention to detail and a focus on premium quality ingredients," says Bates. "We're excited for our guests to experience our new menu offerings, which have been seasoned with salt, pepper, and love, and added playfulness that customers experience throughout the rest of the Main Event center."

Main Event is owned and operated by Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, which also owns Dave & Buster's, but is more kid-focused and larger, with billiards, bowling, arcade games, virtual reality games, laser tag, rock climbing, mini golf, gravity ropes course, and karaoke.

Brianna Caleri contributed to this story.

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Markets to Watch

Dallas-Fort Worth named the No. 2 real estate market to watch in 2023

Arden Ward
Nov 11, 2022 | 2:10 pm
Fort Worth skyline
Photo by benedek Getty Images
Fort Worth's a shining star in more ways than one.

The real estate market may be changing, but Dallas is still one of the hottest in the U.S. as we head into 2023.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI)'s annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate report, released October 27, names Dallas-Fort Worth the No. 2 U.S. market to watch in 2023, behind only Nashville.

The report, a joint project between ULI and PricewaterhouseCoopers, "provides an outlook on real estate investment and development trends, real estate finance and capital markets, property sectors, metropolitan areas, and other real estate issues throughout the United States and Canada."

It is based on surveys and interviews with real estate industry professionals.

After an in-depth analysis, the report identifies the top U.S. markets to watch, based on overall real estate prospects. Austin, San Antonio, and Houston join DFW in the top 15, at at Nos. 4, 12, and 14, respectively.

A top trend heading into 2023 is the continued "normalization" of markets following the post-COVID boom. Notes the report: "Almost every market in the country received lower ratings for both investment and development prospects this year, illustrating that outlooks are darkening just about everywhere following the brief post-COVID exuberance shown in last year’s survey across a variety of metrics."

However, it continues, "the pandemic seems to have reinforced some trends, notably the dominance of what we called the 'Magnet' markets — many of which are in warmer Sun Belt regions — at the top of the Emerging Trends 'Markets to Watch' standings."

Those "Magnet" markets include Dallas-Fort Worth, as well as Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and others. The report further categorizes markets into subgroups, with DFW, along with San Antonio and Houston, falling into the "Super Sun Belt" group.

"These markets are large and diverse but still affordable, forming powerhouse economies that attract a wide range of businesses. Despite their large population bases, most are among the fastest-growing markets in the United States. Moreover, their economic performance has been solid through thick and thin," the report states.

"Though every market lost jobs during the pandemic recession, recovery has been much quicker and more complete in the Super Sun Belt markets. These metro areas collectively have the highest average rating of any subgroup, as it did last year."

Austin is classified as a real estate "Supernova," defined as a smaller metro area (1 to 2 million residents) that has "exploded into prominence over the past decade or so."

According to the report, Austin has the highest investor demand of any market, with DFW just two spots below. DFW, meanwhile, tops the list for development/redevelopment opportunities, with Austin at No. 6. Both metros boast the strongest local economies among the markets studied, with Austin at No. 1 and DFW at No. 2.

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