Making Beautiful Music Together:

Donald Pippin's
Pocket Opera at Notre Dame de Namur University
(Pippin's POND)

Donald Pippin had a vision – to create affordable, accessible opera of the highest musicality that would appeal to contemporary audiences. He created English language transcriptions of classic and little-known operas that quickly gained national acclaim for their wit and originality.   Donald also felt strongly committed to establishing a company where young talent could grow and flourish. His dream was realized in Pocket Opera, which celebrated it's 30 th anniversary this past season.

Debra Lambert had a vision, too. As the chair of the department of music and vocal arts at Notre Dame de Namur University, she wanted to provide opera students with the opportunity to work alongside seasoned performers and directors in a professional setting and, as a Pocket Opera singer and director since 1986, she knew where to turn to make this goal possible.

The initial Pocket Opera/Notre Dame de Namur University Collaboration occurred in January of 2005 with a production of   Lehar's The Merry Widow. It proved to be very successful and was followed by Offenbach's The New Woman and The Tales of Hoffmann as well as Nicolia's The Merry Wives of Windsor. This season, the collaboration will continue with the staging of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld and Puccini's La Boheme.

The POND's tiered program includes "Pocket Opera Studio," an apprentice vocal performance program for graduate students on the brink of a career, and the "Pippin Opera Workshop," a training opportunity for undergraduate and less experienced vocalists. NDNU students rehearse and perform in a true apprenticeship with Pocket Opera's professionals on the NDNU campus, at the Florence Gould Theatre in San Francisco and at the historic Napa Valley Opera House. They serve as singers and dancers and receive academic credit for their work. NDNU provides additional creative support to Pocket Opera with stage directors, music director/pianists, and costume design from the faculty, as well as stage management and crew assistance from qualified students.

One final note: The NDNU voice and opera faculty now includes some of the same performers who solidified Pocket Opera's reputation for innovative productions and exceptional singing.