AO Glass Presents Pop-Up Opera Performance at their Burlington Glass Blowing Factory
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On February 23rd, Swedish opera stars Lotte Ohlander and Laine Quist are bringing the glamour of opera to the industrial setting of Burlington’s AO Glass factory. Accompanied by the warm hum of the glass furnaces, and pianist Mary Jane Austin, their voices will create a beautiful melding of performing arts and craft. The performance will include a variety of opera favorites by Mozart, Bizet, and Vivaldi, some theatrical numbers and a special appearance by the Youth Opera Company of Vermont, led by Sarah Cullins.
Adventure Dinner will provide a pop-up bar, with cocktails, mocktails, natural wine, and local beer available for purchase. Tickets are $25 and include a welcome drink.
Tickets are available at Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pop-up-opera-a-night-of- cocktails-music-glass-tickets-519995178577
In celebration of this occasion AO Glass is releasing a limited run of pressed glass bowls, using their antique glass press from the 1890s. This decorative glass bowl is a 1950s era design that was created in honor of Jenny Lind, the internationally renowned Swedish opera singer of the 19th century. After 65 years AO Glass has discovered this vintage mold and is bringing the beautiful Jenny Lind bowl back to life.
“To think that we actively use a glass press built in the late 1800s is an honor as we struggle to keep open the closing window of shared knowledge of the American Industrial invention of hand pressed glass. It is pure analog in an age of increasing detachment from our shared physical past,“ says AO Glass co-founder Rich Arentzen. “In its heyday, there were over 400 glass-pressing factories in the United States. Today there are only about 5 glass-pressing shops left, most of which still run on the original machinery from the early 1900s. We’re having so much fun at AO Glass experimenting with the press and trying to perfect this elegant little bowl. It’s a very different process from glass-blowing, but every piece still has the organic character of handmade glass."
Pop-Up Opera, February 23, 2023, 7-9pm
@ AO Glass, 416 Pine St, Burlington VT
Contact: hello@aoglass.com
AO Glass new glass bowl created in honor of jenny lind.
Lotte Ohlander (mezzo-soprano) has a wide repertoire of both opera and musicals, performing at the Malmo Opera and Ystad Theater. Her major roles have included Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Ruggiero in Alcina, and the Abbess in Sister Angelica. She has starred in Malmo Opera productions of Fiddler on the Roof, Matilda, and The Sound of Music.
Laine Quist (soprano) has performed regularly at Malmö Opera since 2010. She has had roles in The Rose Knight, Parsifal, Jenufa and Lakmé. In the fall of 2012, she made her first major leading role in Malmö Opera's acclaimed tour performance of Tosca. Laine co-founded a non-profit opera association and is the artistic director of the Opera in Ystad.
AO Glass is an innovative glass-blowing factory in Burlington, Vermont. Founded by Rich Arentzen and Tove Ohlander in 2007, AO Glass has become one of America’s premier glass production studios, creating a wide range of artistic work, lighting, and glassware for the home.
