Delaware Valley Opera aims to provide opportunities for area talent to study and perform a wide range of opera repertoire; to introduce opera to young people and the general public through performances, workshops and educational programs; and to foster collaborations between creative and interpretive artists and technicians.
For 22 seasons, the Delaware Valley Opera has been presenting professional opera productions in the charming and intimate Tusten Theatre in Narrowsburg, New York. Performances also take place in Sullivan County Community College’s Seelig Theatre and the Ritz Theatre in nearby Hawley, Pennsylvania. The Delaware Valley Chamber Orchestra and the DVO Choral Ensemble, with creative use of sets and costuming, accompany main stage productions. Programs also include productions showcasing emerging young singers and in-school workshops and performances.
In addition to the summer opera season, the Delaware Valley Chamber Orchestra performs its annual Sullivan County Composers Festival in early November. Known as “Music of Our Time,” the concert presents original musical compositions written by composers who live, either full-time or part-time, in Sullivan County or in the immediate environs. Currently in its fifteenth year, “Music of Our Time” is the only venue in this tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to specifically perform music written by area composers. The event draws a devoted and growing audience.
DVO is led by an eight-member Board of Directors, Artistic Director Jim Blanton, and Managing Director Carolyn Steinberg.
Artistic Director and Conductor of DVO, Dr. Jim Blanton has led a multifaceted career as conductor, musical director, stage director, singer and pianist. He is currently Musical Director for the Delaware Valley Opera and Delaware Valley Chamber Orchestra. He has also been Conductor for New York’s acclaimed Goliard Chamber Orchestra and Chorale, Musical Director for the Tri State Actors Theater, Director of the Warwick Music Festival and creator and Director of the KidsClassics concert series. He has given vocal masterclasses and seminars throughout the U.S. in over forty universities, colleges and art centers.
As a singer, Blanton has appeared as soloist with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Greenwich Symphony Orchestra and orchestras and choral societies throughout the U.S. He has toured the U.S. and Canada with the program, Romberg Remembered, and has performed at over 50 universities, colleges and art centers throughout the Eastern U.S. He has performed leading operatic roles with the Center for Contemporary Opera, American Chamber Opera, Whitewater Opera (IN), Sorg Opera (OH), Queens Opera, N.J. State Repertory Opera and at the Banff, Blossom and Birmingham City Stages Festivals. Blanton has been heard at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the Brooklyn Museum and many other venues in NYC.
Carolyn Steinberg is Managing Director of Delaware Valley Opera and plays first flute in its orchestra. Her music compositions have been performed in concerts and festivals in the U.S. and Europe at venues such as Tanglewood, Darmstadt, and Donaueschingen, with commissions from the Duo Davona, the Fromm Foundation, Sullivan County Decentralization grant, and numerous others. From 1989 to 1996, Ms. Steinberg taught in New York City public schools as a Teaching Artist for Lincoln Center Institute for the Arts in Education, and for Young Audiences / New York, and taught music theory and composition to ages 6 to 18 at The Julliard School Pre-College Divisision and Mannes Preparatory, among others. From 1996 to 2007, Carolyn worked as an Assistant Vice President in public finance for several foreign banks and bond underwriters. She holds degrees in music composition from The Juilliard School (Doctorate) and Manhattan School of Music (Masters), and the University of North Texas (Bachelors in music theory). Her CD of recent chamber music is available at Signature Gift Shop of DVAA in Narrowsburg, or online at www.cdbaby.com/cd/carolynsteinberg.
Delaware Valley Opera is a member of Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, the Arts Council for Sullivan County, NY, and maintains an office in the Delaware Arts Center, 37 Main Street, Narrowsburg, NY.
DVO has also been in residence each summer at the Tusten Theatre since 1991. A town-owned former movie house, Tusten Theatre is located at 210 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg and is managed by Delaware Valley Arts Alliance.