PRESS
‘SUSANNAH’ at the Pasadena Opera
Like a spring wildflower in an operatic desert, the Pasadena Opera has sprung up to offer a refreshing, accessible and affordable alternative to the mega-opera companies. Its latest production, Susannah, which was presented recently in an all-too-short run, is another example of the company’s innovative and user-friendly approach to an art form that is too often out of reach for most people…“The Pasadena Opera company is first-rate…skillfully directed by conductor and company co-founder Dana Sadava.”
A heartfelt ‘Little Women’ takes the operatic stage in Alameda
Try as you might, there’s just no withstanding the emotional pull of “Little Women,” composer-librettist Mark Adamo’s 1998 operatic adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic. The narrative and emotional strands in this tale are so skillfully interwoven, and the musical style so perfectly suited to its communicative task, that the piece inevitably wins over even the most skeptical observer….“Island City’s splendid production…conducted by Dana Sadava with a firm but fluid hand”
EXOTIC RUSSIAN MUSIC FEATURED IN MV PHIL CONCERT
The Mill Valley Philharmonic, in its twenty-second year, continues to mature…The orchestra performed two Russian masterworks May 14 – Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s exotic Scheherazade from 1888…“Founded and nurtured by Laurie Cohen, the all-volunteer ensemble is thriving under the baton of Dana Sadava, Ms. Cohen’s successor. ”
Island City Opera’s Engaging Little Women
Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is a book full of music. The March sisters sing and play piano, and they use their skills to devise their own operatic entertainments. It makes sense, then, to set their story to music, and to weave the sisters’ music into a broader opera…“Sadava brought structure and clarity to her interpretation of the score.”
MILL VALLEY PHILHARMONIC NAMES ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
The Mill Valley Philharmonic has named San Rafael resident Dana Sadava as artistic director as the community orchestra enters its 20th season…Sadava was selected from three applicants, executive director Richard Aldag announced this week. Sadava is in her fifth year as music director of the Community Women’s Orchestra in Oakland and artistic director of the Pasadena Opera.