Minnesota Opera Launches '7 Day of Opera' Festival Today

MINNEAPOLIS (September 14, 2015) -Minnesota Opera recently announced the launch of 7 Days of Opera, a festival of free, short, pop-up opera performances that bring opera to unexpected places in the Twin Cities community - malls, zoos, farmers markets, breweries and more. 7 Days of Opera begins today, Sept. 19 and leads into the company's season opener, Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, opening Saturday, Sept. 26 at Ordway Music Theater.

"With 7 Days of Opera, we're meeting people where they work, shop and play," said Artistic Director Dale Johnson. "We wanted to come up with a way to perform that is as surprising, charming and unforgettable as opera itself. 7 Days of Opera does just that."

7 Days of Opera begins at the Mill City Farmers Market at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 and concludes with a performance at Minneapolis Central Library at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25. In between, 7 Days of Opera will take opera to the Minnesota Zoo, Whole Foods Market, the Mall of America, The Freehouse Brewery and The Tin Fish Restaurant on the shores of Lake Calhoun.

A trio of local talent - Minnesota Opera favorites - will perform all of the musical selections during 7 Days of Opera: soprano Bergen Baker (Minnesota Opera's The Magic Flute); bass-baritone Rodolfo Nieto (Minnesota Opera's La fanciulla del west); and pianist Jenya Trubnikava.

"We take great pride in presenting opera to audiences wherever and whoever they may be," said Nina Archabal, general director of Minnesota Opera. "We hope that our pop-up performances will delight seasoned opera lovers as well as those who have yet to discover its magic."

All 7 Days of Opera performances are free and open to the public. Complete listings and updates for 7 Days of Opera will be available at mnopera.org/7-days-of-opera. Daily updates will be available onfacebook.com/minnesotaopera and twitter.com/mnopera.

What: Minnesota Opera's seven-day series of pop-up performances around the Twin Cities.

When/Where: Mill City Farmers Market - Saturday, Sept. 19th at 10 a.m.

Minnesota Zoo - Sunday, Sept. 20th at 12 p.m.

Whole Foods, Hennepin Avenue - Monday, Sept. 21 at 12:15 p.m.

Mall of America Rotunda - Tuesday, Sept. 22nd at 6 p.m .

The Freehouse Brewery - Wednesday, Sept. 23rd at 5:30 p.m.

The Tin Fish Restaurant - Thursday, Sept. 24th at 6 p.m.

Minneapolis Central Library - Friday, Sept. 25th at 12:30 p.m.

Cost: All performances are free and open to the public.