Madison Opera's Annual OPERA IN THE PARK Set For Saturday July 22

Madison Opera's Opera in the Park celebrates its twenty-second year on Saturday, July 22 at 8pm in Garner Park on Madison's West Side.  A Madison summer tradition, the free concert of opera and Broadway favorites draws audience members from across Wisconsin and beyond to pack a picnic, gather friends, and share a beautiful night of music under the stars.

Opera in the Park 2023 stars soprano Katerina Burton, mezzo-soprano Emily Fons, tenor Martin Luther Clark, and baritone Weston Hurt.  Burton makes her Madison Opera debut in the concert; recent credits include Washington National Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.  Fons sang Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Madison Opera, a role she has recently sung for the Santa Fe Opera and is singing at Cincinnati Opera this summer.  Clark makes his Madison Opera debut in this concert and returns to the company as the title role in Candide in April; other recent credits include Lyric Opera of Chicago and Tulsa Opera.  Hurt sang an acclaimed Germont in La Traviata with Madison Opera in 2019; other recent credits include Arizona Opera and Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

The four soloists are joined by the Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John DeMain. The evening is hosted by Madison Opera's General Director Kathryn Smith and WKOW-TV's Wake Up Wisconsin co-anchor Mark Charter.

The repertoire at Opera in the Park 2023 spans over 300 years of music, from an opera that premiered in 1711 (Handel's Rinaldo) to one that premiered in 2023 (The Factotum by Will Liverman and DJ King Rico).  Madison Opera's upcoming 23/24 season is highlighted with selections from Puccini's Tosca, Bologne's The Anonymous Lover, and Bernstein's Candide.  The program also features pieces from Don Carlo, La Clemenza di Tito, The Tales of Hoffmann, La Bohème, Into the Woods, My Fair Lady, and more. As always, this spectacular evening will include one number conducted by the audience with light sticks.

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