Opera Orlando Announces OPERA ON THE TOWN Series Update

Opera Orlando's 2020-21 "On the Mainstage" series production of Die Fledermaus: The Revenge of the Bat this past December marked the first live indoor and in-person opera production in the U.S. since March 2020, and the Company is just getting started. Hansel & Gretel opens at the end of January, and it is quickly followed by the start of the 2020-21 "On the Town" series, featuring original productions throughout the City Beautiful. "Our productions have continued to shift, given the circumstances around COVID-19, but as we start the New Year, we are very excited to still be able to bring interesting and unexpected productions to interesting and unexpected venues across Orlando," says executive director Gabriel Preisser.

The Opera has had to postpone the piano workshop of its first commissioned opera, The Secret River, and will now launch the Opera on the Town series with the world premiere of Death of Ivan Ilych in partnership with Thompson Street Opera Company. Based on Tolstoy's masterpiece novella of the same name, Death of Ivan Ilych is a one-act chamber opera composed by John Young with a libretto by Alan Olejniczak. The opera was written as a response to the composer's own battle with cancer and is a poignant meditation on life and death. The opera will be performed in the Orlando Museum of Art Grand Gallery Hall, featuring musicians from the Alterity Chamber Orchestra.

Death of Ivan Ilych a?? WORLD PREMIERE

Friday | February 19, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday | February 21, 2021 at 5 p.m.
Orlando Museum of Art | 2416 N. Mills Avenue | Orlando, FL 32803

Tickets: $75 through Opera Orlando's website

The performance will be in English, running approximately ninety minutes with no intermission. Tickets include pre-show drinks and light appetizers, as well as a post-show dessert reception and talk-back with the production's creative team and cast. In consideration of COVID-19, seating will be limited, and protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of all in attendance.

Then in April, audiences will have the opportunity to see a new work in progress as Opera Orlando presents the piano workshop of The Secret River, a one-act chamber opera for all audiences, based on the young adult book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. With a libretto by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy award-winner Mark Campbell and music by University of Central Florida Pegasus professor Stella Sung, the piece has been awarded a $10,000 commissioning grant for female composers administered through OPERA America.

The Secret River is set in Central Florida during the Great Depression and follows the journey of a young African-American girl named Calpurnia, sung by studio artist Kyaunnee Richardson, as she searches for a way to help her family and small town survive desperate times. It is a story for all ages, demonstrating the power of trusting one's imagination and the goodness within us all. Dr. Everett McCorvey conducts, with stage direction by Dennis Whitehead Darling. The piece will also feature members of the Opera Orlando Youth Company.

The Secret River a?? PIANO WORKSHOP

Saturday | April 24, 2021 at 2 p.m.
Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre | 600 N. Lake Formosa Drive | Orlando, FL 32803

Tickets: FREE with RSVP required through Opera Orlando's website

The piece is sung in English and runs approximately 75 minutes with no intermission. In consideration of COVID-19, seating will be limited, and protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of all in attendance.

The "On the Town" series concludes in May with As One, a timely and powerful story about a transgender woman, highlighting the very human desire for self-fulfillment, authenticity, and inner peace. A one-act chamber opera composed by Laura Kaminsky with a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, As One is a coming-of-age story featuring two voices: Hannah after, sung by mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata, and Hannah before, sung by baritone Michael Kelly. They share the role of the sole transgender protagonist. With empathy and humor, they trace Hannah's experiences from her youth in a small town to her college years, and finally, traveling alone to a different country, where she realizes her truth. Led by transgender conductor Alexandra Enyart and Los

Angeles-based stage director Jessica Hanna, the piece coincides with the 2021 Orlando International Fringe Festival, and will be presented at Orlando Ballet's new facility adjacent to Loch Haven Park.

As One

Friday | May 21, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday | May 23, 2021 at 2 p.m.
Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre | 600 N. Lake Formosa Drive | Orlando, FL 32803

Tickets: $60 through Opera Orlando's website

The performance will be in English and run approximately ninety minutes with no intermission. In consideration of COVID-19, seating will be limited and protocols will be in place to ensure the safety of all in attendance.

Opera Orlando has been continuously monitoring the development of the virus and is taking a conservative and considered approach to producing live theater for the season. For the "Opera on the Town" series, Opera Orlando is coordinating with each venue directly to implement comprehensive and appropriate procedures. CDC recommendations, local official guidance, and input from Company partner Orlando Health have all been incorporated into a robust plan, with the goal of protecting and reducing the risk of infection for audience members, cast and production teams, staff, and volunteers.

Stay up to date with Opera Orlando's season at www.operaorlando.org, and get your tickets for the Opera on the MainStage productions at Dr. Phillips Center's Bill & Mary Darden Box Office (445 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando), online at www.drphillipscenter.org, or by calling (407) 839-0119, ext. 0. All "On the Town" tickets are available for sale through the Opera's website: www.operaorlando.org. "Like" or "follow" Opera Orlando's Facebook page for event schedules and updates, and subscribe to Opera Orlando's YouTube channel for all online content.

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