Cincinnati Opera Presents OPERA IN THE PARK

Cincinnati Opera kicks off its 99th Summer Festival on Sunday, June 9 with a free concert in Washington Park. Opera in the Park will feature a selection of unforgettable opera and musical theater favorites-from "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess to Man of La Mancha's "The Impossible Dream"-performed by stars from the 2019 season, the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy an evening of opera under the setting sun. Park concessions will be available with full bar service, soda, and water. Food trucks will be on site for the event.

No tickets are necessary, but attendees are encouraged to register to receive weather updates, event news, and more. All registrants will be entered into a drawing for a Cincinnati Opera prize package valued at $300. To register, visit https://www.cincinnatiopera.org/opera-park/.

Featured singers for the program include stars from Cincinnati Opera's 2019 Summer Festival. Cast members from Mozart's brilliant comedy The Marriage of Figaro (June 13 & 15) include sopranos Janai Brugger (Susanna) and Susanna Phillips (Countess Almaviva), mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb (Cherubino), tenor Martin Bakari (Don Curzio), and baritone Joseph Lattanzi (Count Almaviva). The featured cast members from Charles Gounod's tragic tale Romeo and Juliet (June 27 & 29) are tenor Piotr Buszewski (Tybalt) and baritone Thomas Dreeze (Count Capulet). The program will also feature soprano Liv Redpath, who sings Zerbinetta in this summer's production of Ariadne auf Naxos (July 6, 11, 13 & 14). Tenor Aaron Blake, who starred as Tamino in The Magic Flute (2017) and Timothy Laughlin in Fellow Travelers (2016), will make a special appearance. An ensemble of Cincinnati Opera Young Artists will also perform, including sopranos Gabriella Sam and Brittany Logan, tenors Thomas J. Capobianco and Darian Clonts, baritone Eric Shane, and bass-baritone Miles-Wilson Toliver. Jun Märkl, maestro for Ariadne auf Naxos, and Levi Hammer, resident conductor for Cincinnati Opera's 2019 season, will conduct. The Cincinnati Opera Chorus will be led by longtime chorus master Henri Venanzi. Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director of Cincinnati Opera, will serve as host.

For more information, please visit https://www.cincinnatiopera.org/opera-park/.