ZOMBIE OPERA to Return for 7th Annual Concert in Jersey City

Jersey City's nonprofit, Undead Arts, will present the seventh annual Zombie Opera concert, followed by a Party in the Park. Now a staple in the community, the concert will be performed on Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in Jersey City's Hamilton Park, located in downtown Jersey City.

The theme of their seventh anniversary concert is the Seven Deadly Sins. Following the concert, a Party in the Park will begin at 8:00 PM with DJ George Soul playing pop classics. Admission is free. Starting from 4:00 PM goods vendors and food and coffee trucks will be set up for the event.

What started as a modest Halloween celebration in 2020 on the stoops of Jersey Avenue in Jersey City as a way to provide free entertainment to residents during the pandemic, has now grown, pulling in audiences of over 2500 people at the 2021 concert and over 4000 people at each of the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 concerts in Hamilton Park.

The confirmed cast, made up of highly-acclaimed opera singers, includes Melina Jaharis, mezzo soprano; Heather Bobeck, soprano; Molly Dunn, soprano; Joshua Viltrakis, male soprano; Teddy Balfour Austin, tenor; Raul Morales Velazco, bass and Phillip Bullock, baritone. They will perform repertoire from operas including Faust, Romeo et Juliette, Candide, Don Giovanni, Porgy and Bess, and many more. Jazz saxophonist and singer, Mae Czuba will perform as the Emcee and brief opening act.

Zombie Opera will also feature members of TerpsiKord, a NYC based orchestra led by former New Jersey Symphony maestra Tong Chen and a zombie chorus made up of North River Sing members, students from Kean University and local community members. For the second year in a row, Rising Voices, a public school enrichment program started by Undead Arts will also perform. The concert will also include American Sign Language interpretation provided by Inclusive ASL and an ADA accessible seating area.

Zombie Opera will be directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker and founder of Half-Light Productions, Catriona Rubenis-Stevens. The producing team behind Zombie Opera includes Rubenis-Stevens, Dunn, and Gardiner. Art Direction by Katy Gardiner, projection art by Laia Cabrera and Isabelle Duverger, and makeup design by Yukie Ara and Amalia Romero Stiegwardt. Artwork is by Lauren Ver Hage. The event will also feature two 16' LED video screens provided by Kennedy Event Services.