Tulsa Opera 2021-22 Season Opens With PUCCINI AND VERDI PLAY BALL AT ONEOK FIELD

Tulsa Opera will come out swinging on Friday, October 15 with a celebratory 74th season opening night event titled "Puccini and Verdi Play Ball at ONEOK Field."

The evening-held at the home of the Tulsa Drillers baseball team-includes a new production of Puccini's one-act comic opera, Gianni Schicchi directed by James Blaszko. Oriol Sans will conduct a cast that features baritone Levi Hernandez in the title role, sopranos Rachel Blaustein, Danielle Pastin, and Emily Pulley, tenors Julius Ahn and Jonathan Johnson, and bass Andrew Potter.

Mr. Blaszko, Mr. Sans, and all of the singers with the exception of Mr. Ahn and Mr. Potter will be making their company debut. The evening's program will also feature a selection of Puccini and Verdi arias performed by the cast, and will conclude with a fireworks display. The opening night celebration will have a capacity of 7,833 people with tickets priced from $15.

"Puccini and Verdi Play Ball at ONEOK Field" will be the company's second event held on the baseball field. In October 2020 the company staged a landmark production of Verdi's Rigoletto directed by James Robinson that was one of the first live opera performances to be held in the U.S. after the COVID-19 lockdowns and cancellations. In addition to providing Tulsa Opera with a safe, outdoor venue, the field enabled the company to reach a large audience despite the social distancing requirements of the time.

"We discovered last year that ONEOK Field is a versatile venue that can connect many more Tulsans to our art-form," says General Director Ken McConnell. "We are delighted to return to the baseball diamond with tickets priced for increased accessibility."

Artistic Director Tobias Picker says: "The potential of ONEOK Field as an effective and engaging venue for opera was revealed to us last year with our successful and acclaimed production of Rigoletto. We are excited to launch the 2021-22 season with a lively new production of Verdi's Gianni Schicchi by James Blaszko making his company debut and a wonderful cast who will perform beloved arias under the stars. We also look forward to returning to the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in February and are proud to present a season of two Oklahoma premieres and three operas new to Tulsa in three new productions that continue this company's focus on strong female characters, bringing together a diverse group of creators and artists, both new and known."

Tulsa Opera's 2021-22 season continues in February 2022 with the Oklahoma premiere of Mr. Picker's first opera Emmeline in a new production directed by Tara Faircloth. The season concludes in April 2022 with a new immersive production of Richard Strauss' Salome in its Oklahoma premiere directed by Thaddeus Strassberger and starring soprano Patricia Racette.

Visit tulsaopera.com for opening night tickets and full season subscriptions.