Washington National Opera Offers Pop-Up Opera Truck to Bring Live Operatic Performances to the Community

The Washington National Opera is bringing live performances to multiple outdoor venues in Virginia as part of its traveling Pop-Up Opera Truck mini-tour. These small capacity, physically distanced pop-up performances from the WNO Cafritz Young Artists are focused on bringing the wonder of operatic music back to the community. Event locations range from public parks to farmers markets and major medical centers.

"We are taking opera directly to the people in special outdoor surprise performances for our local communities," said Rob Ainsley, Director of the Cafritz Young Artists program. "There is nothing like the magic of a live performance or the beauty of the human voice, and there has never been a more important time for the healing power of live music. While safety must remain our first priority, this is a way for us to continue to serve our community and we look forward to reviving the tour again in the spring."

In creating the pop-up opera truck experience, WNO collaborated with The Concert Truck, a Baltimore-based company founded by pianists Nick Luby and Susan Zhang. By converting a standard moving truck into a mobile concert venue, complete with stage, lights, sound, and an electric grand piano, The Concert Truck is worked with WNO to help deliver music to the greater DC area, especially during the trying circumstances of the ongoing pandemic.