Celebrate opera singers in the blush of their greatness!
“A new theater will be transformational for our artists and audiences,” said Nancy J. Preis, general director of Opera in the Ozarks. “It will offer artists a stage worthy of their talents. Our new home will also be a welcoming space for audiences to enjoy an intimate and high-quality performance.”
Tue, Jun 30 – Wed, Jul 22
Candide, Leonard Bernstein’s satirical operetta based on Voltaire’s novella, follows the naive Candide as he endures a whirlwind of disasters—war, earthquake, shipwreck, slavery—while clinging to his tutor Dr. Pangloss’s lesson that this is “the best of all possible worlds”. He travels the globe searching for his love, Cunegonde, facing absurdity and cruelty. He eventually learns from his harrowing experiences (and meeting a wise old farmer) that true contentment comes from simple, practical work, famously summarized as “we must cultivate our garden”.
Run time: 2:38
Fri, Jun 26 – Fri, Jul 24
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) , Mozart’s timeless comedy, follows Figaro and Susanna, servants to Count Almaviva, on their wedding day. It is a day filled with schemes as they try to outwit the philandering Count, who wants Susanna for himself, and a vengeful Marcellina, to whom Figaro owes money. The story culminates in a night of mistaken identities, disguises, and forgiveness, where the Count’s plots unravel, exposing his infidelities, and the lovers ultimately get their happy ending.
Run time: 3:35 (2 intermissions)
Sat, Jun 27 – Thu, Jul 23
This is an evening of two, one-act plays by Puccini. Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica) is a tragic one-act opera about a noblewoman forced into a convent after bearing an illegitimate child. Angelica lives in grief and longing for her son until her cruel aunt visits and reveals the boy died years ago. After a moment of despair and attempted suicide, Angelica is granted a vision of the Virgin Mary and her son, allowing her to die in peace.
Gianni Schicchi is a comedy about greedy Florentine relatives who, after their wealthy patriarch Buoso Donati dies, discover he left his fortune to monks. This prompts them to hire the cunning Gianni Schicchi to impersonate Buoso and rewrite the will. Schicchi cleverly bequeaths the best parts to himself and his daughter Lauretta (who loves Donati’s nephew Rinuccio), teaching the family a lesson in greed with severe penalties for fraud.
Run time: 2:14
Monkey See, Monkey Do (by Robert Xavier Rodriguez) is a charming children’s opera based on a Mexican folk tale. A sombrero seller’s hats are stolen by monkeys, leading him to cleverly trick the monkeys into returning them. At the same time, he is trying to win the heart of his beloved Maria. This opera is sung in both Spanish and English and fun for the whole family.
Who doesn’t love a good Broadway tune and witty lyrics? Well, if you have never heard a classically trained voice sing your favorite Broadway number, you are missing something wonderful. Opera singers love to sing Broadway!
The event will be in our new, beautiful Inspiration Point Center For The Arts.
This extraordinary evening will be packed with songs and complete with a buffet dinner and a cash bar.
These events sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!
Who doesn’t love a good Broadway tune and witty lyrics? Well, if you have never heard a classically trained voice sing your favorite Broadway number, you are missing something wonderful. Opera singers love to sing Broadway!
The event will be held at The Apollo on Emma- a beautiful event center in the heart of downtown Springdale.
This extraordinary evening will be packed with songs and complete with a buffet dinner and a cash bar.
These events sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!
Spend an evening with the Opera In The Ozarks Orchestra- professional musicians from around the world- who have chosen unique, classic and favorite chamber pieces for your enjoyment.
Just because you’re attending an opera doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be comfortable! Opera in the Ozarks doesn’t have a dress code; so if you’d like to dress up or dress down, please feel free to do so. Because our opera season is in the summe, we recommend you dress comfortably and dress cool. The good news is that air-conditioning was installed for our 64th season.
Although Opera in the Ozarks performs many of its operas in their original languages, we also project English supertitles above our stage. While our artists are singing in French, German, or Italian, you’ll be able to follow the words and the actions in English.
Our performances begin at 7:30p.m. with an Opera Talk at 6:45 p.m. If you would like to hear the Opera Talk we suggest you arrive 20-30 minutes before 6:45pm to find a parking spot and look around. If you’re only coming for a performance, arriving 30-40 minutes before 7:30 p.m. should leave you enough time to find a parking spot and your seat.
Our Sunday matinee shows, in our own theater at Inspiration Point, begin at 3:00 pm. Opera Talk will begin at 1:30PM.
Being on time to a performance is a courtesy to other opera goers who are seated and listening attentively. Late-comers may not be seated until a break or an intermission.
The Opera Talk is your chance to hear a sneak preview of the opera you’ll be seeing that evening. Our General Director, Nancy Preis, generally leads our Opera Talks and you’ll also hear from 2 or 3 of our singers. The singers usually talk about the characters they play and musical devices you should listen for. Time allowing, they will answer any questions you have about the opera or their experiences at Opera in the Ozarks.
We do have a concession stand where we sell water, soft drinks, beer, wine and assorted snacks. We suggest making an evening out of attending one of our performances and enjoy one of the many fine restaurants in Eureka Springs, just 6 miles east of our theatre. Please see our area attractions page for some dining ideas.
As a general rule of thumb, there are a few key places where clapping is a good idea:
When the conductor comes out to start the overture.
After a particularly well-sung aria.
At the end of an act or the end of the opera when the singers are taking bows.
If you’re unsure of where to clap, following the crowd is always a good idea for your first experience at an opera.
Also, feel free to shout “Bravo!” if you’ve heard or seen something you really enjoyed. Although, the word you shout changes depending on the situation. Here is a quick “Bravo” guide:
Say Bravo (Brah-voh) for a male performer’s exceptional performance.
Say Brava (Brah-vah) for a female performer’s exceptional performance.
Say Bravi (Brah-vee) for a group’s exceptional performance.
Here is our 2021 production of The Magic Flute. Due to Covid, our 2021 Family Opera could not go in to the community, so we decided to perform it live on our MainStage, and video for our audiences that could not get to our theater. This is a re-working of the classic opera, that has been themed around ecology and the preservation of our planet. Below is the full production video, photo gallery with concept art, as well as behind the scenes videos from our Costume Designer Kim Welborn and Director Robert Swedberg.
USITT- The Association for Performing Arts and Entertainment Professionals asked Kim Welborn to come on their podcast “TECHnically Speaking” to share her experience creating the costumes for “The Magic Flute”.
We have selected one performance of each cast of three of our 2024 operas that you can purchase in our store: either streaming or DVD. Each show has been recorded with multiple microphones for clear, balanced audio, English translation subtitles and in HD.
