Marble City Opera is set to present “Bon Appétit!” and a cake-baking class on Nov. 14, 2024.

The evening will be presented at The Cutting Edge Classroom in Knoxville. Audiences will first enjoy the opera and then make their own cake to take home.

“Bon Appétit!” was composed by Lee Hoiby for his friend Jean Stapleton, who sang its 1989 premiere at the Kennedy Center. The libretto was adapted by Mark Shulgasser from transcripts of two episodes of The French Chef, Julia Child’s cooking show on PBS.

The role of Julia Child will be sung by soprano Ryan Colbert. It marks her return to Marble City Opera after her performances of “Suor Angelica,” “Postcard from Morocco,” and “Sweets by Kate.”

In a statement, Kathryn Frady, Marble City Opera’s Executive Artistic Director, said, “It will be such a treat for us to enjoy an opera about baking a cake and then to bake our own cake to take home! I’m excited to collaborate with Chef John Alunni and the staff at The Cutting Edge Classroom for this special event.”