Opera Orlando is set to remount its first commissioned opera, “The Secret River,” at the Grove Stage at Mead Botanical Garden in Orlando as part of the company’s 10th anniversary celebrations. The work, which features music by Stella Sung and a libretto by Mark Campbell, will be conducted by Karl Van Richards, directed by Ayòfẹ́mi Jeriah Demps, and choreographed by {…}
Opera Orlando has announced an added performance of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 on Dec. 18, 2025. The a cappella work will be presented at the new Pargh Event Center at Rosen JCC in Dr. Phillips, Florida starting at 7:30 p.m. local time. The production recounts the historic 1914 Christmas Truce on the Western Front, when soldiers {…}
Opera Orlando offered free public performances of Humperdinck’s “Hansel & Gretel” on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Grand Avenue Neighborhood Center. Olivia Yokers directed the famed opera in her Opera Orlando debut, with music direction by Nathan Cicero. The cast featured Alexandra Kzeski as Gretel, Ruoxi Bian as Hansel, Sarah Purser as the Witch, {…}
Opera Orlando has announced that it will be offering its performances of “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” at Orlando Family Stage, for free. The opera, written by Peter Rothstein with vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach, runs from Dec. 12–14, 2025. The decision to offer free performances is a gift to the Central Florida {…}
(Photo credit: Cori Kogan) Opera Orlando has announced that Melody Chang will be the company’s first-ever Marketing and Sales Manager. The Spokane native will oversee marketing, box office, and front-of-house operations under General Director Gabriel Preisser and Artistic Director Grant Preisser. Chang’s previous experience includes working as Director of Marketing and Interim General Director at Inland Northwest Opera and as {…}
Opera Orlando has announced the roster of its Apprentice and Studio Artists for 2025-26. The artists include soprano Alyssa Pimentel and tenor Evan Martinez, both of Stetson University. They will take on the opening production of “La Bohème” as Apprentice Artists. Joining them as Studio Artists are soprano Alexandra Kzeski, mezzo-soprano Ruoxi Bian, and baritone Logan Tarwater. The Apprentice Artists {…}
Opera Orlando has unveiled its 2025-26 season. The season opens with its Summer Concert Series. First up is a concert featuring Bizhou Chang and Brendan J. Boyle. Performance Dates: August 10-24, 2025 The first mainstage production of the year is “La Bohème,” starring Bizhou Chang, Yi Li, SeungHyeon Baek, and Ruoxi Bian. Allan R. Scott conducts the production, which transposes the {…}
Opera Orlando has added a performance of “Treemonisha.” The company announced that following strong sales for the production, it has added a performance to its Saturday slate. The opera opens on May 16, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. with two performances now on Saturday. The first kicks off at 2 p.m. and the second is set for 7:30 p.m. The company {…}
Opera Orlando has received a $120,000 grant from Dr. Phillips Charities. The grant will underwrite the upcoming production of Massenet’s “Cendrillon.” The work will not only be a mainstage production, but will also be presented at local schools and children’s hospitals such as AdventHealth Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Hospital. “Words cannot express our gratitude to Dr. Phillips Charities for {…}
Opera Orlando has raised $100,000 for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida The money was raised from its recent concert performance of “DEFIANT REQUIEM: Verdi at Terezín” on Sept. 14, 2024. The performance was sold out with more than 500 free tickets given to students and educators. “Words cannot express our immense gratitude to the Opera and {…}
Opera Orlando has announced its Stetson School of Music Apprentices for 2024-25. The program was initiated between the opera company and university as a pilot apprenticeship last season and is now being expanded to allow four students the opportunity to perform with the opera company. The four voice performance students include bass-baritone Kenneth Browning, soprano Rachel Castillo, baritone Nicholas Dieux, {…}
