RICHMOND, VA | August 17, 2015 – Virginia Opera, The Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia, proudly announces the 3rd Annual Opera in the Park to take place at Dogwood Dell Amphitheatre in Richmond, VA on Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 7:30pm. This season’s Opera in the Park features accompaniment by The Richmond Symphony under the baton of Virginia Opera Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Adam Turner.
Photo Credit | Virginia Opera
This annual event, produced in conjunction with the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department, is free and open to the public. Programmed with all ages in mind, Opera in the Park features a casual, picnic-style atmosphere. Dogwood Dell opens at 6:00pm and the concert begins at 7:30pm. Drawing a capacity crowd every season, audience members are encouraged to arrive early to secure the best seating. This year’s Opera in the Park will include music from some of the most popular operas, such as Don Giovanni and The Tales of Hoffman, as well as highlights from all four of this season’s Virginia Opera productions, Orpheus in the Underworld, La Bohème, Romeo and Juliet and The Flying Dutchman. As always, Broadway favorites are included as an exciting addition to the concert. This season, Broadway selections showcase such well known musicals as West Side Story, Into the Woods and Showboat. Hosted by Virginia Opera’s own engaging opera comedian “Doc Opera,” Dr. Glenn Winters, Virginia Opera celebrates the opening of the 2015-2016 with a free, family concert.
“By being free and open to the public, Opera in the Park annually exposes thousands of Greater Richmond area families to some of opera’s and Broadway’s most beloved selections in a causal and welcoming atmosphere for people of all ages,” said Russell Allen, Virginia Opera’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Opera in the Park also serves as an exciting launch of the new opera season which opens this year in October with Orpheus in the Underworld – an hilarious spoof of the art form – with some of opera’s very famous music that includes the Can-Can – all never before seen on the Virginia Opera stage.”
The concert will be conducted by audience favorite Adam Turner, Virginia Opera’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor. Maestro Turner conducts the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and features some of opera’s rising stars – including many participants of the Virginia Opera’s nationally recognized Herndon Foundation Emerging Artists Program. Audience members can look forward to Javier Abreu performing Ah! mes amis, the aria made famous for crowning Luciano Pavarotti as the “King of the High C’s;” Troy Cook, international sensation and former Virginia Opera Emerging Artist, now an exceptional Verdi baritone, singing a famous aria never before heard by Virginia Opera audiences from Don Carlo, as well as a piece from Showboat showcasing both his opera and Broadway muscle; and two leading ladies, Meredith Lustig and Margaret Gawrysiak singing the fabulous duet from West Side Story – A boy like that/I have a love. The program also includes examples of Wagner orchestral music, the stormy and thrilling overture to The Flying Dutchman and the exciting Prelude from Act 3 of his Lohengrin. American composers showcased for the evening include Bernstein, Copland, Rodgers, Kern and Sondheim. Says Turner, “For me, these free concerts are a highlight of the season. Opera in the Park provides the opportunity to showcase opera’s and Broadway’s greatest hits performed by our spectacular singers alongside the Richmond Symphony. It’s the perfect celebration of this music, shared with the entire Richmond community, underneath the glorious backdrop of Mother Nature. Raise a glass and do a little dance – Can Can style!”
Virginia Opera Vice President of Central/Northern Virginia Operations, and co-host for the evening, Howard Bender notes, “Everyone who attends truly experiences the operatic highpoint of your summer, right here in Richmond! The matchless setting of Dogwood Dell and performances by some of opera’s hottest young stars will be an unforgettable combination. This event is Virginia Opera’s musical gift to the community.”
Virginia Opera is proud to partner with Co-Sponsors Wells Fargo Private Bank and Richmond BMW/Richmond BMW Midlothian/Crown Acura in bringing this year’s Opera in the Park to the very center of the community. The Company would also like to thank Richmond Parks and Recreation, as well as media sponsors WCVE and Virginia Living Magazine.
Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs, picnic supplies, and coolers with non-alcoholic beverages. Food and beverage will also be available for purchase at the concert. Virginia Opera will also be hosting free drawings for a large selection of prizes, including tickets to Virginia Opera performances and other local arts venues, and restaurant gift certificates. Special ticket pricing valid only that day will be available at the event for those who wish to purchase opera tickets on the spot! Parking for Opera in the Park is free and available within walking distance to the concert.
For more Virginia Opera information, contact Maggi George, Director of Marketing at 757.627.9545 ext. 3316, or via e-mail at Maggi.George@vaopera.org.
About Virginia Opera: Virginia Opera Association, Inc., currently in its 41st year of operation, is known and respected nationwide for the identification and presentation of the finest young artists, for the musical and dramatic integrity of its productions, and for the ingenuity and variety of its education and outreach programs. Mainstage performances in three markets across the Commonwealth reach nearly 50,000 attendees annually. In March of 1994, by unanimous vote of the Virginia General Assembly, Virginia Opera was named The Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia in recognition of the organization’s contribution to the state as well as to the world of opera. For tickets and information visit vaopera.org or call 866.673.7282.