Kentucky Opera returns with 4 mainstage shows, all sung in English. What to know, expect
Kentucky Opera has announced its upcoming 2023-24 season featuring four mainstage productions all to be sung in English with Friday and Sunday performances in The Brown Theatre and at the newly named Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health.
On Monday, the opera announced a $1 million gift from Christy Lee Brown and a $325,000 gift from Rose Mary Toebbe toward the recently opened 16,000-square-foot opera center in downtown Louisville. The opera center’s new name, Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health, is in recognition of Brown's commitment to promoting healthy communities. Additionally, the center’s community hall is now called the Rose Mary Toebbe Community Hall.
The 2023-24 season, also announced Monday, includes "Hansel and Gretel," "The Pirates of Penzance," and "As One," plus a holiday production of "All is Calm, The Christmas Truce of 1914."
"Producing an all-English season allows us to invite even more audiences in as we continue the work to break down the historical barriers of this artform," said Barbara Lynne Jamison, general director and CEO of Kentucky Opera.
Opening the season, Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel," which was last performed in Louisville in 2010, follows two young children in their quest to save themselves and the gingerbread children from the wicked witch. This vivid, larger-than-life production will feature Kentucky Opera's Youth Chorus.
Kentucky Opera continues its new holiday tradition following last season's "The Gift of theMagi," with "All is Calm, The Christmas Truce of 1914," which will be performed at the Opera Center for Cultural Health, the Opera’s administrative home on Magazine Street. This haunting and memorable story uses the diaries and letters from soldiers on the Western Front woven together with traditional carols, historical songs, and new music to tell this story of bravery and peace.
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Next, the Opera will "set sail" for Gilbert & Sullivan's comedic opera, "The Pirates of Penzance." A swashbuckling adventure full of witty wordplay, "The Pirates of Penzance" promises a spirited and joyful night at the opera packed with sentimental pirates, absurd adventures, improbable paradoxes and memorable music.
“This season has something for everyone,” Jamison said."Kentucky Opera has a history of blending new works with the classical canon. The stories we produce feature some of the finest emerging voices in the world."
Kentucky Opera extends its season at the Opera Center for Cultural Health with "As One." Empathy and humor ere at the forefront of this story of self-discovery, which is the most produced contemporary opera in the world. A baritone and a mezzo-soprano portray the sole transgender protagonist, Hannah, as she forges a path for herself while facing societal expectations.
Returning this year is the Kentucky Opera's Youth Opera Project, an initiative launched in 2019 by Jamison. Participants of the Youth Opera Project work weekly with professional artists to prepare fully-staged, professional music theatre productions.
In 2023-24, the Youth Opera Project will participate in two performances including "Hansel and Gretal" and Dean Burry’s "The Hobbit."
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Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel, the opera will be performed by local artists from ages 8 to 18 and is the focal point of Youth Opera Project's 10-month training program where students will learn the foundations of singing, acting, and stagecraft. "The Hobbit" will have two performances in June at the Opera Center for Cultural Health. No experience is required to audition. Auditions will take place on May 11 and 13. More details can be found at kyopera.org/YouthAndFamily.
Finally, be sure to grab tickets to "Amplify Songs of Justice," a special Kentucky Opera event that will include civil rights songs from composer Jorell Williams, with lyrics by Paula McCraney. The pieces commissioned by Kentucky Opera along with other civil rights songs will premiere on June 10 with local community, college, and church choirs. Additional pre-performance activities by community partners will be announced closer to this free admission event.
Jamison said, "This will be a season that truly sparks discovery, joy, and connection among our community.”
Reach Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com or follow her on Twitter at @kirbylouisville.
2023-24 Kentucky Opera Season
'Hansel and Gretel'
WHAT: Imaginations run wild in this vivid, larger-than-life fairy-tale opera. This visually intoxicating production, featuring Kentucky Opera’s Youth Chorus, will have colorful sets and costumes. Last performed by Kentucky Opera in September 2010. This opera is sung in English with English captions.
CREDITS: Composer: Engelbert Humperdinck, Libretto by: Adelheid Wette
WHEN: Sept. 29 and Oct. 2
WHERE: Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway
'All is Calm, The Christmas Trust of 1914'
WHAT: The story is set on Christmas Eve 1914. A lone soldier stepped out of the trenches singing "Stille Nacht." This acappella opera, sung in English, shares the stories of soldiers along the Western Front in the spontaneous Christmas Truce of World War I.
CREDITS: Written by: Peter Rothstein, Vocal arrangments by: Erick Licthe and Timothy C. Takach
WHEN: Dec. 15 and 17
WHERE: The Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health, 708 Magazine St.
'The Pirates of Penzance'
WHAT: Leap years come around every four years, and for one young pirate it causes mayhem and turmoil in this comedy about being a “slave to duty.” Gilbert’s witty word play coupled with Sullivan’s memorable music makes for a rollicking night at the theatre. This opera is sung in English with English captions
CREDITS: Music by: Arthur Sullivan, Libretto by: W.S. Gilbert
WHEN: Feb. 16 and 18, 2024
WHERE: Brown Theatre, 315 W. Broadway
'As One'
WHAT: With humor and empathy, "As One" chronicles Hannah’s inner journey as she endeavors to resolve the discord between herself and the outside world. Two singers, a baritone and a mezzo-soprano, share the part of the sole transgender protagonist Hannah in this most produced contemporary opera in the world. The three scenes trace Hannah’s struggle to measure up to expectations, her search for her identity, and finally making peace with herself and the world around her. This opera is sung in English
CREDITS: Music by: Laura Kaminsky, Libretto by: Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, Film by: Kimberly Reed
WHEN: April 12 and 14, 2024
WHERE: The Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health, 708 Magazine St.
How to get tickets to the 2023-24 Kentucky Opera season
Subscriptions for Kentucky Opera’s 2023-24 season are available now at kyopera.org or by calling 502-584-4500. Subscribers can get a four-show subscription to save up to twenty percent off single-ticket prices. Single tickets for individual performances will go on sale in late July.
Seating for performances at The Brown Theatre are reserved, while performances at The Kentucky Opera Center for Cultural Health are general admission.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Opera season 2023-2024: Check out the four-show lineup
