(Courtesy photo)Opera in the Ozarks, a summer music festival and opera training program based in Eureka Springs, will kick off its 2024 summer season next month.
The season, titled “Enchanted Evenings,” runs from June 21 through July 19 and will feature a series of opera performances and special musical events at Inspiration Point, located at 16311 Hwy. 62 West, overlooking Beaver Lake.
The 2024 season will showcase a cast of 34 singers and an orchestra of 25 musicians from across the country. Nancy Preis, general director of Opera in the Ozarks, said there are 22 fully staged and costumed opera performances scheduled, including three Sunday matinees.
The repertoire includes four operas: Giuseppe Verdi’s “La traviata,” Robert Ward’s “The Crucible,” and a double bill featuring Vittorio Giannini’s “Beauty and the Beast” and Maurice Ravel’s “L’enfant et les sortilèges.”
Preis said each opera explores the concept of enchantment. “La traviata” depicts the enchantment of love, “The Crucible” involves accusations of witchcraft, and the double bill features stories of magical transformations and enchanted objects.
The main stage performance schedule is as follows:
La traviata: June 21, June 27, June 29, July 2, July 7, July 10, July 13, July 19
The Crucible: June 22, June 26, June 30, July 5, July 8, July 12, July 17
Beauty and the Beast & L’enfant et les sortilèges: June 25, June 28, July 1, July 6, July 9, July 14, July 18
In addition to the main stage performances, there will be over a dozen performances of a traveling production, “Little Red’s Most Unusual Day” by John Davies. The adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood, set to music by Offenbach and Rossini, will be performed at various locations throughout Northwest Arkansas, including libraries, schools, and retirement centers. Those performances are free and feature Opera in the Ozarks’ studio artists.
Other notable events include a chamber music concert on July 15 at Inspiration Point and two Broadway cabarets. The cabaret in Fayetteville on July 11 at Mount Sequoyah will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, while the cabaret in Eureka Springs on July 16 at the Crescent Hotel will include dinner. Both cabarets will feature songs from popular Broadway shows performed by Opera in the Ozarks company members.
Tickets for the 2024 season are currently on sale, with prices for main stage opera performances ranging from $25-$30. Special pricing is available for children and students under 18. Tickets for the Fayetteville cabaret are $60, and tickets for the dinner-inclusive Eureka Springs cabaret are $75. Tickets for the chamber music concert are $20, with special pricing for children and students. Full-season tickets, offering access to all mainstage opera performances plus the chamber music concert at discounted rates, are also available.
Tickets can be purchased online at opera.org or by calling the box office at 479-253-8595.
