Opera Under the Stars

While I have to admit I’m not an opera fanatic, I definitely do enjoy the beauty and the history of the genre. But I think that’s the great thing about the performing arts—whether you’re a seasoned show-goer or not, great work is great work, and the Minnesota Opera definitely does just that. This is all to say I’m quite excited for this coming weekend, when the Minnesota Opera will be hosting Opera Under the Stars.  

On the tails of their 50th anniversary season, the opera will perform three showings of Puccini’s La Bohéme—all free and all outdoors. Instead of taking place in the opera’s usual home at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the 1830s Parisian production will be performed on Harriet Island’s Target Stage (June 14, 7 p.m.), at the Lake Harriet Bandshell (June 15, 7:30 p.m.) and Shattuck-St. Mary’s (June 16, 7 p.m.). Sung in Italian with English translations available on the opera’s mobile site, this is a chance to see one of the world’s most frequently performed operas in a fun and uniquely Minnesotan way. (Tip: food is allowed, so pack a picnic to enjoy during the show.)

Opera lovers should also mark their calendars for the Mill City Summer Opera, which following its first sold-out season returns with a production of Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville in the Charles Bell Ruin Courtyard at Mill City Museum this July (tickets on sale now).