Can one choice change everything? Edgar, just the second opera that Giacomo Puccini ever composed, tells the story of a man torn between the promise of virtue and the allure of vice, where love and desire collide with devastating consequences. Moments of striking lyricism underscore a tale of indecision, self-delusion, and betrayal that leads to ruin. With the MN Opera Orchestra and MN Opera Chorus on stage behind a cast of singers, this rare concert presentation offers a tantalizing glimpse into the mind of a master still discovering his voice, just a few years before his greatest triumphs.

Estimated Run Time: 1 hours and 49 minutes with 1 intermission

Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Join us 60 minutes prior to each show for a free, fun, and informative half-hour session which includes an overview of the characters and music, historical and cultural context for the opera and highlights to watch for during the show.

No cost or registration necessary. A ticket to the performance of Edgar is required to enter the Ordway.

Stories Sing will feature opera singing and clowning in anticipation of MN Opera’s upcoming production of Pagliacci, as well as a sneak peak of NOOMA, a “baby opera,” designed with children ages 0-2 in mind. Co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Opera, and MN Opera, and performed annually at the Flint Hills Family Festival, NOOMA is an interactive vocal circus where audiences and performers co-create a playful world of shared music-making.

Registration required. For questions, please contact Kari Heistad at [email protected].

This four-week series takes a deep dive into Pagliacci— the final MN Opera production of the season. We’ll explore the opera through a theatrical, musical, and historical lens. Participants are invited to attend the Student Dress Rehearsal for Pagliacci on May 7 at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts.

Locations:

April 21, 28, May 12 at Lyngblomsten Apartments Dining Room, 1455 Almond Ave, St Paul, MN 55108

May 5 at Lyngblomsten Care Center Community Room, 1415 Almond Ave, St Paul, MN 55108

No registration required. For more information, contact Nicole Buchholz, Director of Lifelong Learning & the Arts at Lyngblomsten, at (651) 632-5459 or [email protected].

Join Minnesota Opera and the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center for an evening that brings together opera, circus, and community history ahead of MN Opera’s presentation of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s gripping tragedy Pagliacci.

The evening will feature circus aerial performances by local business owner and performer Nastaaja Johnson (Vivid Black Paint), set to music from the opera, alongside live musical performances by MN Opera guest artists Reginald Smith, Jr. and Amanda Batista. Between performances, Dr. Allison Lewis (MN Opera) will moderate two panel conversations exploring opera’s past and future in the community. The first will examine the history of opera in Rondo and at the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center, featuring Benny Roberts (Hallie Q. Brown Community Center). The second panel will examine the exclusionary and harmful histories of opera and circus while asking how opera can continue to serve as a valuable performance practice for the Black community.
To close the evening, Johnson will invite willing audience members to participate in a low-intensity circus workshop, including an introduction to scarf juggling.

GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winning baritone Reginald Smith, Jr (Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera) and tenor Chaz’men William-Ali (English National Opera, Duch National Opera, Washington National Opera) will curate and perform an evening of gospel music with Joseph Li (Minnesota Opera VP, Artistic) at the piano.

Tickets are $27. Ticketholders are invited to meet and mingle with the artists immediately following the performance.

Language: Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Run time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission.

Audience Note: Please be advised that this production includes a depiction of gun violence during the final Act.

Details forthcoming.

Join us 60 minutes prior to each show for a free, fun, and informative half-hour session which includes an overview of the characters and music, historical and cultural context for the opera and highlights to watch for during the show.

No cost or registration necessary. A ticket to the performance of Pagliacci is required to enter the Ordway.

The show must go on, but how? For Canio and his traveling troupe, painted smiles and colorful costumes belie infidelity and betrayal. The façade is shattered when a hidden affair is revealed and a lighthearted night at the theater gives way to jealousy, suspicion, and ultimately violence. As the line between performance and reality blurs and the drama onstage begins to mirror the turmoil offstage, Pagliacci begs the question—does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes with 1 intermission.

Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Audience Note: Please be advised that this production includes a depiction of gun violence during the final Act.

Minnesota Opera welcomes university and college students to a special night at the Ordway with 2 ways to save BIG on tickets for the Thursday, May 14th performance of Pagliacci! If you are among the first 50 students to register, your ticket is free! Once 50 are claimed, you can still enjoy $20 tickets by using the same code – a 40% discount from regular pricing! Be sure to stop by our University Night table to check in and receive your concessions voucher!

FREE for first 50 registrants. $20 for additional registrants.

An opera for babies! This work, co-commissioned by Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Opera, and MN Opera, was composed with children ages 0-2 in mind. The production, performed annually at the Flint Hills Family Festival, invites audiences into an expanding and contracting world, immersing them in parachutes’ movements, and inviting them to explore the physical and metaphorical possibilities of breath. 

Tickets are $8.