Candide
War! Earthquakes! Disease! Very bad things happen to very good people (and plenty of bad ones, too). When young Candide’s marriage proposal to a baron’s daughter doesn’t quite go as planned, this naïve student of optimism is thrust into an eye-opening odyssey across lands near and far, discovering the horrors of existence at every turn. Candide is part opera, part musical, and entirely irreverent. Voltaire’s philosophical spoof becomes a brilliant and breathless operetta set to a vivid score by Bernstein which abounds with spectacular music that includes a famous overture, the soprano showpiece “Glitter and Be Gay,” and the soaring finale, “Make Our Garden Grow.” Through all its hysterical scouring of 18th-century wickedness and woe, Candide still finds a way to move and inspire with life-affirming lessons that, surprisingly, ring just as true today.
Learn more and meet the cast! – Coming Soon
Directed by Annamaria Pileggi
Conducted by Scott Schoonover
Friday, July 5 at 8 pm
Saturday, July 6 at 8 pm
Friday, July 12 at 8 pm
Saturday, July 13 at 8 pm
Presented in English with projected English supertitles.
Bernstein’s Candide (Scottish Opera House Version)
Book by Hugh Wheeler, after Voltaire
Lyrics by Richard Wilbur, Stephen Sondheim, John La Touch, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein
By arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc. Sole Agent for Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company, LLC, Publisher and Copyright Owner.
La bohème
Join the Bohemian Revolution in the heart of 19th-century Paris as a group of struggling artists strives to create beautiful art, find love, and ultimately live life to the fullest in this romantic operatic blockbuster. Rodolfo and his friends scrape by using their wit and charm to escape life’s harsher consequences until a chance encounter one winter night when Mimi asks Rodolfo to light her candle, changing everything and sending the pair into a deep, passionate whirlwind. At the same time, Marcello can’t resist the flirtatious charms of the feisty Musetta. Follow the triumphs and toils of this band of struggling young artists as they search for love, life, and laughter against impossible odds. For over 100 years, Puccini’s most celebrated opera has moved audience to laughter and tears with its irresistible music and timeless tale.
Learn more and meet the cast! – Coming Soon
Directed by Mark Freiman
Conducted by Elizabeth Hastings
Friday, July 26 at 8 pm
Saturday, July 27 at 8 pm
Friday, August 2 at 8 pm
Saturday, August 3 at 8 pm
Presented in Italian with projected English supertitles.
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppi Giacosa and Luigi Illica, after Mürger
Glory Denied
America’s longest-held prisoner of war dreams of coming home. But home is a place he will not recognize. Follow the gut-wrenching saga of Col. Jim Thompson as he transitions from the jungles of Southeast Asia to the tree-lined streets of suburban America. Glory Denied speaks to the plight of so many of our veterans who nobly fought for their country but face huge challenges when it comes to re-assimilating into society—and their longed-for normal lives—after service. This true story explores the unimaginable bravery asked of soldiers and the nature of hope itself. It is a story of a nation divided and a country that changed significantly in the decade of his imprisonment. Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied made waves in opera circles when it premiered a decade ago and continues to do so today.
Learn more and meet the cast! – Coming Soon
Directed by Dean Anthony
Conducted by Scott Schoonover
Friday, August 16 at 8 pm
Saturday, August 17 at 8 pm
Friday, August 23 at 8 pm
Saturday, August 24 at 8 pm
Presented in English with projected English supertitles.
Glory Denied
Music by Tom Cipullo
Libretto by Tom Cipullo
Based on the book by Tom Philpott
Produced by permission of ECS Publishing Group, St. Louis, MO
Sole Agent for E.C. Schirmer Music Company, Publisher and Copyright Owner
Friday Night Lecture Series
Know Before You Go
7:00 pm Each Friday night before the performance in the Fellowship Gallery.
Join Union Avenue Opera and Glen Bauer, Ph. D. for our Friday Night lecture series. Dr. Bauer will discuss the opera’s historical importance, guide you through the (sometimes convoluted) plot line, and offer a sneak peak of the music to come.
