Contact: Tierney Bamrick
tbamrick@operamemphis.org
o: 901.202.4535 / c: 901.827.1929
Opera Memphis presents year six of 30 Days of Opera,
beginning transition to free performances of full operas!
Memphis, Tenn. August 31, 2017 – Opera Memphis’ beloved 30 Days of Opera is back for another September in Memphis! As usual, all 30 Days of Opera performances are totally free and open to the public, taking place all over the city and the Mid-South. The full event calendar is available at 30daysofopera.com.
Reaching hundreds of thousands of Memphians over the last five years, 30 Days of Opera is a direct response to two misconceptions about opera. The first is the idea that opera has to happen in gilded theaters with red velvet curtains. “The theater, the sets, the costumes – these are all beautiful parts of what we do,” say Opera Memphis’ Ned Canty, “but at its core, opera is a story told with words and music. We can do that anywhere.” Another problematic idea is the perception that operas are long and boring. “I came to opera late in life, assuming it would be dull,” says Canty, “but a summer of working on opera made me a convert. 30 Days of Opera gives us a chance to show people how beautiful, compelling, and fun opera can be.”
The 30 Days of Opera calendar changes every year, but some events have become standards of the Memphis arts scene. One of them, The Playground King, is an opera for kids performed at Overton Park’s Rainbow Lake Playground and Shelby Farms’ Woodland Discovery Playground. Music from well-known operas is set to new lyrics, and the result is a fun, 15-minute opera for families that reminds us we have more fun when everyone plays together. Another favorite 30 Days of Opera event is the annual concert at Levitt Shell. Showcasing Opera Memphis’ talent for blending opera’s greatest hits with a dose of pop culture, this year’s concert will also give audiences a sneak peek at the singers starring in the first mainstage opera of the season, Verdi’s La Traviata.
This year, the Levitt Shell performance will also include a first in the history of 30 Days of Opera: the performance of a full opera, Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Telephone. This twenty-minute opera was written in 1947 but addresses a problem we are all too familiar with: the way our phones can distract us from the people in front of us. The inclusion of The Telephone hints at the future of 30 Days of Opera.
“We‘ve awakened a real demand for more access to opera, and we intend to meet it,” says Canty. Up to this point, 30 Days of Opera has generally featured short snippets or single arias (songs) from operas. The inclusion of a short opera like The Telephone in its entirety is the first step towards the next phase of 30 Days of Opera. For inspiration, Canty looks to the past. “Long before it was Levitt Shell, Memphis Open Air Theater featured full operas for the public in Overton Park. For us, the future of 30 Days of Opera is nothing short of that: full operas, free and open to everyone. It’s happened before, and we think it can happen again.”
Opera Memphis presents 30 Days of Opera September 1-30 at various locations in Memphis and the Mid-South. All events are free and open to the public. The full calendar and list of locations can be found at 30daysofopera.com. More information about Opera Memphis is at operamemphis.org.
More on 30 Days of Opera: http://operamemphis.org/30-days-of-opera
ABOUT OPERA MEMPHIS
Opera Memphis was founded in 1956 and has grown into a world-class opera company. Widely respected for its innovative approach to outreach and audience development, Opera Memphis has become a nationally recognized thought leader on the process of evolving to meet the needs of 21st century audiences. For more information on upcoming Opera Memphis performances, call 901-257-3100 or visit www.operamemphis.org. To keep up with the latest news and happenings, follow Opera Memphis on facebook.com/operamemphis or on Twitter as @operamemphis.
