Cincinnati Opera Presents ~ Opera Goes to Church

Do you like Opera? or maybe you’ve been wanting to check it out but don’t want to commit to going to a performance downtown.  Well, this Summer you get three chances to experience Cincinnati Opera out and about town for FREE (but you must pre-register, see below)!  The program is called Opera Goes to Church and there will be three free concerts over the course of the Summer.

Here’s all of the information you need as provided to us by Cincinnati Opera:

Cincinnati Opera is pleased to announce that Opera Goes to Church! will expand to three locations during the 2011 season. Now in its sixth year, the evenings of gospel, sacred, jazz, and classical music will be held at the following locations: Allen Temple A.M.E. Church on Monday, June 13; St. Barnabas Episcopal Church on Friday, July 1; and at College Hill Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, July 19.

Each concert will feature a unique roster of powerful artists, with different programs every night. Channel 5 news anchor Courtis Fuller will act as host for all three concerts.

A standing-room-only crowd is expected for the sixth annual concert at Allen Temple A.M.E. Church in Bond Hill. Bass-baritone Eric Owens and soprano Jessica Rivera, stars of Cincinnati Opera’s production ofA Flowering Tree, will headline the performance on Monday, June 13 at 7:00 p.m. They are joined by the Allen Temple A.M.E. Church Combined Choir under the direction of Robert Gazaway and the Omega Jazz Quartet directed by Erwin Stuckey.

Opera Goes to Church! returns to St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Montgomery following a successful concert there in 2007. Tenor William Burden, who portrays the poet Lensky in the Opera’s production ofEugene Onegin, is joined by soprano Kara Shay Thompson, mezzo-soprano Catherine Fishlock, and baritone William Henry Caldwell on Friday, July 1 at 7:00 p.m. The St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Adult Choir directed by Michael Chertock and the St. Barnabas Jazz Orchestra featuring vocalist Nancy Nolan add to the evening’s festivities.

This year marks the first Opera Goes to Church! concert at College Hill Presbyterian Church. The performance on Tuesday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. promises to be a truly unique experience, bringing together a host of community choirs for an unforgettable night of music.

Soprano Jacqueline A. Echols, who appears in Cincinnati Opera’s production of The Magic Flute, will be joined by other opera singers, the Omega Jazz Quartet, and the talented College Hill artists who make up the College Hill Community Choir, including members of the following groups: College Hill Christian Church, College Hill Presbyterian Church, Good News Church of God in Christ, Grace Episcopal Church, House of Joy Christian Ministries, and The Cincinnati Super Choir.

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