Brown Theatre

Whether it's the operatic version of "Of Mice and Men," a beloved standard like "La Bohème" and "La Traviata" or the sweetness of "Hansel and Gretel" and "Little Women," the Kentucky Opera has something for every opera lover, daring or traditional.

Founded by Moritz von Bomhard in 1952, Kentucky Opera is the 12th oldest opera company in the United States. The company was designated  the state opera of Kentucky in 1982.

Kentucky Opera features outstanding singers — including performers who have sung at New York's Metropolitan Opera and other illustrious opera houses — in lavish production. Metropolitan opera star Elizabeth Futral sang in 2009's production of "La Traviata." Internationally acclaimed tenor Sébastien Guèze made his American debut in Kentucky Opera’s 2009 production of "La Traviata."

Lise Lindstrom sang the prima in Kentucky Opera’s September 2007 production of "Turandot." Two years later, she was a last-minute replacement at the Metropolitan Opera and garnered glowing reviews with her singing, including a superb handling of the “In questa reggia.” Youthful soprano Susanna Phillips of the Chicago Lyric Opera sang the role of Blanch de la Force in Kentucky Opera's 2007 production of Francis Poulenc’s "Dialogues of the Carmelites." It's such lyrical, masterful performances that make Kentucky Opera such an underrated gem for opera aficionados.

After years in the Kentucky Center for the Arts, opera performances are now in the historic W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre, which was fully renovated in 2009. As part of the Brown Theatre's renovation, the orchestra pit was expanded allowing a full orchestra to perform with the opera enriching the sound like never before. The Louisville Orchestra performs for every one of Kentucky Opera's productions.

The opera's season begins in September and ends in November, giving the three-opera series more of a festival feeling. Check out the new season here. You can order single tickets or subscribe to the full season online, by calling (502) 584–4500. With a season's subscription, you save 20 percent over single ticket prices for the three prices and 15 percent on any tickets you buy for family members or friends. You'll also get The Brown-Forman 2010 Fall Season Preview CD.

Kentucky Opera offers many educational programs, as well, including special kid-friendly fare to introduce students from kindergarten to 12th grade to the world of opera in curriculum-focused performances. All education programs are performed by Kentucky Opera Studio Artists. 

One recent education program, "Oh Freedom!," explored the African-American experience through song starting with African folk songs and ending with a newly commissioned piece based on the speeches of Barak Obama, "A Chorus of Hope" by Louisville-based musician Harry Pickens. In January and February, Studio Artists Naoko Suga, Erica Cochran Zimmer and Phillip Morgan performed the 45-minute show for almost 10,000 kids across Kentucky.

Student tickets are $20 for any production with a valid student ID! In addition, the company teaches essential core curriculum elements such as terminology, singing, improvisation and movement aimed at arts or humanities classes. The opera's Education Department also sponsors Opera Bound, a literary campaign that links one of each season's operas to the literary work that inspired it.

- by Ivonne Rovira, Louisville Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Ivonne Rovira

A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.