Cincinnati Opera fans across the city were devastated when the organization made the difficult decision to cancel its 2020 Summer Festival due to COVID-19 restrictions — what would have been its 100th anniversary season.
Fortunately, Cincinnati Opera executives announced in a press release that it will partner with 90.9 WGUC to bring opera to fans via radio all season long.
Beginning June 27, the radio station will launch a series of encore presentations of some of the company’s most memorable productions from previous seasons. Opera fanatics can tune in to the station’s broadcast or stream online every Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. The series will run through July 25.
“When we realized our stages would be dark this summer, we knew we couldn’t let our big birthday go by without some sort of celebration,” said Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera artistic director. “The operas featured in this series represent some of our most extraordinary productions from recent seasons. We’re so grateful to our partners at 90.9 WGUC for keeping the music going.”
Mirageas will host the hour-long kickoff program entitled “Cincinnati Opera’s Beginnings,” where he will interweave history and musical excerpts to chronicle the creation of the company. Other performances include La Boheme and Fellow Travelers, the opera's 2016 world premiere set in Washington, D.C. during the anti-gay Lavender Scare of the 1950s.
Each performance is also being presented with the cooperation of Local 1, the Cincinnati chapter of the American Federation of Musicians and the American Guild of Musical Artists.
See below for a full itinerary of performances:
1 p.m. June 27: “Cincinnati Opera’s Beginnings” featuring Evans Mirageas
2 p.m. June 27: Elektra originally performed in 2002 at Music Hall
1 p.m. July 4: La Boheme originally performed in 2017 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts
1 p.m. July 11: The Tales of Hoffmann originally performed in 2006 at Music Hall
1 p.m. July 18: Fellow Travelers originally performed in 2016 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts
1 p.m. July 25: Aida originally performed in 2013 at Music Hall
For additional schedule and performance information, visit wguc.org.
