Discover the incredible true story of Omar Ibn Said, a 37-year-old Fula Islamic scholar who in 1807 was captured, taken from his home in West Africa, and enslaved in Charleston, South Carolina. Witness Omar’s inspiring journey of resilience as he stays true to himself, his people, and his faith, in the face of insurmountable odds.
Discover the incredible true story of Omar Ibn Said, a 37-year-old Fula Islamic scholar who in 1807 was captured, taken from his home in West Africa, and enslaved in Charleston, South Carolina. Witness Omar’s inspiring journey of resilience as he stays true to himself, his people, and his faith, in the face of insurmountable odds.
Opera Night at the BPL Representation Matters: AAPI Voices and Stories In partnership with the Boston Public Library, Boston Lyric Opera presents an evening of opera performance and conversation exploring what it means to have Asian representation in the opera industry, which stories we choose to share, and who gets creative ownership in telling these stories. BLO Artistic Advisor, founder of Asian Opera Alliance, and mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen will lead a dialogue with fellow artists about the historical, dramaturgical, and personal relevance of contemporary and classic repertoire. This evening continues the conversation BLO began with The Butterfly Process, [...]
PRIMA: Trivia Night When: Wednesday, June 14th, 6:30PM to 8:30PM Where: Democracy Brewing, 35 Temple Pl, Boston, MA 02111 Price: $25 per ticket by June 12 (Food & drink included) / $30 after or at the door Toast the start of summer while you flaunt your opera fandom at PRIMA’s first-ever trivia night! Join fellow opera lovers at Boston’s acclaimed Democracy Brewing for a fun, friendly evening featuring delicious food, a great selection of artisanal beers brewed on-site, and our customized BLO opera trivia game. Designed to be accessible for players of all levels, teams will tackle topics ranging [...]
A musical and spoken word performance collaboration. Pay what you like. Presented in Partnership with: Castle of our Skins, Hibernian Hall, Merrill Family Charitable Foundation, and the Mayor's Office of Arts & Culture, City of Boston.
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Monday, 6/26 at 2:00pm - Honan-Allston Branch (300 N Harvard St, Boston, MA 02134) Featuring: Rosie Osser (Hansel) Sarah Cooper (Gretel) Ji Yung Lee (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator)
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Tuesday, 6/27 at 10:30am - Chinatown Branch (2 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116) Featuring: Chihiro Asano (Hansel) Ann-Marie Iacoviello (Gretel) Patricia Au (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator)
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Tuesday, 6/27 at 2:00pm - Codman Square Branch (690 Washington St, Boston, MA 02124) Featuring: Rosie Osser (Hansel) Sarah Cooper (Gretel) Ji Yung Lee (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator)
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Wednesday, 6/28 at 10:30am - South Boston Branch (646 E Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127) Featuring: Chihiro Asano (Hansel) Ann-Marie Iacoviello (Gretel) Ji Yung Lee (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator) [...]
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Wednesday, 6/28 at 2pm - North End Branch (25 Parmenter St, Boston, MA 02113) Featuring: Chihiro Asano (Hansel) Ann-Marie Iacoviello (Gretel) Patricia Au (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator)
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Thursday, 6/29 at 10:30am - Egleston Square Branch (2044 Columbus Ave, Roxbury, MA 02119) Featuring: Rosie Osser(Hansel) Sarah Cooper (Gretel) Patricia Au (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator)
Join Boston Lyric Opera for Opera Stories, an interactive performance of Hansel & Gretel for all ages, but best for kids aged 5-12. Learn how we bring the story of an opera to life through music, acting, and movement. In this dynamic, one-hour presentation, two professional singers, a pianist, and a teaching artist engage audiences in this interactive introduction to opera. Admission is free and open to the public. Thursday, 6/30 at 2pm - Lower Mills Branch (27 Richmond St, Dorchester Center, MA 02124) Featuring: Rosie Osser (Hansel) Sarah Cooper (Gretel) Ji Yung Lee (Piano) V Brancazio (Narrator) [...]
Street Stage at the Greenway Artisan Market Saturday, August 12 12:00-3:30 PM FREE Boston Lyric Opera’s Street Stage returns to the Rose Kennedy Greenway on August 12 for an afternoon of arias inspired by our 2023/24 season theme, “All I have, I give for love.” Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy alternating sets of open-air performances every hour, or stroll by as you browse for local treasures at the outdoor Artisan Market. Featuring performances by soprano Sarah Joyce Cooper, tenor Omar Najmi, and pianist Brendon Shapiro. Show times: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm Location: Rowes Wharf Plaza, High [...]
Opera Creation Boot Camp: A Professional Development Intensive for Educators Open to ALL K-12 Classroom Teachers, Pre-Service Teachers, Arts Specialists, & Teaching Artists No Arts Experience Needed, only a Curiosity to Create This Boot Camp will be held Monday, August 14 - Friday, August 18, 9am-4pm, at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. Registration and Materials Fee: $100 per Educator Professional Development Points from Massachusetts DESE available at no extra cost. Build an inclusive opera company in your classroom for dynamic arts-integrated project-based learning. No arts expertise necessary. Based in the Music! Words! Opera! national curriculum, dive deep into [...]
When: August 25 from 12:30pm to 1:30pm Where: Boston Public Library Central Branch - Courtyard FREE Join Boston Lyric Opera for an afternoon of sneak peaks into the 2023/24 season as well as opera favorites you know and love. Registration is not required but seating is first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved indoors. Learn more HERE More Information Coming Soon!
CRB Classical Broadcast of OMAR Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 7:00PM On CRB Classical in Concert with Boston Lyric Opera: a Pulitzer-prize-winning work by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, telling the stirring true story of Omar ibn Said, a Muslim man enslaved in America. Boston Lyric Opera was one of six opera companies that co-commissioned this work, based on a short but powerful autobiography Omar ibn Said wrote in 1837. The opera tells how he maintained a deep connection to his Islamic faith throughout the horrors he endured. It also emphasizes how his relationships with his community sustained him, [...]
Our Story: Cultural Legacies of Japanese American Incarceration A free conversation and performance with Japanese American artists, scholars, and advocates. Date: September 11, 2023 Time: 6:00 - 7:30PM Location: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - Smith Hall This event will also be livestreamed Register for In-Person or Virtual Attendance REGISTER Join Japanese American artists, scholars, and advocates for a discussion about the lasting cultural legacy of the United States’ forced mass removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Moderated by artist and advocate Nina Yoshida Nelsen, the evening will share firsthand accounts and family stories of [...]
Boston Lyric Opera invites PRIMA E-mail Insiders to take part in PRIMA Preview! Get an early look at our production of Madama Butterflyby attending final dress rehearsal on 9.12.23. Arrive early to socialize with other PRIMA Previewers and take some glamorous photos in the beautiful and historic Emerson Colonial Theatre. Attendance is totally free, all we ask is that you help spread the word on your socials! Where: Emerson Colonial Theatre 106 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116 When: Tuesday, September 12th, 2023, Performance begins at 7:30PM How to be a part of PRIMA Preview: Be a PRIMA E-mail Insider [...]
Giacomo Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” is one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. While it is loved by audiences and remains an essential part of the traditional repertoire, its history has a reputation for portraying inaccurate, harmful representations of Japanese culture, contributing to stereotypes of Asians and Asian Americans. From September 14-24, Boston Lyric Opera will present a brand-new production of “Madama Butterfly,” the culmination of their three-year commitment to “The Butterfly Process,” an educational approach to reinterpreting the classics through a modern lens of respect and inclusivity. Join WBUR arts and culture reporter Cristela Guerra on the eve of [...]
Sept 14 – 24, 2023 | 118 Boylston Street Exhibit hours: Sept 14 & 22 – 5:00 -7:30PM, Sept 17 & 24 – 1:00 – 3:00PM, 6:00 – 7:30PM. Curated in partnership with historian and filmmaker Arthur Dong, this exhibit, History Comes to Life in Madama Butterfly will explore BLO’s new production of Puccini’s opera through the lens of its inspirations, from San Francisco’s storied nightclub Forbidden City to the mass incarceration of thousands of American citizens following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The culmination of The Butterfly Process, a 3-year exploration centering authentic storytelling with new approaches to canonical [...]
Amid Puccini’s lush and sweeping score, Madama Butterfly unfolds in 1940s America under the shadow of World War II. In a brand-new production from Boston Lyric Opera, wander through the nightlife of San Francisco on the eve of Pearl Harbor through the story of Butterfly, a nightclub performer contributing to the war effort, and Pinkerton, a young soldier, on the eve of his deployment. A culmination of BLO’s three-year exploration of authentic storytelling through The Butterfly Process, this production examines the experience of Japanese Americans during a critical moment in U.S. history. Sung in Italian with English surtitles Running time: 2 hours and [...]
Sept 14 – 24, 2023 | 118 Boylston Street Exhibit hours: Sept 14 & 22 – 5:00 -7:30PM, Sept 17 & 24 – 1:00 – 3:00PM, 6:00 – 7:30PM. Curated in partnership with historian and filmmaker Arthur Dong, this exhibit, History Comes to Life in Madama Butterfly will explore BLO’s new production of Puccini’s opera through the lens of its inspirations, from San Francisco’s storied nightclub Forbidden City to the mass incarceration of thousands of American citizens following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The culmination of The Butterfly Process, a 3-year exploration centering authentic storytelling with new approaches to canonical [...]
Amid Puccini’s lush and sweeping score, Madama Butterfly unfolds in 1940s America under the shadow of World War II. In a brand-new production from Boston Lyric Opera, wander through the nightlife of San Francisco on the eve of Pearl Harbor through the story of Butterfly, a nightclub performer contributing to the war effort, and Pinkerton, a young soldier, on the eve of his deployment. A culmination of BLO’s three-year exploration of authentic storytelling through The Butterfly Process, this production examines the experience of Japanese Americans during a critical moment in U.S. history. Sung in Italian with English surtitles Running time: 2 hours and [...]
Sept 14 – 24, 2023 | 118 Boylston Street Exhibit hours: Sept 14 & 22 – 5:00 -7:30PM, Sept 17 & 24 – 1:00 – 3:00PM, 6:00 – 7:30PM. Curated in partnership with historian and filmmaker Arthur Dong, this exhibit, History Comes to Life in Madama Butterfly will explore BLO’s new production of Puccini’s opera through the lens of its inspirations, from San Francisco’s storied nightclub Forbidden City to the mass incarceration of thousands of American citizens following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The culmination of The Butterfly Process, a 3-year exploration centering authentic storytelling with new approaches to canonical [...]