Minnesota Opera

The Minnesota Opera is a performance organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded in 1963 by the Walker Art Center, and is known for premiering such diverse works as Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Frankenstein by Libby Larsen. Its latest commissioned piece and world premiere, The Grapes of Wrath – based on John Steinbeck's novel of the same name, with music by Ricky Ian Gordon and libretto by Michael Korie – was presented in February 2007. The President and CEO is Kevin H. Smith. The artistic director for many years was Wesley Balk, who directed many theatrically striking productions.

A number of operas have also received their American premieres at the Minnesota Opera, including The Handmaid's Tale, Postcard from Morocco, Armida, The Elephant Man, and The Fortunes of King Croesus. The American premiere of Jonathan Dove's Pinocchio was presented in February 2009.

Minnesota Opera's season typically runs from September through April, with five productions per season and five to seven performances of each production. Performances are given at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Minnesota Opera claims to be the 15th largest opera company in the United States.

Non-standard repertoire

While much from the standard repertoire is performed, the company has distinguished itself with productions of some unusual and rare operas in the last decade.

These include The Pearl Fishers; Casanova's Homecoming by Argento; and Roberto Devereux by Donizetti during the 2009/10 season; Pinocchio by Dove in the 2008/09 season; The Fortunes of King Croesus (Keiser) and Rusalka in 2007/08; Rossini's La donna del lago and Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann; and § † The Grapes of Wrath by Ricky Ian Gordon) plus Léo Delibes's Lakmé in 2006/07.

The 2005/06 season saw @ Orazi e Curiazi by Saverio Mercadante and @ Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man (Petitgirard), while in 2004/05 they presented Donizetti's Maria Padilla and Nixon in China by John Adams. Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia and Passion by Stephen Sondheim appeared in 2003/04 while the previous season saw @ The Handmaid's Tale by Poul Ruders). In 2001/02 Mozart's La clemenza di Tito and Mark Adamo's Little Women provided a contrast. Early in the decade, Vincenzo Bellini's The Capulets and the Montagues and Kurt Weill's Street Scene were highlights of the 2000/01 season.

In 2011, Bernard Herrmann's sole opera Wuthering Heights will be presented. The full opera has yet to receive a staging, as the official world premiere by Portland Opera in 1982 was abridged by some 30 minutes.

A complete list of earlier seasons' productions appears on the company's web site^[1]

§ World Premiere
@ American Premiere
† Commissioned by The Minnesota Opera or by The Minnesota Opera Midwest Tour
� Tour production

Notes

1. ^ Past seasons' productions on mnopera.org Retrieved 17 October 2010

External links

• Minnesota Opera
• Ordway Center