The Legacy of Florence Price Panel Discussion

Walker West Music Academy · 650 Marshall Ave, St. Paul

Join B.E. Boykin, composer of the opera My Name is Florence, alongside Shekela Wanyama, Hamline University, and Allison Lewis, MN Opera. The panel will delve into Florence Price’s profound impact on classical music and culture. The evening will include a musical tribute featuring performances by Kamoinge Strings of Walker West and a cast member from MN Opera.

Free to attend, registration required.

MN Opera Offstage: Duetto

The Playwrights’ Center · 710 Raymond Ave, St. Paul

Join VP, Impact of MN Opera Darius Gillard in conversation with librettist Harrison David Rivers as they offer a unique, behind-the-scenes discussion on developing the new opera My Name is Florence. This discussion will also include Julian Mesri, featured artist of Playwright Center who will discuss his new work, Almacen. Participants are invited to go “off script” to candidly share their thoughts on craft, the field, and the world.

Free to attend, registration appreciated.

MNOP+: Beyond the Years with Karen Slack and Joseph Li

Luminary Arts Center · 700 N 1st St, Minneapolis

Internationally renowned soprano Karen Slack and Joseph Li, VP, Artistic, present a recital with selections from her GRAMMY®-winning album, Beyond the Years. Celebrating the legacy of Florence Price, Karen Slack seamlessly blends a historically overlooked musical legacy with present-day artistic excellence with music alongside songs by Ravel and Schubert. This enchanting event will take listeners on a journey of rediscovery, reflection, and reimagination.

Attendees are invited to meet and mingle with the performers immediately following the performance.

Tickets to the recital are $27.

MNOP+: The Chamber Music of Florence Price

Luminary Arts Center · 700 N 1st St, Minneapolis

Experience Florence Price’s story through her own music, performed by members of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Principal Coach and Chorus Director Celeste Marie Johnson, and Resident Artist mezzo-soprano Kara Morgan.

Attendees are invited to meet and mingle with the performers immediately following the performance.

Tickets to the recital are $27.

Osher Lifelong Learning with VocalEssence

Plymouth Congregational Church · 1919 La Salle Ave, Minneapolis

Spend time with one of America’s most compelling young composers, B.E. Boykin and learn more about her compositional process and the context behind two exciting world premiere commissions. My Name is Florence is a world premiere from MN Opera’s New Works Initiative. VocalEssence’s program WITNESS: Symphony of Spirituals presents songs of resilience and resistance that inspire us to continue the march towards freedom and racial reconciliation.

Free and exclusive to Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members. OLLI is for people aged 50+ and requires yearly membership. If you would like to join the course, please use the Learn More button to visit the OLLI site and create an account. If you are a member, login and add the course (10899) to your cart.

My Name is Florence Student Dress Rehearsal

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts · 345 Washington St, St. Paul

Attend a Student Dress Rehearsal and see students experience the power, beauty and thrill of live opera. Every production is fully staged with singers and orchestra.

Arrive by 10am for the pre-show talk! Join us for an exploration of the life and music of Florence Price, placing Price’s work within the powerful legacy of Black women artists who used music to challenge racism and redefine American culture. We’ll examine how Price helped shape American classical music—and why her contributions were overlooked for so long.

No cost, registration required. Deadline to register is Friday, January 23.

My Name is Florence Opening Night Dinner

317 on Rice Park · 317 Washington St, St. Paul

Join MN Opera for the World Premiere and Opening Night Dinner of My Name is Florence. Enjoy this festive evening with drinks, a delicious dinner, and program with guests from the creative team.

$115 tickets are required. Please make a reservation by January 23. Performance tickets are not included.

My Name is Florence

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts · 345 Washington St, St. Paul

Who was Florence Price, beyond the music? Prolific American composer Florence Price made history as the first Black woman to have a symphony performed by a major U.S. orchestra. My Name is Florence, a world premiere from MN Opera’s New Works Initiative, was inspired by writings and correspondence unearthed in the backyard of her family home. Composed by B.E. Boykin to a libretto by Harrison David Rivers, the opera presents vignettes from Price’s life that bring into focus the impact of family, legacy, and the transformative power of a seat at the piano. With warmth and humor, My Name is Florence explores the complexities of identity, generational connection, and ultimately the power of music to transform. It is a celebration of Price’s enduring legacy in music and a reclamation of the space she occupies within the American musical canon.

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour 20 minutes with no intermission
Sung in English with English captions projected above the stage.

My Name is Florence Opera Insights

Ordway Mezzanine Lobby

Join us 60 minutes prior to each show for a free, fun, and informative half-hour session which includes an overview of the characters and music, historical and cultural context for the opera and highlights to watch for during the show.

No cost or registration necessary. A ticket to the performance of My Name is Florence is required to enter the Ordway.

My Name is Florence Artists Up Close

Ordway Mezzanine Lobby

Following each performance of My Name is Florence, Join VP, Artistic Joseph Li in conversation with the artists. Learn firsthand about the compelling lives of opera singers at this free post-show event.

No cost or registration necessary. A ticket to the performance of My Name is Florence is required to enter the Ordway.

Stories Sing

Rice Street Library · 1011 Rice Street, Saint Paul

Enjoy an interactive performance for families based on MN Opera’s current season, including pieces from Così Fan Tutte, an exploration of works from Florence Price, creative clowning to connect to Pagliacci, and a read aloud of Change Sings by Amanda Gorman (illustrated by Loren Long).

No registration required. For questions, please contact Kari Heistad at [email protected].

MNOP+ New Works Initiative Song Cycle Premiere

Luminary Arts Center · 700 N 1st Street, Minneapolis

Tenor Ángel Vargas and pianist Fumiyasu Kawase will perform the world premiere of the first song cycle in Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, with music by David Hanlon and text by John De Los Santos. Resident Soprano Kylie Kreucher will perform songs of Schoenberg, Herrmann, Marx, and Korngold, and baritone David Wolfe will perform Benjamin Britten’s “Songs and Proverbs of William Blake” with Mario Antonio Marra (Head of Music and Director of Resident Artist Program) at the piano.

Tickets are $27. Ticketholders are invited to meet and mingle with the artists immediately following the performance.

Arts Advocacy Day

MN Capitol Rotunda · 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Saint Paul

Arts Advocacy Day shapes the future of arts funding in Minnesota by asking for legislative support for the Legacy Fund and state arts funding! Showing up together is how we make sure lawmakers see the full force, scale, and diversity of the arts community. Join other arts advocates for a rally at 10am in the MN Capitol Rotunda and/or meet with a legislator. Legislator Meetings will be scheduled throughout the day from 11am-3pm.

Stories Sing

Rogers Library · 21300 John Milless Drive, Rogers

Enjoy an interactive performance for families based on MN Opera’s current season, including pieces from Così Fan Tutte, an exploration of works from Florence Price, creative clowning to connect to Pagliacci, and a read aloud of “Change Sings” by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. Stories Sing events are free to attend.

No registration required. For questions, please contact Kari Heistad at [email protected].

Stories Sing

Maple Grove Library · 8001 Main Street, Maple Grove

Enjoy an interactive performance for families based on MN Opera’s current season, including pieces from Così Fan Tutte, an exploration of works from Florence Price, creative clowning to connect to Pagliacci, and a read aloud of “Change Sings” by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. Stories Sing events are free to attend.

No registration required. For questions, please contact Kari Heistad at [email protected].

Courtroom Concert with MN Opera Resident Artists

Landmark Center (Courtroom 317) · 75 West 5th Street, Saint Paul

Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artists perform a concert at the Landmark Center as part of the Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concert series.

This performance is free and open to the public. No advance registration required.

Lunchtime Concert with MN Opera Resident Artists

Westminster Presbyterian Church · 1200 South Marquette Avenue, Minneapolis

Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artists perform a concert at Westminster Hall as part of the Schubert Club’s Courtroom Concert series.

This performance is free and open to the public. No advance registration required.

MNOP+ John Churchwell Residency Concert

Luminary Arts Center · 700 N 1st Street, Minneapolis

Minnesota Opera Resident Artists Kylie Kreucher, Kara Morgan, Ángel Vargas, David Wolfe, John Mburu, and Fumiyasu Kawase will perform in a concert thoughtfully curated by master coach and University of Minnesota alum John Churchwell, who serves as the Co-Director of the Vocal Institute at Music Academy of the West. John Churchwell has served as an assistant conductor to both the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera for 14 years and has appeared in recital with Renée Fleming, Sasha Cooke, Susanna Phillips, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Diana Damrau, Larry Brownlee, Lisette Oropesa, Isabel Leonard, Frederica von Stade, Dawn Upshaw, and Carol Vaness.

Tickets are $27. Ticketholders are invited to meet and mingle with the artists immediately following the performance.

Opera Jukebox

Hanifl Performing Arts Center · 4941 Long Avenue, White Bear Lake

Get ready for an afternoon of unforgettable music at Opera Jukebox where you pick the playlist! MN Opera’s incredible Resident Artists join Lakeshore Players Theatre for a lively, interactive concert featuring your favorite selections. From soaring opera arias to timeless classical pieces and beloved standards, it’s a one-of-a-kind musical experience shaped by the audience. Come ready to choose, cheer, and be amazed!

Tickets range from $23-33.

Edgar in Concert

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts · 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul

Can one choice change everything? Edgar, just the second opera that Giacomo Puccini ever composed, tells the story of a man torn between the promise of virtue and the allure of vice, where love and desire collide with devastating consequences. Moments of striking lyricism underscore a tale of indecision, self-delusion, and betrayal that leads to ruin. With the MN Opera Orchestra and MN Opera Chorus on stage behind a cast of singers, this rare concert presentation offers a tantalizing glimpse into the mind of a master still discovering his voice, just a few years before his greatest triumphs.

Estimated Run Time: 1 hours and 49 minutes with 1 intermission

Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Edgar Opera Insights

Ordway Mezzanine Lobby

Join us 60 minutes prior to each show for a free, fun, and informative half-hour session which includes an overview of the characters and music, historical and cultural context for the opera and highlights to watch for during the show.

No cost or registration necessary. A ticket to the performance of Edgar is required to enter the Ordway.

Stories Sing

Hennepin County Library (Crystal) · 6401 42nd Avenue North, Crystal, MN 55427

Enjoy an interactive performance for families based on MN Opera’s current season, including pieces from Così Fan Tutte, an exploration of works from Florence Price, creative clowning to connect to Pagliacci, and a read aloud of “Change Sings” by Amanda Gorman and illustrated by Loren Long. Stories Sing events are free to attend.

No registration required. For questions, please contact Kari Heistad at [email protected].

MNOP+ Gospel Night

Luminary Arts Center · 700 N 1st Street, Minneapolis

GRAMMY® and Emmy Award-winning baritone Reginald Smith, Jr (Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera) and tenor Chaz’men William-Ali (English National Opera, Duch National Opera, Washington National Opera) will curate and perform an evening of gospel music with Joseph Li (Minnesota Opera VP, Artistic) at the piano.

Tickets are $27. Ticketholders are invited to meet and mingle with the artists immediately following the performance.

Pagliacci Student Dress Rehearsal

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts · 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul

Language: Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Run time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with one intermission.

Audience Note: Please be advised that this production includes a depiction of gun violence during the final Act.

Details forthcoming.

Pagliacci

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts · 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul

The show must go on, but how? For Canio and his traveling troupe, painted smiles and colorful costumes belie infidelity and betrayal. The façade is shattered when a hidden affair is revealed and a lighthearted night at the theater gives way to jealousy, suspicion, and ultimately violence. As the line between performance and reality blurs and the drama onstage begins to mirror the turmoil offstage, Pagliacci begs the question—does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?

Estimated Run Time: 1 hour 45 minutes with 1 intermission.

Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Audience Note: Please be advised that this production includes a depiction of gun violence during the final Act.

Pagliacci Opera Insights

Ordway Mezzanine Lobby

Join us 60 minutes prior to each show for a free, fun, and informative half-hour session which includes an overview of the characters and music, historical and cultural context for the opera and highlights to watch for during the show.

No cost or registration necessary. A ticket to the performance of Pagliacci is required to enter the Ordway.