Upcoming Events

Is opera for white people? What makes music “Black”? If jazz is Black American music, then why is every university jazz department run by white people? What difference can music make in the face of state violence? Does the sound of my voice matter and what do I sound like to others? In this book club we explore these questions and the history, politics, and liberatory legacies of Black music. Challenging the sonic color line that often defines genre, this event explores the power of music to either reproduce or destabilize violent categories of race, gender, ability, sexuality, and class. Hosted by Black Garnet Bookstore and led by Minnesota Opera’s Dr. Allison Lewis, together we will engage both fiction, non-fiction, and sound as we ask questions about the role music plays in liberation and how our own musical practices define our own identities.

Summer Session
June 21 – Jazz by Toni Morrison
July 19 – Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday by Angela Y. Davis
August 16 – Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms by Kira Thurman
September 20 – Loving Music Till it Hurts by William Cheng

It’s almost time for the Great Minnesota Get-Together! While you’re exploring the fair (and sampling all the new foods), be sure to swing by the Minnesota Public Radio booth near the corner of Judson and Nelson for a special performance you won’t want to miss. Catch our 2026-2027 Resident Artists, joined by Mario Antonio Marra, Director of the Resident Artist Program and Head of Music, as they take the stage and make their season debut.

This event is free to Minnesota State Fair attendees on September 3. 

Is opera for white people? What makes music “Black”? If jazz is Black American music, then why is every university jazz department run by white people? What difference can music make in the face of state violence? Does the sound of my voice matter and what do I sound like to others? In this book club we explore these questions and the history, politics, and liberatory legacies of Black music. Challenging the sonic color line that often defines genre, this event explores the power of music to either reproduce or destabilize violent categories of race, gender, ability, sexuality, and class. Hosted by Black Garnet Bookstore and led by Minnesota Opera’s Dr. Allison Lewis, together we will engage both fiction, non-fiction, and sound as we ask questions about the role music plays in liberation and how our own musical practices define our own identities.

Summer Session
June 21 – Jazz by Toni Morrison
July 19 – Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday by Angela Y. Davis
August 16 – Singing Like Germans: Black Musicians in the Land of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms by Kira Thurman
September 20 – Loving Music Till it Hurts by William Cheng

This four-week series takes a deep dive into the upcoming MN Opera world premiere of The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, based on the graphic novel by Ram V and Filipe Andrade. We will explore the graphic novel together and get a sneak peek into the opera. Participants are invited to attend the Student Dress Rehearsal of the opera at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, October 29.

MN Opera Connections workshops are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Nicole Buchholz, Director of Lifelong Learning & the Arts at 651-632-5459 or [email protected] 

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.

The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
Event: October 29 | Register by: October 22

Ariodante
Event: March 11 | Register by: March 4

Falstaff
Event: May 6 | Register by April 29

Arrive by 10am for the optional pre-show talk!

No cost, registration required.

For The Future of Opera 

Celebrate the beginning of a new season with a festive evening of music, dinner, and community at Minnesota Opera’s World Premiere Gala. This one-night-only event welcomes opera lovers from far and wide to gather in support of the artists, creatives, and company that produce this one-of-a-kind art form. With a cocktail reception, a specially curated meal, awards, premium access to the season-opening world premiere of The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, and a lively after-party to close out the night, the evening offers an unforgettable experience for you and your guests – while securing a bright future for opera in Minnesota.

Secure your sponsorship by August 28.
Purchase your premium tickets by October 1.

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 The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is required to enter the Ordway.

Reincarnated. Resolute. Revolutionary.

When the goddess of Death is cast down to Earth to live as a mortal named Laila Starr, the boundaries between the divine and the human begin to blur in this vivid, transporting world premiere from Kamala Sankaram and Minita Gandhi. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr was commissioned and developed through Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, adapted from the acclaimed graphic novel by Ram V and Filipe Andrade. Infused with elements of Konnakol, Raga, and EDM, this fantasy on purpose and impermanence unfolds with both kinetic energy and striking clarity, as a god made mortal begins to see the world—and life itself—through fresh eyes.

Sung in English with English captions projected above the stage.

Who was Florence Price, beyond the music?

Following its acclaimed world premiere at Minnesota Opera in January 2026, My Name is Florence returns for two special encore concert performances featuring the full original cast, MN Opera Orchestra, and MN Opera Chorus. Experience this beautiful and moving new work in the Ordway Concert Hall. The performances will be captured live and produced by Lexicon Classics.

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 Ariodante is required to enter the Ordway.

Jealousy. Treachery. True love put to the test.

Prince Ariodante is set to marry his beloved Ginevra until scheming rivals threaten their joy. Deceptions abound and honor is called into question—will betrayal and shame consume the happy couple, or will truth and love prevail? From aching, heart-rending laments to dazzling displays of vocal virtuosity, Handel’s score traces a journey from devotion to heartbreak and back again.

Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

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 Falstaff is required to enter the Ordway.

Everything in the world is a jest.

Enter Sir John Falstaff, whose predilections toward excess lead him into the delusional pursuit of not one, but two married women. Thus ensues a tangled web of plots and counterplots, full of hilarious misunderstandings, as more and more parties are swept into the pandemonium. A cinematic score from an operatic legend imbues this feel-good comedy with warmth and buoyancy.

Sung in Italian with English captions projected above the stage.

Subscription dates: May 8, 9, 13, & 15, 2027