Student Dress Rehearsals
Let your students (grades 6-12) experience the power, beauty and thrill of live opera by bringing them to a Student Dress Rehearsal. Every production is fully staged with soloists, chorus, and orchestra, and takes place at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts on Thursdays at 11am, with a pre-show talk at 10am.
Once you have registered for an 11am Student Dress Rehearsal, your email confirmation will contain a link to optionally register for the 10am pre-show talk. Seating for these talks is limited and reservations are first come, first served.
In an effort to remove financial barriers to schools, Minnesota Opera will be offering entrance to the Student Dress Rehearsals at NO COST.
Registration is required and closes 1 week prior to the event.
Upcoming Student Dress Rehearsals
The Many Deaths of Laila Starr*
Thursday October 29, 2026
at 11am | Pre-show talk at 10am
Music by Kamala Sankaram, Libretto by Minita Gandhi
REGISTRATION FORM
Registration closes October 22.
PRE-SHOW TALK DETAILS
Join Dr. Allison Lewis for this special pre-show panel discussion with the creative duo behind The Many Deaths of Laila Starr. This panel will include composer, Kamala Sankaram, and librettist, Minita Gandhi, as we discuss how they came to find the graphic novel by Ram V., what initially drew them to this story, and what this story says to Twin Cities communities today. Additionally, we will learn more about their individual journeys as artists and their creative process as a team. What were some of the unique challenges they faced together when adapting a graphic novel into an opera and why was opera the perfect medium for this story’s adaption? Lastly, this show is the first U.S. opera written by an East Asian composer and librettist. How are the themes of grief, loss, self-exploration, mythology, generational trauma, and love both specifically portrayed within East Asian culture and yet relatable to all audiences? Join us as we tackle all this and more in this pre-show Q&A.
*Based upon the BOOM! Studios graphic novel, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V. and Filipe Andrade. Adapted through special arrangement with BOOM! Studios. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is ™ & © 2022 Ram V
Ariodante
Thursday March 11, 2027
at 11am | Pre-show talk at 10am
Music by George Frideric Handel, Libretto by Antonio Salvi after Ludovico Ariosto
REGISTRATION FORM
Registration closes March 4, 2027.
Falstaff
Thursday May 6, 2027
at 11am | Pre-show talk at 10am
Music by Giuseppe Verdi, Libretto by Arrigo Boito
REGISTRATION FORM
Registration Closes April 29, 2027.
Location:
Ordway Music Theater
345 Washington St,
St Paul, MN 55102
If you have any questions, or if further information is needed, please contact Kari Heistad at [email protected].
STUDENT GROUPS
If a Student Dress Rehearsal doesn’t fit into your schedule, attend a regular performance using the student group rate of $20 per student. This offer, for Student Groups of 10 or more (one teacher/ten students), is subject to availability. This is a great way to secure your seats to performances that will definitely sell out.
For more information or to purchase Student Group tickets, call the Ticket Office at 612-333-6669.
MN Opera celebrates and thanks the Twin Cities Opera Guild as long-time sponsors of Student Dress Rehearsals, bringing thousands of students, like yourselves, into the Ordway to experience the joy, power, and excitement of opera.