Happenings at Skylark - May 2021

What a year 2020 turned out to be! The lights dimmed on on what would have been Skylark Opera Theatre’s 40th year of intimate, professionally staged opera and music theater. We placed our celebration plans on hold, but we’re back in 2021! Artistic Director Bob Neu and all our performers are energized to be in front of audiences again.

Skylark for Seniors

Introduced in summer and fall of 2020, Skylark for Seniors is a program of COVID-compliant mini-concerts that allow senior citizens to enjoy beautiful singing and engage with high-quality musical talent in the familiar surroundings of their own senior residences. Last year’s concerts entertained seniors who were especially hard hit by the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic. We were honored to be a part of their lives and to offer them a short respite of joyous music. Skylark Opera Theatre will continue to bring music and its healing powers to senior communities this summer and early fall.

Announcing Amahl!

Skylark will return to live performance with Menotti's beloved seasonal opera Amahl and the Night Visitors. In December 2021, we'll present nine performances of this family-oriented opera, the story of a young, physically challenged boy who encounters three wise men following the Christmas star. Skylark Opera Theatre’s unique take will establish Amahl and the Night Visitors as a Christmas-time tradition for Twin Cities families. Watch for details of our production here on the website. And please be sure to follow Skylark Opera on Facebook and Twitter.

Skylark Connections

Kudos to Skylark’s Artistic Director, Bob Neu, who recently directed a COVID-compliant production of Verdi's masterpiece, La Traviata, for the Pacific Symphony in Los Angeles. Singers remained more than six feet apart, the performance was less than 90 minutes long, and there was no audience. Instead, the production will debut online on June 5, rethinking the work in a surprising and moving way. Check out www.PacificSymphony.org. And we're happy to add that the production stars a Skylark alumna - the wonderful Cecilia Violetta Lopez.

Congratulations to another Skylark alumna, Christina Baldwin, on becoming artistic director of the Jungle Theater. Since showcasing her bright face and beautiful voice in Skylark’s chorus at the beginning of her career, she has displayed extraordinary talents as a singer and actress in many memorable Skylark principal roles and leading roles in theaters throughout the Twin Cities. We are excited for her and for the Jungle as she takes the artistic helm of this storied Minneapolis theater.

And further laurels to Skylark Board member, Jack Neveaux, who starred as the father, Otto Frank, in the Diary of Anne Frank, presented by Soar Regional Arts on May 7-9. A memorable performance of this stirring story--also staged to meet COVID precautions. Anne Frank’s diary and this play continue to inspire and to remind us of a history that must never be forgotten.

One final, sad note: Skylark Opera Theatre mourns the passing of Randy Beard, lover of musical theater and opera, gifted playwright, "called 'em as he saw em" 'critic, and raconteur extraordinaire. Everyone at Skylark will miss hearing his laughter ring throughout the theater.