Happenings at Skylark - September 2022

Join us for Skylark’s Oktoberfest Celebration

Come hoist a mug of locally-brewed beer to benefit Skylark on October 11th, 2022 at Fat Pants Brewing Company in Eden Prairie. The fun begins at 5:30pm. If you love opera and all things opera this will be the event for you. Don’t know much about opera? Don’t worry--this will still be the event for you! Grab your friends and come join us. There will be beer (and non-alcoholic beverages, too), lots of fun and games, and some opera thrown in. Skylark will present England-based Infinite Opera’s mini-opera, Besse, about a 14th century English female brewer, in its very first performance on this side of the pond. Come hear Besse’s story, filled with witchcraft and science, murder and mayhem, and, of course, making beer! All of that in three short, highly entertaining vignettes with plenty of time to socialize in-between. Entry tickets are $25.00 and are available at skylark.booktix.com or at the door. Help keep Skylark Opera Theatre singing!  

Amahl and the Night Visitors Tickets on Sale Now

Skylark Opera Theatre will present nine performances of Amahl and the Night Visitors on the Andy Boss Thrust Stage at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul. December 3&4; 10&11; and 17&18. Make Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved story part of your holiday entertainment plans. Come and see why last year’s audiences called it “breathtaking” and “powerful.” Amahl will be directed by Jeffrey Madison, with musical direction by Carson Rose Schneider. Tickets are on sale now. Visit skylark.booktix.com to purchase your tickets. American Sign Language will be available for the evening performances on December 3rd and 10th thanks to the generous support of Amplifon.

Skylark Opera Theatre at the State Fair

A special thank you to the Skylark performers who wowed the crowds at the Minnesota State Fair. Laurel Armstrong, Ben Dutcher, Jennifer Eckes, Siena Forest, Wesley Frye, Rob Riordan, Justin Spenner and our music director, Carson Rose Schneider, provided 12 pop-up Arts A’Fair performances on August 25th, 26th and 27th, and for a special Skylark for Seniors performance on Senior Day, September 1st, sponsored by UCare. Fairgoers had a great chance to see and hear Skylark performers and learn more about Skylark Opera. 

Welcoming Two New Corporate Sponsors to Our Skylark Family

Skylark Opera’s corporate sponsor family is growing! Amplifon Hearing Health Care has teamed up with Skylark to support American Sign Language interpreters for our December production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Amplifon is the leading hearing health care benefits solution provider in the US with a national network of hearing health care professionals covering more than 50 million American lives. Learn more about them and the hearing services they offer at https://www.amplifonusa.com/

Skylark Opera Theatre is pleased to have Fat Pants Brewing Company as a corporate sponsor and supporter of our Oktoberfest! celebration. This family-owned, community-focused brewing company is located in Eden Prairie, MN. Their story, like Skylark’s story, is built on dedication to the local community and to organizations that make the Twin Cities area a great place to live and work. Learn more about them, their history and their events calendar at https://www.fatpantsbrewing.com/

Skylark Connections

Skylark Connections Elena Stabile and Eric Smedsrud reprised their roles as Tatyana and Onegin in musical selections from Skylark Opera’s 2022 production of Eugene Onegin at The Museum of Russian Art’s 20th Anniversary Legacy Dinner on September 10th. Music director Carson Rose Schneider accompanied them.

Skylark Connections are part of St. Croix Valley Opera’s production of Figaro for Kids, an adaptation of Rossini’s Barber of Seville for young spectators, with performances October 1 & 2nd, 2022. Gary Briggle, Skylark’s Interim Artistic Director, is the Stage Director, Jordan Buchholtz is the Music Director, and Riley McNutt performs in the role of Bartolo. Learn more at SCVO’s website https://www.scvopera.org/figaro-for-kids

Another Skylark Connection, Benjamin Dutcher, will be performing in Artistry Theatre and Visual Arts’ Godspell playing October 14-November 6 at the Schneider Theater in Bloomington. Ben appeared in Skylark’s 2022 production of Eugene Onegin as Lenski, and with our summer series of Skylark for Seniors programs. For more information and to purchase tickets for Godspell visit Artistry’s website https://artistrymn.org/godspell.

Really Spicy Opera is offering the tenth installment of its Aria Institute for Composers and Librettists online and free of charge during the months of September and October. The Aria Institute provides opportunities for librettists (or aspiring librettists) and composers to work with professional performers in a workshop environment to explore writing opera. Skylark Connection, Tess Altiveros, will be one of the institute leaders. Find out more at https://spicyopera.com/seasons/aria-institute-chamber-opera-edition-september-2022/