Carousel and Rigoletto will be performed at Hudson Gardens

Dido and Aeneas will take place in Central City

Central City Opera’s summer festival returns to the stage July 3-August 1. Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical Carousel and Verdi’s thriller, Rigoletto, will be produced as open-air, socially-distanced performances in partnership with Hudson Gardens in Littleton, while Purcell’s bewitching, hour-long opera Dido and Aeneas and the CCO Al Fresco concert series will be presented in the Opera House Gardens in Central City.

“We had hoped that by now it would be safe to return to the opera house and resume normal operations,” said Pelham “Pat” Pearce, Central City Opera’s General/Artistic Director. “In order to prioritize the health and safety of our patrons, performers and company members we determined it was necessary to secure an outdoor venue in order to return to live, in-person performances this summer. We are thrilled to partner with Hudson Gardens to host our 2021 Festival in their beautiful outdoor amphitheater.”

The Central City Opera Festival is a four-week extravaganza of storytelling and powerful voices, featuring classical music’s biggest talents, the Central City Opera Orchestra and rising stars from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program.

“One of America’s finest theatrical achievements,” Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel follows the ups, downs, round and rounds of life and love. Muddling through small town expectations, meager means and conflicting dreams, Julie, Billy and their daughter Louise learn “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Carousel plays July 3-August 1 at Hudson Gardens in Littleton.

Central City Opera’s production of Rigoletto, a topsy turvy suspense, teems with twists of plot and twists of fate. A devilish Duke and his tortured court jester, Rigoletto, clash over the jester’s beautiful daughter in this standard of the Italian opera repertoire. Rigoletto pits humor against heartbreak in a joke gone too far, set to some of the best-known music in all of opera. Rigoletto plays July 10-30 at Hudson Gardens in Littleton.

Sprung from epic poetry and myth, Dido and Aeneas is an opulent tale of power and passion between two formidable rulers and the Sorceress who toys with their fates. This gem of the early music canon will be performed in the intimate Opera House Gardens, featuring singers from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation Artists Training Program. Dido and Aeneas plays July 17-28 at the Opera Gardens in Central City.

“We realize that this season won’t be a typical Central City Opera experience, but we are committed to bringing audiences quality productions, incredible music and wonderful artistry this summer,” said Pearce. “We are optimistic that we will celebrate our 89^th anniversary season with a return to our jewel-box Opera House in 2022!”

DETAILS
Central City Opera’s Summer Festival
Carousel and Rigoletto perform at Hudson Gardens, Littleton
Dido and Aeneas perform at Opera Gardens, Central City

July 3-August 1

Visit www.centralcityopera.org for tickets