Arizona Opera Expands Horizons With New ‘Beyond Downtown’ Initiative

The Tell-Tale Heart (Photo credit Kevin Condon)

Arizona Opera unveiled a bold initiative designed to introduce opera to new audiences by bringing live performances to unexpected venues across the state.

Taking place in both the fall and spring, Arizona Opera’s new “Beyond Downtown” program will reach beyond the walls of the theaters in which the company typically performs in the Phoenix and Tucson metros.

The Secret Gardener produced by On Site Opera. Photo credit Fay Fox.

Joseph Specter, president and general director of Arizona Opera, said, “With Beyond Downtown, we’re excited to bring opera closer to more Arizona communities. By stepping outside our traditional theaters, we’re creating opportunities for people across Arizona to experience opera in new, approachable and engaging settings. Our hope is that this initiative will foster new connections with our broader community and allow more people to discover the beauty and emotion that opera can bring to everyday life.”

This initiative kicks off with two distinct operatic works starting in late October, then continues in the coming months with a pop-up performance program and an immersive performance of a Mozart classic scheduled for spring.

The first two programs are “The Tell-Tale Heart,” a chilling one-act opera inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s classic tale, and “The Coyotes & The Rabbits,” a one-act bilingual opera inspired by a Mexican folktale. Future “Beyond Downtown” performances include “Opera Shots,” where performers bring opera to unexpected venues such as bars, restaurants and retail spaces courtesy of lively pop-up performances, and “The Secret Gardener,” which brings Mozart’s rarely performed opera, “La finta giardiniera,” to life in an immersive outdoor setting.

For more behind this Frontdoor, visit azopera.org.