­­On Tuesday, July 13, Cincinnati Opera celebrates its historic roots at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden with a special “Back to the Zoo” Concert, presented at the Wings of Wonder Theater. Opera fans, Zoo lovers, and the general public are inv­ited for a pr­ogram of opera delights, memories from the Zoo days, and close encounters with animals. The celebration, sponsored by The Marge and Charles J. Schott Foundation, will conclude with a convivial dessert reception. Tickets are free, but reservations are required.

Date/Time:
Tuesday, July 13 @ 6:00 p.m.

Location:
Concert:
Wings of Wonder Theater
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
3400 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45220

Complimentary Reception:
The Lodge at the Cincinnati Zoo (immediately following the concert)

Event Parking:
Directions: Enter through the Historic Vine Street Village entrance. Safari Shuttle available.

Ordering Information:
Reservations required. To reserve tickets, please call the Cincinnati Opera Box Office at (513) 241-2742.

Parking and Admission Free (after 5 p.m.), Compliments of Cincinnati Zoo

On June 27, 1920, Cincinnati Opera presented its first opera, a production of Martha, in an outdoor pavilion at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. For the next half-century, performances at the Cincinnati Zoo Pavilion filled a 10-week season that regularly featured some of the most legendary singers of the 20th century—Plácido Domingo, Norman Treigle, Beverly Sills, Sherrill Milnes, Montserrat Caballé, James Morris, and Roberta Peters, to name a few. Cincinnati Opera moved to Music Hall in 1972, but the partnership between the Opera and the Zoo continues to the present day.

Hosted by Cincinnati Opera’s The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director Evans Mirageas and Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Executive Director Thane Maynard, the concert will commemorate the Opera’s most celebrated moments at the Zoo through the performance of vocal selections from extraordinary past productions. Featuring soprano Meghan Dewald, tenor John Christopher Adams, and baritone Nathan Stark, with accompaniment by pianist Carol Walker, the evening will present opera highlights including “Che gelida manina” from La Bohème, “La Calunnia” from The Barber of Seville, and “Sempre libera” from La Traviata. The concert will also include the famous tenor-baritone duet from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers.

About the Artists
Soprano Meghan Dewald, a student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, appeared as a soloist at Cincinnati Opera’s 90th Anniversary Gala Concert. Tenor John Christopher Adams recently completed his Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and performed the role of Kunz Vogelgesang in Cincinnati Opera’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Baritone Nathan Stark, also a product of CCM, will perform the roles of Montano in Otello and Alcindoro in La Bohème for Cincinnati Opera this summer.­