Welcome Back to Tulsa Opera!
Ken McConnell, Interim Executive Director/CEO, and Tobias Picker, Artistic Director, welcome you!
Welcome to the beginning of Tulsa Opera’s 8th decade and our 71st season as one of Oklahoma’s oldest performing arts organization.
Beginning with the hilarious Barber of Seville, continuing with a beloved classic, The Little Prince, and ending with Mozart’s monumental Don Giovanni, our 2018-19 “Season of Inclusion” has something for every musical and cultural taste.
These operas bring to Tulsa a tour de force of vocal talent to match and exceed our past seasons. Artistic Director Tobias Picker continues to draw the greatest artists in the world to Tulsa, and newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Ken McConnell continues our commitment to being a world-class opera company.
This season brings back Tulsa favorites Sarah Coburn and Peter Strummer, performing side-by-side in The Barber of Seville. Paired with these two hometown artists are Aaron Blake, the star tenor whose brilliant international career took flight in Tulsa with his stellar performance in The Pearl Fishers in 2016, and Steven LaBrie, the suave-voiced baritone with matinee idol looks who has captivated opera audiences throughout America.
Buy tickets today for The Barber of Seville, October 19 and 21 at the Tulsa PAC.
The Little Prince, our second opera of the season, highlights one of our great homegrown talents, Tulsa native Christine Taylor Price. Christine was first introduced to opera when she sang in the children’s chorus of The Little Prince in 2006. Christine is establishing a national reputation and returns to Tulsa to sing the principal role of the Rose.
When Tobias first heard Christine in New York two years ago, he “was instantly struck by her star quality and beautiful voice.” Recalls Tobias, “I knew then I had to bring her back to Tulsa as a newly minted star.” She will also sing the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
Don Giovanni, our final production of the season, is widely regarded as one of the most perfect operas ever written. American-born Lucia Lucas has been wowing European audiences and makes her U.S. debut as a fully transitioned female baritone in the title role of the manipulative seducer.
Lucas’ “Champagne Aria” will intoxicate you, while Pamela Armstrong’s “Ah! chi mi dice mai” will inflame all for vengeance against this master womanizer. Rounded out with a dynamite supporting cast, our Don Giovanni expertly mixes dark humor with poignant tragedy.
This is the going to be our best season yet. Don’t miss a moment of the magic!