Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens Berlin Becomes the City's Fifth Opera House With LA BOHEME

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens - Berlin, renowned for its vast lineup of more than 50 craft and artisanal beers, takes center stage in a different form of the arts this spring. The British tenor and Deutsche Oper ensemble member Andrew Dickinson will direct the three-day event taking place May 31st, June 1st and June 2nd. Opera @ Stone: La Bohème presents a modern twist on Puccini's classic love story, set in current-day Berlin and utilizing the expansive award-winning restaurant's entire multi-level space.

"Last summer I visited Stone Berlin for the first time and fell in love with the space almost immediately," said Andrew Dickinson on his ambitious project. "By chance, Greg Koch, Stone Brewing co-founder was also there. I asked him if he was open to the idea of transforming their amazing bistro into an opera dinner theater. He was intrigued, said yes and here we are! Thanks to the support of Stone Brewing we have been able to assemble a phenomenal cast of singers and musicians for La Bohème. As an artistic space, Stone Brewing has enormous potential for the Berlin arts community."

Dickinson's cast is a group of Europe's best young singers, featuring soprano Micaëla Oeste (Musetta). Italian conductor Elda Laro will lead the Stone Opera Orchestra, to be accompanied by Berlin's "Strassenchor." The highly acclaimed Strassenchor was founded by Stefan Schmidt in 2009 to bring an outlet for creativity to those in need.

In honor of the adventuresome craft beer and opera pairing, Stone will brew an exclusive draft beer especially for the event. In addition, Stone executive chef Robert Hilges has crafted a decadent three-course menu specifically designed to accompany the production.

"We're proud to take on this exciting and creative project together with Andrew and Stefan," adds Marcus Thieme, vice president & general manager of Stone Brewing - Berlin. "Music is a part of Stone's DNA. We view musical taste similar to how we view craft beer preferences: breaking pre-conceived expectations is fun!"

Shows begin at 19:00 and are comprised of two, one-hour acts. Young opera aficionados can enjoy a shorter, family-friendly vocal and piano version of "La Bohéme" including a rich breakfast buffet on June 3rd. Tickets, which are nearly sold out, start at 79 euros including dinner and 49 euros without. For the complete menu and to purchase tickets, please visit www.stonebrewing.eu/events

Opera@Stone: La Bohème
• Artistic Director: Andrew Dickinson
• Conductor: Elda Laro
• Leading roles:
• Mimi: Cathy Di Zhang
• Musetta: Micaëla Oeste
• Rodolfo: HyunSik Shin
• Marcello: Dean Murphy
• Schaunard: Alexander Robin Baker
• Colline: Andrew Harris
• Supported by the Stone Orchestra and Strassenchor Berlin
• Choirmaster: Stefan Schmidt

Nestled in a historic 1901 gasworks facility, Stone Brewing - Berlin celebrated its official opening in September 2016. Hailing from San Diego, CA, since 1996 Stone Brewing has been known for its unique, big-character beers featuring bold flavors that defy traditional style guidelines and expectations, and has been named the "All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth" by BeerAdvocate magazine, twice. The company's craft beers are now distributed throughout Germany and more than 30 countries in Europe. The Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens provides a destination restaurant devoted to celebrating artisanal food & beer and features up to 75 beers on tap, making it the largest beer selection in Germany. In combination with the amazing beer, the restaurant's world-inspired cuisine has won Bier, Bars & Brauer award for "Best Beer Gastronomy in Germany". Additionally, the company was voted among the Top 10 Breweries in the country of Germany. Lunch and dinner are served daily, and brewery tours (with tastings!) are available in both German and English. For more information, please visit www.stonebrewing.eu or the company's social media sites: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In the summer of 2009, Choir Director Stefan Schmidt embarked on an unusual mission to establish a choir for people in need. By Autumn of 2009, Stephen had successfully brought together a choir of people struggling with homelessness and drug addiction. Shortly thereafter the choir released a CD and was performing on stage in Berlin. Since then, the self-proclaimed "Strassenchor" (Street Choir) regularly rehearses at the Evangelical Twelve Apostles Parish, giving semi-regular performances around Berlin. In 2011 the Strassenchor received an award from "365 Orte im Land der Ideen," - the award recognizes projects providing innovative answers to urgent social questions.

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