Midtown Opera Festival at Playhouse on the Square

We launched this festival last year to showcase works scaled for intimate spaces, with special attention given to new and rarely performed operas. The Festival gives us an opportunity to make use of Playhouse on the Square — an acoustically perfect 347-seat theatre in Midtown Memphis.

Year One of the festival was an overwhelming success. Our mainstage shows drew patrons from all over the country. And our ancillary (“fringe”) events in the Festival Lounge were a big hit with patrons. These events included pre-show dinners and talks, as well as recitals from new American operas, children’s opera, and late night, cabaret-style entertainment. (Last year’s late-night events included some of the most memorable highlights of the Festival, such as Jamie Barton singing “The Alto’s Lament,” and Chad Sloan’s rendition of “Craigslistlieder.”)

In April 2014, we’ll present Year Two of the Festival. Building on the success of Year One, we’re expanding the Festival to ten days. And, In addition to our mainstage operas, the festival will also feature the world premiere of an opera cycle entitled Ghosts of Crosstown.