Opera Omaha Starts 2011-2012 Season with THIS IS OPERA!, 10/15

Opera Omaha kicks off their 54th season with THIS IS OPERA!, a one-night soiree October 15th embracing the greatest opera hits from the last 400 years.

Discover for yourself why opera is called "the Olympics of the voice," and enjoy selections for AIDA, TOSCA, TALES OF HOFFMAN, TURANDOT, and more, including preview highlights from THE MIKADO and HANSEL & GRETEL.

THIS IS OPERA features Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs, Arnold Rawls, Stacey Rishoi, Kevin Short, The Opera Omaha Chorus and The Omaha Symphony, conducted by Mark D. Flint and directed by James de Blasis.

All pieces will be sung in their original languages and English subtitles will be provided.

Opera Omaha will also feature HANSEL & GRETEL, based on the 19th-century German fairy tale, THE MARRIAGE CONTRACT, a one-act masterpiece best known for 'William Tell Overture' and 'The Barber of Seville,' and THE MIKADO, a rich satirical Victorian-era story set in the Japanese village of Titi-pu where a cheap-tailor-made-Lord-High-Executioner must perform one execution a day or end up on the chopping block himself.

For more information on the 2011-2012 season, visit OmahaPerformingArts.org.