Oregon Ballet Theatre and Portland Opera Will Bring Live Performances Back to Portland With Summerstage Series

Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) and Portland Opera (Opera) enthusiastically announce today their return to live performance this June on the Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage hosted by OMSI on its museum campus.

As caution turned to optimism this spring, Opera General Director Sue Dixon, and OBT Artistic Director, Kevin Irving, started brainstorming ways to share resources and their commitment to bringing live art performances back to Portland. For more than a year, Opera and OBT artists have been diligently training under the most challenging circumstances and entertaining their patrons virtually; the time had finally come to explore ways to balance the safety of artists and audience with the irreplaceable joy of performing live.

In the spirit of community and collaboration, Portland Opera and OMSI connected to share resources, with the Hampton Opera Center scheduled to host an assortment of OMSI camps over the summer and an outdoor section of the OMSI campus offered as the venue for a summer performance series with OBT and the Opera. The OMSI property's considerable size ensures easy social distancing and its Willamette River location provides a unique setting for a pop-up stage.

With the OMSI location confirmed, OBT and the Opera collaborated with vendors to design a stage to accommodate the unique production demands for each art form. These local vendors, who have expressed gratitude to be back at work on a live event, have created an outdoor stage that rivals any indoor theater for presence and function with accommodations planned for our fickle Oregon weather. Watching a performance on what is newly named, thanks to a very generous contribution, the Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage, can create a wonderful shared memory of reunion and inspiration after the pandemic.

"All of us at Portland Opera are so glad to be able to bring live opera to the stage this summer," says Sue Dixon, general director of Portland Opera. "We are delighted for the incredible opportunity to partner with our neighbors at OMSI and collaborate with our friends at Oregon Ballet Theatre to welcome audiences again!"

"We have such deep appreciation for our partners in this groundbreaking endeavor, including the Opera, OMSI, the very generous Jordan Schnitzer and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, Travel Oregon, and TriMet, and for the incredible artists whose talent and commitment makes this return to the stage possible. We are excited to be taking these first steps in bringing live performance back into our lives and for our patrons who have supported us every step along the way," added OBT artistic director Kevin Irving.

Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage Highlights:

The Jordan Schnitzer CARE Summerstage will host live performances from June 5 through June 27, 2021.

First up is OBT with OBT LIVE June 5 - June 12

OBT LIVE presents two world premieres, including a first-time commission from the powerful and dynamic Ailey-trained choreographer Jennifer Archibald paired with new work from audience favorite and OBT Resident Choreographer Nicolo Fonte.

Portland Opera takes the stage from June 22-27

Portland Opera presents a 90-minute version of Robert Xavier Rodríguez's vibrant opera Frida. Each evening at the Opera will begin with a performance by Ballet Folklórico.

Learn more at https://www.obt.org/.

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