Opera Under the Stars returns to UBCO

Opera Kelowna returned to UBCO Thursday night for Opera Under the Stars, a free event for university students and others to take in a night of singing that promised to be full of fun, talent and comedy.

“It’s very exciting to be up on stage and look out on this field in the courtyard and see it absolutely packed full with people. People on picnic blankets, people on lawn chairs just coming to hear Opera Under the Stars. This year when we announced the tickets were ready to be reserved, 1,400 tickets went in 36 hours, so I’m feeling like people want to come and hear some opera,” said Kelowna Opera artistic director Rosemary Thompson.

Thompson tells Castanet Opera Under the Stars is a great opportunity for Kelowna Opera to get some new eyes and ears on their performances.

“What’s amazing about opera is it’s sort of heightened and it brings heightened emotion to everything. The training the opera singers have done to create this extraordinary voice that they can project, and so I think it’s all about exposure. I think as you get to know a different type of music more you start to appreciate what it can bring, and opera is all about storytelling and musical storytelling.”

Opera singer and stage director Rob Herriot says “The opera tells stories that are very relatable, especially when there’s a comic opera like the one we are doing here, Cosi Fan Tutte, it’s kind of a laugh a minute, so I think it’s definitely a show you want to come out and see because it’s not your typical night at the opera.”

The Kelowna Opera’s net big performance will be on August 18 and 19, when they get together to perform Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, and tickets are still available online through the Kelowna Opera website.