Opera Carolina Announces 72nd Season

It's been over a year since audiences joined Opera Carolina in the Belk Theater. Sets and costumes have been in storage, and actors have been waiting patiently to bring the art of opera back to the stage. The wait is almost over. Today Opera Carolina announces its 2021/22 season that promises action, compelling characters, and dynamic stories full of emotion.

"The world has changed in the past year, but what hasn't changed is the need and the power of connection, and there is no greater connection than music," said James Meena, Opera Carolina's long-time Artistic Director. "With this new season, we are back and ready to connect with our audiences on deeper levels.

As we prepare to bring back live performances, the safety and the trust of our patrons, our team, and our artists are the most important consideration. We will have options for socially distanced performances in the Belk Theater, as well as access to streaming performances through our recently launched Virtual Opera House platform."

The Opera lineup for the 2021/22 season includes:

The season opens in September with an updated version of Douglas Tappin's acclaimed drama, I Dream. A reimagined account of the last 36 hours in the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I Dream celebrates the man, his inner struggles, faith, family, and the Civil Rights Movement he helped lead. Using opera, jazz and pop, Tappin honors the preacher from Atlanta who would become an icon. Sept. 16, 18 and 19, 2021 at the Belk Theater.

In February, the original version of Mozart's Don Giovanni returns to Charlotte with new sets and costumes. Don Giovanni tells the story of the final day in the life of the infamous murderer and lothario, Don Juan. Fate has the ultimate revenge on Don. Feb. 3, 4 and 6, 2022 at the Belk Theater.

In March, Opera Carolina will present the Charlotte premiere of Zach Redler's moving The Falling and the Rising, which honors the sacrifices made by our veterans. The Falling and the Rising is a powerful and poignant one-act opera centered on an unnamed female Soldier severely wounded by a roadside IED who is now in a coma. The Falling and the Rising is in addition to the Opera Carolina season lineup, and tickets are not included in season ticket packages. March 11-12, 2022 at the Sarah Belk Gambrell Arts Center at Queens University.

The season concludes in April with Aida, Verdi's tragic love triangle between Radamès, an Egyptian war hero; Amneris, the Egyptian princess who loves him; and her handmaiden - the beautiful Ethiopian princess Aida, a slave in the Egyptian court. Set against the backdrop of war, Aida is torn between her love for Radamès and her love for her country. April 3, 7 and 9, 2022 at the Belk Theater.

For ticket and subscriber information, or to learn more about the Virtual Opera House platform, visit operacarolina.org to learn more.

Founded in 1948 by the Charlotte Music Club, Opera Carolina is the largest professional opera company in the Carolinas, annually serving more than 65,000 people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Northern Georgia, with an Endowment fund of roughly $3.2mil, and an annual budget of $2.9 mil.

The mission of Opera Carolina is to elevate the quality of life throughout the region's diverse communities through the presentation of excellent Opera, Education, and Community Programs.