Welcome to a scary place also known as Josh’s brain! I just wanted to share a little bit about my inspiration for planning this year’s Opera Outdoors program.
Every year, one of my favorite parts of the entire Opera Outdoors process is choosing the repertoire. Each new program is a blank slate, a playground where I can indulge in peak opera nerdery. But inspiration can come from anywhere, and the music I listen to in my “off” time will inevitably sneak its way into any process.
A few months ago (years too late!), I discovered the singer RAYE. (Yes, I do occasionally listen to music that isn’t opera.) Along with having one of the most versatile voices I’ve ever heard, she’s an extraordinary storyteller, and her newest album, This Music May Contain Hope, had me hooked. The entire album unfolds in one big narrative and contains track after track of incredible songs, but the 11 o’clock number, “Joy,” is a total bop, and it kept pulling me back. Again, and again… and again. If I had to boil the song down to its essence, it would simply be this: even though you can’t always see it, happier times are just ahead, and joy comes in the morning!
That song (and album), combined with the lingering delight from the beginning of our 25-26 Season (with The Barber of Seville and a very gay cabaret!), shaped my journey down the long, dark rabbit hole of repertoire research. As I explored various selections, I noticed I kept gravitating toward moments where everyone onstage is…happy, or expressing joy in some way! (At least for that particular moment in the opera!) Could it be? Had RAYE done it? Was “it” creeping in? Could the theme for this year’s Opera Outdoors actually be JOY?… In 2026? Who knew that’d be exactly what we’d all need?
Now, if you know me well, you know my two favorite operas are Strauss’s Salome and Elektra. I even have both heroines tattooed on my body. They’re my ride-or-die Strauss gals! These are dark, bloody, psychologically intense masterpieces that showcase Strauss’s musical and dramatic genius. (They’re also both around 100 minutes long, so if I’ve forgotten to take my ADHD meds that day, I’m probably going to be okay.)
In other words, I usually gravitate toward the dramatic and tragic, and as brilliant as the lighter, comic operas are, they just aren’t typically my favorites.
The last few months, though, have felt different. I’ve been basking in the afterglow of what spending time with joyful music and joyful stories can do for the soul. That’s why I’m especially excited to share this year’s program with each one of you in our wonderful community, because joy only grows when it’s shared.
We’ll kick things off with a brand-new-to-me chorus from a rarely performed opera by Bizet. Yup, that guy. Did you know he wrote something besides Carmen? The chorus starts the evening with a raucous scene from his opera La jolie fille de Perth. (Kilts, not kangaroos. We’re in Scotland!) It’s short, but it packs a punch with sparkling French patter, exciting high notes, bubbling energy, and it’s the perfect way to set the tone for everything that follows.
From there, we’ll travel through beloved music from the Italian, French, German, and English repertory. It’s the ultimate smorgasbord of joyful storytelling from beginning to end!
(Fun fact: This is the fourth Opera Outdoors program I’ve created for Opera Omaha, and I’m proud to say I’ve managed not to repeat a single selection…yet.)
Now, I could spend pages talking about the artistry of our incredible guest soloists, but the most important thing I can tell you is this: they’re some of the happiest, most joyful humans I know. In addition to their extraordinary vocal talents, their warmth, generosity, and infectious energy was equally as inspiring to this process. It doesn’t hurt that they’re phenomenal, world-class singers, who we’re beyond excited for you to hear!
By now, you may have lost all your joy from listening to me ramble, but I hope you can feel just how excited I am to share this program with you all. So, climb aboard the joy train.
Next stop: Opera Outdoors!