By Sol de Maria Rodriguez
On Friday, June 2, Cincinnati Opera returned to Summit Park in Blue Ash, marking its first event there since the company’s all-outdoor, 2021 “Summer at Summit” season.
Victoria Ellington & Travis Pearce / Photo: Philip Groshong
The evening kicked off at 7:30 p.m., when people of all ages gathered around the Share the Love Truck under Summit Park’s multicolored Glass Canopy to listen to performances by Cincinnati Opera artists Victoria Ellington, Christina Kerstan, De’Ron McDaniel, Travis Pearce, and pianist Eunwha Lee. While the audience enjoyed ice cream and refreshments from the park’s nearby vendors under the setting sun, they were treated to musical repertoire spanning The Barber of Seville to Disney to Motown.
Screening of Fierce / Photo: Philip Groshong
Following the Share the Love Truck performance, attendees made their way to the Great Lawn to watch a film screening of Cincinnati Opera’s 2022 world premiere opera, Fierce, by William Menefield and Sheila Williams. More than 350 people gathered on picnic blankets and lawn chairs and became immersed in the inspiring story of four teenage girls—their trials, their triumphs, and the power of friendship.
Cincinnati Opera’s logo shining in the sky
After the film, more than 100 drones from Flightline by Arthur Rozzi Pyrotechnics lit up the sky with opera-inspired imagery, including references to each of the company’s 2023 Summer Festival productions. A gasp could be heard from the crowd when the drones formed a waving U.S. flag—a nod to the company’s world stage premiere of The Knock, an opera about the lives of military wives. Also pictured were a stag’s head and sword (inspired by Lucia di Lammermoor), a mustache being snipped by scissors (The Barber of Seville), a stunning butterfly mid-flight (Madame Butterfly), and the distinctive Cincinnati Opera logo within an outline of Music Hall.
Finally, three words illuminated the sky: OPERA … IS ... BACK. The audience erupted into applause—a fitting welcome to Cincinnati Opera’s 2023 Summer Festival.
Screen & Sky: Opera Returns to Summit was sponsored by Western & Southern Financial Group