OPERA RAPS
Opera Raps are lively and entertaining talks featuring guest artists and opera experts who bring opera stories, excerpts, and behind-the-scenes insights leading up to each Cincinnati Opera Summer Festival season. These delightful and informative experiences will enlighten, engage, and excite both the opera-curious and seasoned opera lovers alike. FREE and open to the public. Reservations are required.
Opera Houses Lost and Found: A Season Preview
Wednesday, January 8, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.
Wilks Studio • Music Hall
The works featured during Cincinnati Opera’s 2025 Summer Festival—Rigoletto, Tosca, and Fiddler on the Roof—received their world or US premieres in New York City opera houses and theaters. Join Evans Mirageas and guest artists to trace the histories of these productions tied to historic and now-mostly-vanished venues. With exclusive video and live performances, they’ll share the stories of how these works came to be in America.
A $2.50 per-ticket processing fee will be due at checkout.
Rigoletto: Banned at the Box Office
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.
Mercantile Library
441 Walnut Street • Cincinnati, OH 45202
Though Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto now occupies a secure position in the operatic canon, at its premiere, it was the subject of significant controversy and censorship. The source material for the libretto had already been banned in France: the drama Le roi s’amuse (The King Amuses Himself) by Victor Hugo. Determined to adapt the play into an opera, Verdi fought at every turn to preserve the power of the story and integrity of the source material, with varying degrees of success. Join in this exploration of Rigoletto, as well as Verdi’s other hotly contested operas, featuring special musical performances.
A $2.50 per-ticket processing fee will be due at checkout.
Tosca: A Roman Evening
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.
Cincinnati Opera Production Facility
7712 Reinhold Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45237
Throughout Giacomo Puccini’s opera Tosca, the city of Rome plays an ever-present role. The opera is set among iconic Roman landmarks like the Castel Sant’Angelo and Palazzo Farnese, and even includes music in the Roman dialect. Evans Mirageas and featured artists will lead guests on a musical tour of Rome, interweaving music from Tosca with classic Roman songs.
A $2.50 per-ticket processing fee will be due at checkout.
Fiddler on the Roof: The Songs That Got Away
Thursday, April 3, 2025 | 7:30 p.m.
Mayerson JCC
8485 Ridge Road • Cincinnati, OH 45236
The beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof is full of classic tunes like “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker.” The creators of the show—Jerry Bock (music), Sheldon Harnick (lyrics), and Joseph Stein (book)—were so prolific that they also produced many songs that did not make the final cut. Evans Mirageas and musical guests will serve as guides through the forgotten songs of Fiddler on the Roof, including hits from the show as we know it today and surprises from the archives.
A $2.50 per-ticket processing fee will be due at checkout.
Opera Raps to Go
Can’t join us in person? Enjoy Opera Raps to Go! These bite-sized, virtual reincarnations of our long-running Opera Raps lecture series were served up in 2019 and 2020. Click below and engage with the incredible variety of inspiration that powers our art form.
Liz Grubow, Cincinnati Opera Board Chair
Board Chair Liz Grubow's affiliation with Cincinnati Opera stretches back four decades, to a time when her design firm LPK began branding work for the Opera. In our newest Opera Raps to Go, hear Liz's powerful story and how opera kept her family's spirits alive during difficult times.
Bass Morris Robinson, Cincinnati Opera Artistic Advisor
Cincinnati Opera Artistic Advisor Morris Robinson reflects on what opera means to him, and how, at the age of 30, he discovered that his bass voice is perfect for opera.
Harry Fath, Past Board President
In this episode, we speak with philanthropist and past Cincinnati Opera Board of Trustees president Harry Fath, whose story begins with a 50¢ standing-room-only ticket to Rigoletto.
Chris Milligan, General Director & CEO
Find out how Cincinnati Opera’s General Director and CEO Chris Milligan first fall in love with opera, and which opera breaks his heart every time.
Soprano Adrienne Danrich
In our first few episodes, we’ll connect with opera lovers, opera professionals, and opera artists to hear how they came to love the art form. First up: soprano Adrienne Danrich!