To add anticipation to its upcoming Summer Festival, Cincinnati Opera introduced a series of community events and performances designed to enhance the concert-going experience.

The 2024 season at Music Hall features W.A. Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata and “Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio,” in its first-ever staged presentation.

Related events begin in January and continue through the duration of the two-month festival. They include a mix of free and ticketed admissions.

Activities kick off with an expansion of Cincinnati Opera’s recently launched Studio Sessions, a series of intimate performances at Music Hall’s Wilks Studio performed by stars of the 2024 Summer Festival. Other no-cost events include the return of Opera Goes to Church!, Back to the Zoo and Opera in the Park.

These new community happenings are in addition to Opera Raps outings, which invites music lovers to converse with experts on behind-the-scenes elements of this year’s productions.

Cincinnati Opera CEO Christopher Milligan noted the creation of many of these programs occurred “hand-in-hand” with artists and community partners.

“Our summer festival of grand opera in Music Hall is the foundation of our programming,” he added. “At the same time, we are also committed to an array of programs that connect us with our community throughout the year.”

Making opera more accessible

Cincinnati Opera and partner organizations are also bringing back several signature programs and events designed to create more approachable experiences. For instance, Cincinnati Opera Young Professionals – a volunteer organization composed of opera fans under 40 – are bringing back Singers & Spirits, a series hosted at local bars and wineries.

In January, COYP will present their first-ever signature fundraiser, COYP Bacchanal, and in May, they’ll bring back Divas & Diamonds as their kick-off to the summer festival. Cincinnati Opera will host a major fundraising event of its own this July in conjunction with the opening night of “Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio.”

The opera company will also present a variety of events focused on equity, accessibility and inclusion in partnership with local health care and social service organizations. These include the annual sensory-friendly rehearsals and the Community Open Dress Rehearsal as well as the second annual Access Night, which offers audiences with accessibility needs a chance to experience opera through the use of assistive technologies.

Dates and information for those events will come from community project partners, per Cincinnati Opera.

“As always, we seek to expand access and welcome in new audiences by providing multiple, meaningful points of connection,” Milligan said.

2024 Community and Special Events Calendar

• Jan. 25, 6 p.m. Opera Rap: Hausmusik: Mozart and Friends at Home – Wilks Studio, Music Hall. Free, but reservation required. Cash bar available.
• Jan. 26, 6:30 p.m. Opera Rap: Mozart’s Women – Wilks Studio, Music Hall. Free, but reservation required. Cash bar available.
• Jan. 26, 8 p.m. COYP Bacchanal – The Transept, Over-the-Rhine. Paid ticket required.
• Feb. 22, 6 p.m. Singers & Spirits: Revel OTR – Revel OTR. Paid ticket required.
• March 6, 7:30 p.m. Opera Rap: The Beatles Phenomenon – Woodward Theater, Over-the-Rhine. Free, but reservation required. Cash bar.
• March 14, 6 p.m. Singers & Spirits: Oakley Wines – Oakley Wines. Paid ticket required. 
• March 28, 7:30 p.m. Opera Rap: ‘Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio’: Sneak Peek with the Creative Team – Cincinnati Opera production facility, Music Hall. Free, but reservation required.
• April 11, 6 p.m. Singers & Spirits: MadTree Alcove – The Loft, MadTree Alcove, Over-the-Rhine. Paid ticket required.
• April 17, 7:30 p.m. Opera Rap: Violetta’s Chosen Family – First Lutheran Church, Over-the-Rhine. Free, but reservation required.
• April 22-23, 7 p.m. Opera Goes to Church! – Zion Global Ministries, 9180 Cincinnati Columbus Rd., West Chester. Free, but reservation required.
• May 14, 7 p.m. Back to the Zoo – Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Avondale. Free, but reservation required.
• May 23, 5 p.m. Divas & Diamonds – Richter & Phillips Jewelers downtown. Paid ticket required.
• June 3 & 5, 7 p.m. Opera Goes to Church! – Lincoln Heights Missionary Baptist Church. Free, but reservation required.
• June 9, 7:30 p.m. Opera in the Park – Washington Park, Over-the-Rhine. Free, but registration encouraged to receive event and weather updates.
• June 18, 8 p.m. Studio Sessions: Jacqueline Echols McCarley – Wilks Studio, Music Hall. Paid ticket required.
• July 2, 8 p.m. Studio Sessions: Elliot Madore – Wilks Studio, Music Hall. Paid ticket required.
• July 11, 8 p.m. Studio Sessions: Jessica Rivera – Wilks Studio, Music Hall. Paid ticket required.

Cincinnati Opera 2024 Summer Festival