Event Calendar

On Friday, May 29 at 8 PM CT, revisit the 2019 Opera Memphis production of the new American opera, The Falling and the Rising, on WKNO - 91.1 FM Memphis or listen live at wknofm.org. #opera901 #keepthemusicgoing

The Falling and The Rising

The Falling and the Rising is a new American opera conceived by Sgt. Ben Hilgert of the U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers' Chorus, inspired by Opera Memphis' Ghosts of Crosstown project in 2014. That project sparked his vision of an opera that would capture the indomitable spirit of our U.S. military veterans and shed light on the inspirational power of their often overlooked stories - stories of family, service, and sacrifice in a period of great uncertainty. Words by Jerre Dye. Music by Zachary Redler.

Conductor: Michael Sakir
Stage Director: Ned Canty

Soldier: Chelsea Miller
Toledo: Stephanie Doche
Jumper: Philip Himebook
Homecoming Soldier: Marcus King
Colonel: Darren K. Stokes

Military Chorus
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Jessica Hall, piano

On Friday, June 5 at 8 PM CT, revisit the 2019 Opera Memphis production of Gilbert & Sullivan's H.M.S Pinafore on WKNO - 91.1 FM Memphis or listen live at wknofm.org. #opera901 #keepthemusicgoing

H.M.S. Pinafore

A rollicking farce with endearing characters, memorable tunes, and a hilariously "topsy-turvy" ending, H.M.S. Pinafore is a classic, time-tested delight. The gentlemanly Captain Corcoran of the good ship Pinafore has a daughter, Josephine, who is in love with a lowly sailor named Ralph Rackstraw. The Captain forbids the marriage, wanting to match Josephine instead with the well-bred Sir Joseph, First Lord of the Admiralty. In the meantime, the Captain finds himself in nearly the same position as his daughter; his former nanny, Little Buttercup, loves him deeply, but he must hide his feelings due to his higher social rank. Of course, all that could change if Little Buttercup reveals the shocking secret she has kept for decades...

Conductor: Michael Sakir
Stage Director: Benjamin Wayne Smith

Josephine Corcoran: Chelsea Miller
Ralph Rackstraw: Philip Himebook
Captain Corcoran: Gregory Gerbrandt
Mrs. Cripps (Little Buttercup): Melissa Parks
Sir Joseph Porter: Robert Orth
Dick Deadeye: Stephen Len White
Cousin Hebe: Stephanie Doche
Bill Bobstay: Marcus King
Bob Becket: Antell Young

Opera Memphis Chorus
Memphis Symphony Orchestra