Opera Carolina is the latest arts group to return to Charlotte stages amid COVID

Heidi Finley
·2 min read

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Opera Carolina is ready to sing on stages again, making it the latest Charlotte arts group to announce its return to in-person performances during the coronavirus pandemic.

The opera company will return this fall.

On Monday, the Carolinas’ largest opera company announced a 2021-22 season with socially distanced performances at the Belk Theater in uptown and at the Sarah Belk Gambrell Arts Center at Queens University, as well as a continuation of its Virtual Opera House platform.

“The world has changed in the past year, but what hasn’t changed is the need and the power of connection. And there is no greater connection than music,” Opera Carolina Artistic Director James Meena said. “With this new season, we are back and ready to connect with our audiences on deeper levels.

The announcement comes on the heels of Blumenthal Performing Arts stating that it was again facing COVID-19-related delays and changes to its season lineup. Other arts groups that recently detailed its plans for in-person performances included the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Charlotte Ballet.

Opera Carolina plans to follow North Carolina guidelines on coronavirus safety measures at the time of the performances, as well as Blumenthal guidelines since most shows will be performed at Belk Theater.

That will likely mean limited in-door seating and mandatory masks, but more information will be available closer to the time of the shows.

“Aida,” Verdi’s opera about a tragic love triangle, was last performed in Charlotte in 2013. The story is set in Egypt during a time of war where Aida must make a choice between love or country.
“Aida,” Verdi’s opera about a tragic love triangle, was last performed in Charlotte in 2013. The story is set in Egypt during a time of war where Aida must make a choice between love or country.

Opera Carolina’s new season

Opera Carolina’s 2021-22 performances are:

• “I Dream,” Sept. 16, 18 and 19 at Belk Theater. Douglas Tappin reimagines an account of the last 36 hours in the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., using opera, jazz and pop.

Opera Carolina’s “I Dream,” a show about MLK that the company had performed in 2018, will kick off the 2021-22 season in September.
Opera Carolina’s “I Dream,” a show about MLK that the company had performed in 2018, will kick off the 2021-22 season in September.

• “Don Giovanni,” Feb. 3, 4 and 6, 2022, at Belk Theater. Mozart recounts the final day in the life of the fictional Don Juan.

• “The Falling and the Rising,” March 11-12, 2022, at the Sarah Belk Gambrell Arts Center at Queens University. This Charlotte premiere of Zach Redler’s one-act opera is about a female soldier in a coma after being wounded by a roadside bomb.

• “Aida,” April 3, 7 and 9, 2022, at Belk Theater. Verdi’s tale focuses on a love triangle between an Egyptian war hero, the Egyptian princess who loves him and her handmaiden.

Tickets starting at $22 are available at the Opera Carolina website, by phone at 704-372-1000 or in-person at the Belk Theater Box Office at 130 N. Tryon St.

Patrons can also set up a Virtual Opera House account on the website or seek assistance by calling 704-332-7177 or emailing eclub@operacarolina.org.

More arts coverage

Want to see more stories like this? You can join our Facebook group, “Inside Charlotte Arts,” at https://www.facebook.com/groups/insidecharlottearts/

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