Under the stewardship of General Director Timothy O'Leary, Washington National Opera continues to move confidently forward on a great adventure that began when the company was founded in 1956. Five decades and countless artistic leaps later, the Opera has achieved the stature of a world class company and plays to standing-room-only audiences at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The company recently received the designation "The National Opera" by the Congress of the United States of America.
The Ice Cream Truck Is Broken! & Other Emotional Arias
April 10, 2023 - April 23, 2023
Description
A Kennedy Center and Washington National Opera World Premiere Commission
Join hosts Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor Renée Fleming and inaugural Education Artist-in-Residence Mo Willems for a family-friendly event exploring our strongest emotions through one of the world’s most dramatic genres…opera!
Together with the Washington National OperaCafritz Young Artists, Mo and Renée present famous arias as you’ve never heard them before, bursting with Mo-ified lyrics to explore the range of human emotions in a way audiences new and old can appreciate and enjoy.
Feel the joy of playing with 10,000 puppies through the music of Verdi, the despair of not having ice cream through Leoncavallo, and the anger and frustration of not being able to ride a bike through Mozart. And—as a special bonus for the evening—enjoy a world premiere performance of the new WNO commission, Don’t Let the Pigeon Sing Up Late!, composed by Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Carlos Simon and featuring The Pigeon’s dramatic operatic debut.
Music directed and conducted by David Hanlon Directed by Felicia Curry
WORLD PREMIERE Mother. Soldier. What if both are at war?
Fighter-pilot Jess grapples with her own battle: the moral implications and psychological effects of virtual warfare. This world premiere by Jeanine Tesori is based on the award-winning play by George Brant and co-produced with the Metropolitan Opera.
Jenny and her aunt Luz run a taco stand that has been named as a finalist for a social media influencer’s Most Authentic Taco title. As they await the influencer’s visit and final verdict, Jenny questions her cultural legitimacy as a first-generation Mexican-American, as Luz hearkens back to lessons learned from a lifetime of punk rock fandom. Who determines authenticity? How far should we lean into others’ expectations? Whose tacos will emerge victorious?
Washington National Opera's acclaimed commissioning program for contemporary American opera showcases three new 20-minute operas every year. In 2021, guided by Program Director, Robert Ainsley, the Cafritz Young Artists joined with members of the WNO Orchestra to premiere each of the new works in a virtual concert setting. Each opera was performed in English and highlighted a very different aspect of American life and culture. In 2021, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis, acclaimed librettist and dramaturg Kelley Rourke, and renowned conductor David Neely acted as mentors for the three teams of composers and librettists.