Opera Orlando launches its 2024-25 Destiny + Desire season in song this August with its annual Opera Orlando in Concert: Summer Concert Series at the University Club of Winter Park. Enjoy a fun and diverse selection of songs, arias, and duets, as well as wine, appetizers, and desserts during a post-show reception with artists featured throughout the Opera’s upcoming season.

Sundays | August 11, 18, & 25 at 2 p.m.
University Club of Winter Park
841 N Park Avenue | Winter Park, FL 32789

Individual tickets are $49 per concert.
Subscribe to all three concerts for just $125.

A DUET WITH DESTINY
Sunday | August 11 at 2 p.m.

Enjoy a musical preview to the 2024-25 Destiny + Desire season with Macbeth himself — Metropolitan Opera baritone Norman Garrett. Called “scene-stealing” by the New York Times, Mr. Garrett is enjoying a varied and exciting career. In the 2023-24 season, he made his house debut at San Francisco Opera, singing Abdul and Abe in Omar, returned to LA Opera as Bob in William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA, and sang Masetto in Don Giovanni with Houston Grand Opera. He is also no stranger to the concert stage most notably singing the baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with Bramwell Tovey and the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, also with Donald Runnicles and the Toronto Symphony, and most recently with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall.

He will be joined by his wife, mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin, who is praised by the Washington Post for her “gorgeous, warm voice that you want to keep listening to…” Last season, she returned to The Metropolitan Opera to cover Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking and Preziosilla in La forza del destino. She made her Atlanta Opera debut as Waltraute in Die Walküre, and she returned to Des Moines Metro Opera to sing Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande. This season, she returns to the Met to cover Giulietta in Les contes d’Hoffmann and The Atlanta Opera to sing Juno in Semele.

They will present an eclectic program of arias, arts songs, and some musical theatre classics all about love, fate, desire, and destiny — the stuff operas are made on! Also, for this concert only, there will be a special season preview presentation of the Company’s Destiny + Desire season by Opera Orlando’s general director Gabriel Preisser and artistic director Grant Preisser.

DREAMS + DESIRES
Sunday | August 18 at 2 p.m.

Metropolitan Opera soprano Lindsay Ohse returns to Orlando, having last been seen in Steinmetz Hall as Gilda in the Company’s 2021 production of Rigoletto. Since that production, Ms. Ohse returned to The Metropolitan Opera as Naomie in Cendrillon and reprised the role of Bekhetaten in the critically acclaimed production of Akhnaten.  She made her Bayerische Staatsoper debut singing 1st Niece in a new production of Peter Grimes, and then was back at the Met to sing Papagena in The Magic Flute and cover Giannetta in L’elisir d’amore. She also starred as Musetta in La bohème with Annapolis Opera, Violetta in La traviata with Opera Delaware and Baltimore Opera, Countess Adele in Le comte Ory with Opera Southwest, and Eliza in Nico Muhly's Dark Sisters with OrpheusPDX.

Summer Concert audiences are in for a real treat as Ms. Ohse presents a dreamy collection of fairy tale-inspired arias and songs that show off her "dazzling and crystal clear" voice. A perfect preview of her upcoming performance in the title role of Opera Orlando’s February production of Cendrillon (Cinderella).

YOUR HEART’S DESIRE
Sunday | August 25 at 2 p.m.

Opera Orlando is truly giving audiences all their heart’s desire with not one, but two stellar singers. Soprano Avery Boettcher and tenor Dominick Valdés Chenes share the stage for the final summer concert of the season in a program of opera hits!

Deemed “a formidable talent on the rise,” soprano Avery Boettcher is praised for her captivating stage presence and rich, expressive vocal colors. This past season Ms. Boettcher made several role debuts including Rosalinde in Pacific Opera Project’s Die Fledermaus, Gretel in Opera Tampa’s Hansel & Gretel, and the role of Dot/Marie in Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George with El Paso Opera. This season, Ms. Boettcher makes her Mexican debut in the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Sociedad Artistico del Tecnológico in Monterrey Mexico.

Making his Company debut, lyrico-spinto tenor Dominick Valdés Chenes has enjoyed singing on stages around the world. His most recent credits include, Opéra Liège and Seattle Opera as Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, Opera Valencia as Carlo in I Masnadieri conducted by music director Roberto Abbado, Odyssey Opera in La Reine de Saba, Opera Hong Kong and Opera Colorado as Rodolfo in La bohème, as well as covering several roles at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Ms. Boettcher and Mr. Valdés Chenes will return to Opera Orlando this coming April to sing the roles of Lola and Turiddu, respectively, in the Company’s double bill production of Beatrice + Benedict / Cavalleria Rusticana.

Robin Andrew Stamper is no stranger to the Summer Concert Series, having last performed in the 2023-24 season series with soprano Marnie Breckenridge. He is currently the artistic/managing director and chorus master for Opera Tampa and continues a versatile career as a coach-accompanist, chorus master, and opera conductor. He will accompany the final two concerts featuring sopranos Lindsay Ohse and Avery Boettcher, and tenor Dominick Valdés Chenes.