Have Fun With Family Opera!

You are never too old to have fun – And never too young for opera!

All ages appreciate Children & Outreach events.

25+ Performances

Orpheus In The Underworld

After the brief overture we find ourselves in 1960’s Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It’s a typically bustling afternoon in Basin Spring Park, filled with towns folk, artists, buskers, and hippies selling their wares. Eurydice, a flower child selling daisy chains and head wreaths, enters, and sings of the long haired boy, Aristaeus, with whom she is having an affair. Suddenly her husband, Orpheus, a bluegrass fiddler and teacher, appears. Eurydice and Orpheus confront each other, and confess their hapless marriage is over. She tells him that she loves Aristaeus and, adding insult to injury, she cannot stand Orpheus’ fiddle-scraping. Deeply offended and in revenge, Orpheus starts to play his latest 75-minute concerto while Eurydice begs for him to stop.

Orpheus would love to relinquish Eurydice to Aristaeus, but Public Opinion will not allow it. Instead, Orpheus decides to get rid of Aristaeus, and warns Eurydice of a nasty surprise (a bow with poisoned rosin!) which he has left in the park . When Aristaeus appears, Eurydice tries to stop him entering the park, but he ignores her. Eurydice follows him, but suffers the fate meant for Aristaeus. Aristaeus suddenly turns into his real self: Pluto, Lord of Hades, as Eurydice falls, dying, into his arms. Pluto brings her briefly back to life so she can leave a farewell note for Orpheus. That done, Pluto takes her down to live with him in his underworld realm.

Orpheus finds Eurydice’s note and, after his initial surprise, realizes how pleased he is to be rid of his wife. His joy is short-lived, as Public Opinion enters and demands that Orpheus go down to Hades to get Eurydice back, as she disapproves of the separation, and reminds him of the sanctity of marriage and shame of divorce. Orpheus protests but, mindful of his professional reputation, he grudgingly agrees.

The scene changes to New Olympus, a swampy backwoods Louisiana bayou, where the gods having been partying at the gin mill, and are passed out. Venus, Cupid and Mars, however, have been up galavanting all night. They return home, decidedly worn out. Soon afterwards, Mercury, messenger of the gods, arrives. The young, swaggering god, ordered by Jupiter to investigate the disappearance of Eurydice, comes breezing into New Olympus to tell of his findings.

Orpheus enters together with Public Opinion, who wants to ensure that Orpheus does the honorable thing, that is, ask Jupiter to restore his wife to him. Pluto, of course, has lied to Jupiter about the location of Eurydice, whom he is keeping in his underground boudoir in Hades. She is guarded by John Styx, former King of Beotia. Now reduced to being Pluto’s jailer, he tries to entertain Eurydice with an account of his royal past.

When Orpheus and the gods arrive in the Underworld, Styx hides Eurydice. When they cannot locate her, Jupiter becomes obsessed with finding her. What he really wants, though, is to have Eurydice for himself, and to that end he enlists the help of one of his children, Cupid. Cupid employs the Love Detectives, who are also unable to find the much sought after Eurydice. Jupiter is reminded he has powers of transformation, and turns himself into a bee, drawn to the flower Eurydice, and is able to fly thru the keyhole of the locked door. Eurydice is enamored with the bee. After an intense wooing, Jupiter reveals himself and invites Eurydice to accompany him to an annual parade on New Olympus.

Eurydice attends disguised as a bacchante, a follower of Bacchus, god of wine, but Pluto realizes who she is and blocks Jupiter’s path when Jupiter tries to make off with her. Jupiter again accuses Pluto of abducting Eurydice. When Orpheus and Public Opinion appear, Jupiter tells Orpheus he can take his wife away, but under one condition: he must not look back at her as they go, or he loses her forever. When Orpheus fails this test, Euridyce is a free woman, and gets to go with whomever she pleases. Public Opinion is disappointed with the low morals of the crowd, but everyone else is delighted and the operetta climaxes with the energetic Can-Can, danced by all the gods and goddesses.

Elixir of Love

ACT I

Italy, 1836. Nemorino, a young villager, is unhappily in love with the beautiful farm owner Adina, who he thinks is beyond his reach. Adina tells the gathered peasants about the book she is reading—the story of how Tristan won the heart of Iseult by drinking a magic love potion. A regiment of soldiers arrives, led by the pompous Sergeant Belcore, who immediately introduces himself to Adina and asks her to marry him. Adina declares that she is in no hurry to make up her mind but promises to think over the offer. Left alone with Nemorino, Adina tells him that his time would be better spent in town, looking after his sick uncle, than hoping to win her love. She suggests that he do as she does and change affections every single day. Nemorino reminds her that one can never forget one’s first love.

Dr. Dulcamara, a traveling purveyor of patent medicines, arrives in the village advertising a potion capable of curing anything. Nemorino shyly asks him if he sells the elixir of love described in Adina’s book. Dulcamara claims he does, slyly proffering a bottle of simple Bordeaux. He explains that Nemorino will have to wait until the next day—when the doctor will be gone—to see the results Though it costs him his last ducat, Nemorino buys and immediately drinks it.. Nemorino begins to feel the effect of the “potion” and, convinced he will be irresistible to Adina the next day, feigns cheerful indifference towards her. Surprised and hurt, Adina flirts with Belcore. When orders arrive for the sergeant to return immediately to his garrison, Adina agrees to marry him at once. The shocked Nemorino begs her to wait one more day, but she dismisses him and invites the entire village to her wedding. Nemorino desperately calls for the doctor’s help. 

ACT II

At the pre-wedding feast, Adina and Dulcamara entertain the guests with a song. Adina wonders why Nemorino isn’t there. She doesn’t want to sign the marriage contract until he appears. Meanwhile, Nemorino asks Dulcamara for another bottle of the elixir. Since he doesn’t have any money left, the doctor agrees to wait so Nemorino can borrow the cash. Belcore is bewildered that Adina has postponed the wedding. When Nemorino tells him that he needs money right away, the sergeant persuades him to join the army and receive a volunteer bonus. Nemorino buys more elixir and suddenly finds himself besieged by a group of women. Unaware of the news that his uncle has died and left him a fortune, he believes the elixir is finally taking effect. Adina feels responsible for Nemorino’s enlistment, but her concern turns to jealousy when she sees him with the other women. Dulcamara boasts about the power of his elixir and offers to sell Adina some, but she is determined to win Nemorino all on her own.

Nemorino now feels sure that Adina cares for him: He noticed a tear on her cheek when she saw him with the other women. Adina returns to tell Nemorino that she has bought back his enlistment papers. When he again feigns indifference, she finally confesses that she loves him. Belcore appears to find the two embracing and redirects his affections to Giannetta, declaring that thousands of women await him elsewhere. Dulcamara brags to the crowd that his miraculous potion can make people fall in love and even turn poor peasants into millionaires.

The Tender Land

Act I

Beth, a young girl, is playing with her doll, Daniel, in front of her family’s farmhouse. The mailman, Mr. Splinters, brings a package for her mother. It is Beth’s older sister Laurie’s graduation dress; the next day she will become the first in their family to graduate from high school. Ma Moss invites Splinters to the graduation party that night; Splinters tells her that two strange men have been seen in the neighborhood, and that they have raped two of the local girls. Laurie comes in; she wonders that her childhood has passed so fast; she feels like she has outgrown her home town. She is angry that her mother, and especially her grandfather, try to control her life.

Two drifters, Martin and Top, enter; they meet Laurie, and convince her grandfather, against his better judgement, to hire them to help with the harvest. Laurie invites them to her party, and Top asks Martin to get Grandpa drunk there so he can get acquainted with Laurie.

Act II

At the party, Grandpa makes a toast to Laurie; while the guests dance, Top begins to get Grandpa drunk. Ma Moss, still suspicious, sends Mr. Splinters for the sherriff. Martin dances with Laurie; the two of them, smitten with each other, go off alone to the porch; their kiss is interrupted by Grandpa, and Ma Moss accuses the boys of being the men who attacked the other local girls; just as she does, though, Splinters returns, saying the sherriff has already caught those men, who have confessed. Grandpa tells Martin and Top to leave by morning.

Act III

That night, Martin and Laurie meet secretly outside. They agree that Laurie will come with Martin when he leaves, but after she leaves Martin begins to have second thoughts; when Top arrives, he convinces Martin that Laurie couldn’t come with them; they depart. Laurie, coming out and finding them gone, decides to leave anyway rather than staying for her graduation. Ma Moss, left alone with Beth, turns her attention to her younger daughter; as the curtain falls, she goes back into the house and Beth is left playing in the road as at the beginning of the opera.

Other Events

Broadway Cabaret

Who doesn’t love a good Broadway tune and witty lyrics? Well, if you have never heard a classically trained voice sing your favorite Broadway number, you are missing something wonderful. Opera singers love to sing Broadway!

We have two extraordinary evenings planned, packed with songs and complete with light refreshments (Mt. Sequoyah Center, Fayetteville, AR), full buffet meal (Crescent Hotel) and a cash bar.

Both of these events sell out quickly, so get your tickets  today!

2023 Broadway Cabaret Dinner -July 18th at The Crescent Hotel – 6PM 

2023 Broadway Cabaret- July 13th at The Mt. Sequoyah Center – Fayetteville, AR- 7PM

Chamber Music

The musicians of the Opera in the Ozarks orchestra are talented folks who can do so much more than play opera. Every year, they put together an exquisite program of chamber music with a variety of ensembles across a wide spectrum of styles.

2023 Chamber Music performance will be on July 17, 2023 at 7:30PM.

Festial Dates: June 23 - July 21, 2023

Location: Inspiration Point Fine Arts

16311 US-62

Eureka Springs, AR 

Tickets: $10-$30

Buy Tickets

Click here for more information