Diverse musical styles, stories and performers herald the return of the Harrisburg Opera Association

Harrisburg Opera Association

The cast of the Harrisburg Opera Association's upcoming season

It’s been some time since the Harrisburg Opera Association put on a show. And if you assume you know what one of their performances looks like, you might be surprised by what they have in store.

“We re-launched our company last August in 2018, and this is the first season we’re having in 10 years,” said Tami Swartz, executive and artistic director of the Harrisburg Opera Association.

The group is making up for that lost time with two programs in August. The first is a free Opera in the Park performance, an educational and free outreach concert at Harrisburg’s Italian Lake on Aug. 11.

Previous free concerts had been held at Reservoir Park from 1993-2000, and at Riverfront Park in 2001. The event was revived last year with a program on Aug. 19, 2019 at Italian Lake.

And for those concerned that opera must be a boring, formal affair, you need not worry. The 4 p.m. outdoor concert will be held rain or shine, and “aloha attire” is recommended. The music itself will be a mix of cabaret style, folk music and contemporary styles, with narration and violin performance by Michael Gamon.

“Unfortunately, especially in the United States, the art form opera has been made out to be very stuffy,” Swartz said. “But it is actually the music of the people. Especially in Italy. They’ll show up in jeans or whatever, drinks in hand, and go to these major operas. It should have never been marketed that way. There’s great stories. There’s love, there’s intrigue, there’s death, there’s wars, there’s fantasy. There’s all the kinds of things that are in a Marvel movie today is in opera of yesterday, and current opera too.”

Metropolitan Opera tenor Adam Klein and baritone Richard Hobson join regional talent soprano Jessica Phillips-Rife, mezzo Gwendolyn Bowers and bass Kofi Hayford. Swatz will direct and sing. Seating is provided for about 80 audience members, but visitors can bring their own seating and picnics.

Then, on Aug. 24, the Harrisburg Opera Association will present their mainstage offering, “An Artists’ Journey” at 7:30 p.m. at the Miller Theatre of Messiah College. The program will include the song cycle “Still Breathing” by Metropolitan Opera tenor and composer Adam C.J. Klein and “Mixed Impressions” by Swartz.

While “Still Breathing" is described as “a song cycle about an artist’s lost love and hope,” ”Mixed Impressions" is an adaptation of Swartz’s own life, growing up in central Pennsylvania of mixed Japanese and Pennsylvania Dutch descent. Singers include Klein, Swartz, Rebecca Lee Lehrman, Gwendolyn Bowers and Christyan Seay - singers of a variety of races and backgrounds, all performing different portions of Swartz’s story, and with each song taking on a different musical genre ranging from classical to jazz and rock and roll.

“Even though it’s about the experience of my life, I want them to bring their own experiences to it,” she said. “I’ve dedicated the song cycle to everyone who feels different.”

Details about the concert can be found at the Messiah College website or by checking out the HOA website.

The opera group is also opening collaborations with the Harrisburg Area Riverboat Society’s Susquehanna River School for a “Music Along the Susquehanna” educational project, with free attendance offered to students of the Harrisburg School District. Details can be found here.

Swartz hopes that the diverse offerings from the opera group can reflect the region that they serve, and hopefully present the kind of stories that will connect with the audience they hope to reach.

“It’s just about giving back to the community through art,” she said. “This is my hometown, and I believe its’ a service we really should provide for people in need.”

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