It’s another blossoming season for opera lovers. The Minoru Chapel Opera series is back this spring with three classical favorites performed by local professional companies.
The series opens on Wednesday, March 5 with highlights from Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, the beloved classic tale of love, loss, deception and heartbreak presented by some of Burnaby Lyric Opera’s most superb young opera talents.
On Wednesday, April 2, Canada’s second-largest opera company, Vancouver Opera, will offer Scenes Rarely Seen, showcasing two operas that are seldom performed: Iphigénie en Turide by Gluck and Sāvitri by Holst, two mythical stories connected by compelling themes of life and death.
On Wednesday, May 7, Vancouver’s Opera di Concertisti will present Mozart to Strauss and look at facets of the human condition explored by both composers as presented in four operas: Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte and The Marriage of Figaro, Strauss’s Arabella and Der Rosenkavalier.
All events will be held at Minoru Chapel located at 6540 Gilbert Road (beside the Gateway Theatre) at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Seating is limited and tickets can be purchased in advance by calling 604-276-4300. Admission is $20 for adults, $18 for students and seniors. Space permitting, tickets may also be purchased at the door (cash only).
Richmond’s historic Minoru Chapel was built in 1891 by a Methodist congregation and was once an important place of worship for pioneering residents. In 1967, it was moved from its original location at what is now the corner of Cambie Road and River Road, to its current home at Minoru Park, where it was restored for future generations. One of Richmond’s treasured heritage buildings, it is rarely open to the public and makes a beautiful intimate space to enjoy opera music.
Minoru Chapel Opera is presented with support from The Richmond Review.
For more information, please visit www.richmond.ca/minoruchapel.
