Abridged Opera releases summer season of shows
Boaters cruise past Dieppe Park in the city’s downtown while ominous clouds loom across the river on Tuesday.
Windsor’s first independent opera company, Abridged Opera, is making its young voice heard. Abridged Opera started in Windsor in January with a free concert introducing its “abridged” style of opera. Two successful operas followed, Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and a sold-out performance of Hansel and Gretel in collaboration with 4th Wall Music at the KordaZone Theatre.
Now Abridged Opera will launch its summer season June 25 at 2:30 p.m. with a Duelling Divas concert — featuring executive director Erin Armstrong and director of operations Alyssa Epp in a type of opera games — at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 311 Sherk St., Leamington.
“The concert will see the two women duke it out onstage for the best high notes, who can sing louder and more fun competitions,” according to a news release.
In July, Abridged Opera’s Amelia Daigle will participate in the Windsor-Walkerville Fringe Festival with a one-woman show depicting the famous gypsy, Carmen, in a psychological thriller adaptation. Daigle wrote the story using pieces from Bizet’s opera Carmen, folk elements and flamenco dance.
The show will run six times during the festival: July 22 at 5:30 p.m., July 23 at 3:30 p.m., July 25 at 4:15 p.m., July 26 at 12 p.m., July 29 at 12 p.m. and July 30 at 11:45 a.m. August will wrap up the summer season with a fully staged, twohour abridged version of Carmen at Wagner Orchards and Estate Winery. Two shows will be offered, on Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 20 at 2:30 p.m. Abridged Opera will also make appearances at the Canada Day Fireworks Celebration July 1 in Leamington, at the Kingsville Folk Fest Aug. 12 and 13 and for the Sip and Savour festival in Leamington Aug. 19.