FRIDA AND DIEGO AND ME Mexican-born painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera within a fantastical landscape inspired by el Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is the premise of this new opera that I've been privileged to compose. In some ways, I've been living with these two iconic artists, especially Frida, from my youth growing up in the 1970s in Berkeley, California. Before I could read, I found Frida in the pages of an art book in my mother's home library, the only woman in a multi-volume set of "great artists." My mother pointed out how Frida was small, brown and creative like us; moreover ..read more

Gabriela Lena Frank weaves the beautifully delicate fabric of her opera with a needle dipped in the 20th century’s harmonic landscape. This choice resonates powerfully with the subject of our story, as if we travelled in time with her to meet Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Avoiding a common tendency in contemporary opera to have historical figures serve as canvases upon which the composer can experiment style and form, Frank invests her creative forces into an acute character study of Frida and Diego. Hence all the magical dimension of Mexican folklore in the opera becomes not a far away fairyl ..read more

The challenge I faced when I was chosen to write the libretto of this opera was that both Frida and Diego were painters who were natural story tellers; they were chroniclers of time, history, and their personal lives. The question in my mind was always, how do I represent these two artists in an innovative way? Diego Rivera would examine the vestige of antiquity through the prism of his murals. In his frescos, which capture the imprint of time, Rivera always reminds us that there is nothing that cannot be recorded through the vividness of his brushstrokes. As with Diego, the paintbrush of angu ..read more

Join us for El último sueño de Frida y Diego Friday, May 3, 2024 | 7:30pm Box Office Open | 6:00pm Lobby Open | 6:30pm House Open | 7:00pm Sunday, May 5, 2024 | 2:00pm Box Office Open | 12:30pm Lobby Open | 1:00pm House Open | 1:30pm Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th Street, Omaha, NE 68102 The performance runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. View performance details Before you arrive Recent change in OPPD parking garage The OPPD Energy Plaza Garage will only accept payment through the ParkMobile app or with credit card and will no longer accept cash. The ParkMobile app a ..read more

¡Esperamos que esta guía pueda responder todas tus preguntas! Opera Omaha se compromete a crear un ambiente acogedor y positivo para cada miembro de la audiencia. Primero que nada, no es necesario hablar italiano, alemán, u otro idioma para disfrutar la ópera. Para la ópera de “El último sueño de Frida y Diego” habrá subtítulos en español e inglés proyectados sobre el escenario. Usualmente todas las presentaciones de Ópera Omaha tienen subtítulos en inglés. MANERAS PARA PREPARARTE Si no conoces la historia de la ópera que planeas asistir, es buena idea leer la sinopsis que puedes encontrar en ..read more

Student Dress Rehearsal Study Guide Created as a companion to Opera Omaha’s Student Dress Rehearsal of El último sueño de Frida y Diego. The study guide includes information about the opera, articles about the world of Frida and Diego, Día de los Muertos, an Opera 101, guiding questions for discussion, and resources for further exploration. Download the Study Guide ..read more

Opera Omaha's upcoming production of El último sueño de Frida y Diego will be surrounded by opportunities to discover not only its history, but its local relevance. Mark your calendars for the various community events surrounding the opera to fully explore your opera experience. El Museo Latino Frida Kahlo and the Blue House Exhibit Opening and Lecture | April 5 5-8pm Exhibit | April 5-July 31 El Museo Latino | 4701 S 25th St “Frida Kahlo and the Blue House” includes a selection of over 60 color photographs of the architecture and interior spaces of the Blue House created by Cristina Kahlo, as ..read more

Call for Entries: Frida & Diego : A community Art Show inspired by The Last Dream of Frida and Diego Attention local and regional Artists! We are currently seeking Artists for this upcoming Art Exhibit This captivating exhibition seeks to bring another layer of excitement, awareness and engagement to Opera Omaha's production of the beautiful opera El último sueño de Frida y Diego (The Last Dream of Frida and Diego), a new opera by Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz. For this art show artists are encouraged to seek inspiration from the opera's story as well as commemorate the passionate and ..read more

Join us for La traviata Friday, February 16, 2024 | 7:30pm Box Office Open | 6:00pm Lobby Open | 6:30pm House Open | 7:00pm Sunday, February 18, 2024 | 2:00pm Box Office Open | 12:30pm Lobby Open | 1:00pm House Open | 1:30pm Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th Street, Omaha, NE 68102 The performance runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes with two intermissions View performance details Before you arrive Recent change in OPPD parking garage The OPPD Energy Plaza Garage will only accept payment through the ParkMobile app or with credit card and will no longer accept cash. The ParkMobile app allows you ..read more

Violetta, the Noble Heart of La traviata La traviata is the only Verdi opera that takes place entirely indoors. How aesthetically fitting for a work of art that explores with startling detail the interior of the human heart. There is an intimacy about La traviata that is unique in nearly all the operatic literature. To spend time within the lovingly drawn confines of this great masterpiece, even if for the umpteenth time, is to make vulnerable one’s own heart and sympathies to the ecstasy, nobility, fragility and despair that attend the path of truly sacrificial love. It is, of course, the cha ..read more