Opera for Everyone 

If you think opera is only high-brow music for an older crowd, then you haven’t met Painted Sky Opera company. Moving into its tenth year, Painted Sky is making opera more approachable for all ages. 

This year’s season includes the classic Figaro, Figaro, Figaro (of Bugs Bunny fame), a recent opera about homesteaders in the 1870s, and, of all things, singing bananas! 

The Painted Sky History 

Painted Sky Opera was the brainchild of Rob Glaubitz and a fellow music professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, Barbara DeMaio. The two voice teachers shared their regrets that Oklahoma City didn’t have an opera company. “We have professional sports, an orchestra, a ballet, but no opera,” Glaubitz said. “Somehow, during that conversation, we decided to start one.” 

Glaubitz remembers Painted Sky Opera’s first major production with triumph. “We had a sold-out performance of La Traviata in the little theater at the Civic Center! The audience’s great reaction gave us such strength,” Glaubitz said. “We’ve had more successful, higher-quality shows since then, but that was the first moment when we knew, ‘We have something here!’” 

Back to the Bananas 

Now, a decade later, Oklahomans can still experience classical music in new and traditional ways—with emphasis on teaching children about opera. 

“We modify an opera for kids every year, which travels to libraries and schools,” said Glaubitz. “I adapted The Bartered Bride opera into a 30-minute show called The Bartered Banana. The Bartered Bride is not done much anymore, because the idea of bargaining for a bride is antiquated–but the music is wonderful. The new plot is about a banana who is separated from his bunch and trying to figure out who his friends are.” 

The children’s productions are participatory, including chants, actions, and choose-your-own-adventure-style shows. The Bartered Banana includes a familiar camp song about, of course, bananas. (“Peel banana. Peel, peel, banana.”) 

According to school teachers, one of the impactful results of Opera 101 classes is that students explore strong emotions and career opportunities. “Students explore how to be artistic themselves, whether it is singing, acting, or creating costumes and scenery,” Glaubitz said. 

Summer Season of Music 

This summer, Painted Sky presents a concert of operatic gems called Overture. “It is a sampling of well-known pieces, ideal for adults who might not be ready to commit to a full traditional show,” Glaubitz said. “You’ll definitely hear the famous aria from The Barber of Seville and other songs that the general public would recognize.” 

The Magic Flute is second in the line-up; both a shortened version for kids and the full show for all ages. “You can’t beat a fairy tale opera setting with evil queens, a heroic prince, and a man dressed like a bird,” Glaubitz said. 

The third show of the season is a new opera being performed in Oklahoma for the first time, called Proving Up. It’s the story of a family who has settled in Nebraska during the Homestead Act. They must prove to the government that they have fulfilled their obligation to grow crops and build a house with a glass window. Several families purchase one piece of glass to pass around when the inspector comes to visit. 

“Proving Up is a haunting opera about pursuing the American Dream and how settlement still affects us today,” said Glaubitz. “We are proud to share various forms of opera with new and returning audiences. Operatic music is a rare and remarkable art form. It’s storytelling at its best. We are proud to share opera with Oklahoma audiences.” 

Visit paintedskyopera.org.