OPERA READING PROJECT is a Minnesota-based professional career development tool for singers.
Our mission is to foster artistry for vocal performers and audiences through holistic opera and vocal arts education, storytelling and human connection.
"I search for the language that is also yours—almost all our language has been taxed by war."
We close the 2025-6 Season with ORP’s first orchestral production, featuring the 1990 chamber opera Hydrogen Jukebox. Drawing upon the Beat poetry of Allen Ginsberg, this music/theater piece by Philip Glass is a portrait of America that covers the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, as seen by the composer and poet, as well as the show’s original director Jerome Sirlin. Its content ranges from Ginsberg’s highly personal poems to his reflections on various social issues, including the anti-war movement, the sexual revolution, drugs, eastern philosophy, and environmental awareness. Delivered through six vocal parts representing archetypal American characters alongside a spoken word artist, this innovative chamber opera is as timely and relevant today as when it was premiered.
Featuring vocalists Felix Aguilar Tomlinson, Emily Cottam, Madison Holtze, David Nelson, Kristina Rodel, and Justin Spenner under the musical direction of Lara Bolton, with spoken word poet SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE.
So what exactly is an opera reading anyway?
An opera reading is a concert performance of a selected operatic work. Typically unstaged—and therefore simplifying various elements of a fully staged production—this format encourages performers to exercise more vibrant textual and musical storytelling, with a greater focus on their own craft and artistic development while also participating in a collaborative creative process.
Got questions? Check out our Opera Readings FAQ or get in touch with us directly at operareadingproject@gmail.com.
Pictured: Marianne Sadée, Sarah Brickeen, Sarah Hruska Olson, Amy Madson, Jess Felton, Joshua Diaz, Andrew Nalley, Trevor Rolando, Joel Mathias, and Joseph Li.