Opera in the Pines is a professional Maine-based opera company founded in 2022.

History

Founded in 2022 by three Maine-native singers,[1] Lauren Yokabaskas, Sable Strout and Aaron Rivard, Opera in the Pines launched its premiere season with the production of Russian composer Grigory Frid’s monogrammatic opera, The Diary of Anne Frank.[2] It featured actress, Rachel Policar, in the title role.[3] Described as an "alternative opera company committed to reinventing the opera experience" through site-specific productions, the opera was staged at the Maine Jewish Holocaust Museum in Portland, Maine.[4] The production won third prize in The American Prize in Opera Performance.[5]

In keeping with their mission to provide "on-site opera", Opera in the Pines has staged productions such as American composer Robert Ward’s The Crucible in a "legendary haunted church" (The Old Red Church) in Standish, Maine;[6][7][8] along with a reimagined version of Rossini's The Barber of Seville ("The Barber of the Cape"), staged in a lobster restaurant in Cape Neddick, Maine.[9][10][11]

In 2023, the company staged Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème at various locations throughout Maine in a "first-of-its-kind bar crawl"; which included a beer tasting taproom, a winery, and a distillery.[1][12][13] The company celebrated their fifth anniversary with an immersive production of Giuseppe Verdi’s 1859 opera Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball). The production took place at the historic Maine State Building in Poland, Maine; in keeping with the opera’s political theme and resetting by Verdi to colonial-era New England.[6][14]

Productions

References

  1. ^ Stephens, Kay (May 9, 2023). "Hip opera in the form of bar crawl in Warren May 12". www.penbypilot.com. Penbay Pilot. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  2. ^ Murphy, Sean (May 4, 2022). "New company brings a down-to-earth approach to opera". www.spectrumlocalnews.com. Spectrum News. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  3. ^ Cristi, A.A. (March 25, 2022). "Opera In The Pines Presents Maine Premiere of The Diary of Anne Frank". www.broadwayworld.com. Broadway World. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  4. ^ Latimer, Brendan (March 26, 2026). "Road shows". www.parterre.com. Parterre. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  5. ^ Routhier, Ray (May 1, 2022). "Road shows". www.pressherald.com. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  6. ^ Feeney, Steve (April 8, 2026). "Opera in the Pines takes its audience to ‘A Masked Ball’ for its 5th anniversary production". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  7. ^ Feeney, Steve (May 20, 2024). "Review: Opera In the Pines spellbinds with 'The Crucible'". www.pressherald.com. Portland Press Herald. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  8. ^ Salazar, David (May 14, 2024). "Opera in the Pines to Present 'The Crucible'". www.operawire.com. Opera Wire. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  9. ^ Clough, Haley (May 17, 2025). "From concert halls to clam chowder: Maine group reinvents ‘Barber of Seville’ in coastal eatery". www.bostonglobe.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  10. ^ McDougall, Heather (May 5, 2025). "Sunday, May 4: Lauren Yokabaskas and Sable Strout". www.mainepublic.org. Maine Public Radio. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  11. ^ Bonneville, Brenda (May 7, 2025). "Opera in the Pines Presents World Premiere of The Barber of the Cape". www.maineartscene.com. Maine Arts Scene Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  12. ^ Bonneville, Brenda (April 27, 2023). "Opera in the Pines Presents Bar Crawl Bohème". www.maineartscene.com. Maine Arts Scene Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  13. ^ La Boheme at Maine Beer Company. Michel, Jimi. Maine Beer News. June-July 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2026
  14. ^ April 12, 2026. Happenings for the Week of April 12. April 12, 2026. WSJ Arts in Review Staff. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2026