MN Opera announces a season of both standards and premieres

With Dvorak's tragic mermaid story just about to open, and months before Stephen King's Torrance family checks into the Overlook Hotel, the Minnesota Opera has announced what it has in store for next season.

The opera's 2016-2017 season begins in September with Charles Gonod's "Romeo & Juliet," followed by Richard Wagner's "Das Rheingold" in November and the U.S. premiere of "Diana's Garden" by Vincente Martín y Soler in January.

In March, the opera will stage the world premiere of the American composer William Bolcom's "Dinner at Eight," with libretto by Mark Campbell, based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber.

The season's final production will be Giacomo Puccini's "La Bohème" in May.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Opera's current season continues with Dvorak's "Rusalka," on stage Saturday through the end of January; Puccini's "Tosca" in March, and the world premiere of "The Shining," by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell, based on the scary Stephen King novel, in May.