Downtown, Pearl & NW

Join Portland Opera for an hour of story and song from their latest production, La Traviata.

Step into a slippery world where the line between truth and fiction is all in the packaging. It’s 1936, and a pair of passionate filmmakers has landed their next big project: a sweeping Spanish Civil War film with the potential to change American hearts and minds. It just happens to be bankrolled by the KGB. Spain by Jen Silverman is a seductive and tense thriller about the power of art to change the world — for better and for worse.

by Jen Silverman, directed by Josh Hecht

One of the most ambitious productions in recent Profile history, Spain is a grand cross-disciplinary spectacle featuring multiple partnerships with arts organizations throughout Portland, including live opera developed in partnership with Portland Opera, and both recorded and live music performed by musicians with 45th Parallel.

One of the most beloved operas ever written, La Traviata pairs soaring melodies with a deeply personal story of love and sacrifice. At its center is Violetta, an independent woman navigating desire, societal expectation, and the fragile possibility of happiness on her own terms. As romance and reality collide, Verdi’s luminous score reveals the emotional complexity of living authentically in a world determined to impose its rules. Tender, tragic, and timeless, the opera continues to resonate for its compassionate portrayal of Violetta’s vulnerability, resilience, courage as she chooses personal truth in the face of public judgment.

Speed Dating Tonight!
Music & Libretto by Michael Ching
Based on a concept by Dean Anthony

Portland State University’s Opera program kicks off its 50th anniversary season with Michael Ching’s “Speed Dating Tonight!” (2013). Set over the course of a single evening at a local bar, this clever, heartwarming opera follows a revolving cast of singles searching for that elusive spark. There's the dreamer, the hopeless romantic, the bashful, the over-sharer, the chronically distracted, and everyone in between, each getting their moment in the spotlight through music that is equal parts tender, heartbreaking, and hilarious.

Written with duets and ensembles for up to 45 voices, “Speed Dating Tonight!” has a flexible modular structure that can be customized to fit any cast size, voice type, or gender identity. PSU Opera’s version of “Speed Dating Tonight!” features 35 song selections and arrangements specifically chosen to reflect the unique assortment of voices in the 12-member cast.

At its heart, this is a show about the universal human longing to be seen and cherished by another person. Woven through the interactions is another question: can a genuine connection actually happen in five minutes or less? With Michael Ching’s delightful opera, the answer is decidedly yes.

Visit the Speed Dating Tonight! web page to learn more about this production, including additional dates, cast and crew information, photos, and more as we get closer to opening night.

Learn more about the Opera program at Portland State University's School of Music & Theater.

Speed Dating Tonight!
Music & Libretto by Michael Ching
Based on a concept by Dean Anthony

Portland State University’s Opera program kicks off its 50th anniversary season with Michael Ching’s “Speed Dating Tonight!” (2013). Set over the course of a single evening at a local bar, this clever, heartwarming opera follows a revolving cast of singles searching for that elusive spark. There's the dreamer, the hopeless romantic, the bashful, the over-sharer, the chronically distracted, and everyone in between, each getting their moment in the spotlight through music that is equal parts tender, heartbreaking, and hilarious.

Written with duets and ensembles for up to 45 voices, “Speed Dating Tonight!” has a flexible modular structure that can be customized to fit any cast size, voice type, or gender identity. PSU Opera’s version of “Speed Dating Tonight!” features 35 song selections and arrangements specifically chosen to reflect the unique assortment of voices in the 12-member cast.

At its heart, this is a show about the universal human longing to be seen and cherished by another person. Woven through the interactions is another question: can a genuine connection actually happen in five minutes or less? With Michael Ching’s delightful opera, the answer is decidedly yes.

Visit the Speed Dating Tonight! web page to learn more about this production, including additional dates, cast and crew information, photos, and more as we get closer to opening night.

Learn more about the Opera program at Portland State University's School of Music & Theater.

One of the most beloved operas ever composed, La Traviata combines sweeping emotion with some of the most recognizable music in the operatic repertoire. Giuseppe Verdi’s masterpiece tells the story of Violetta Valéry, a woman determined to live freely and authentically despite the rigid social expectations that surround her. When she falls deeply in love, she is forced to confront the painful realities of class, reputation, sacrifice, and the cost of pursuing happiness on her own terms.

Adapted from Alexandre Dumas fils’ La Dame aux camélias, the opera broke new ground in its portrayal of a contemporary woman whose emotional life is treated with dignity, complexity, and compassion. Verdi’s luminous score captures both the exhilaration of love and the devastating consequences of societal judgment, moving seamlessly from moments of intimacy and joy to heartbreaking tragedy.

More than a romantic drama, La Traviata remains a powerful reflection on personal freedom, vulnerability, and the tension between public expectation and private truth. Its enduring resonance lies in its humanity: the opera asks what it means to truly live according to one’s own values in a world eager to define worth through convention, status, and appearance.