The Secret River: A Tribute to Community

The Secret River, Opera Orlando's first commissioned opera, comes home to Mead Botanical Garden on March 6 and 7, outdoors on The Grove Stage, in the Central Florida landscape that inspired it. Based on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Newbery Honor-winning novel, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon, with music by University of Central Florida Pegasus Professor Stella Sung and a libretto by Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winner Mark Campbell, who also wrote the libretto for the Company’s recently performed Silent Night. The Secret River traces the lives of a Central Florida African-American family during the Great Depression. It is a story about this place, written for this place, by artists rooted in this place.

“Opera Orlando premiered The Secret River in December 2021, and bringing the production back to Mead Botanical Garden, where we first workshopped it, feels like the perfect way to celebrate Central Florida and the Company's 10th Anniversary,” says Opera Orlando artistic director Grant Preisser. “This is a homecoming in every sense. We get to share Mother Albirtha's magical forest with audiences under the stars, exactly where this story belongs."

Leading up to the production, the Company has engaged the local community in multiple public events. Earlier in the month, Opera Orlando visited the Eatonville Library and Legacy Pointe with characters from The Secret River sharing arias and reading from the original story. On the morning of March 5, the Opera will be presenting a FREE performance for students - interested schools may contact education director Sarah Purser for more details (SPurser@OperaOrlando.org). 

“The Secret River gives our Opera Orlando Youth Company members something most young performers never get. They are on stage with professional artists, working with puppetry and choreography that asks real things of them. For a young singer between eight and eighteen, that kind of direct creative engagement changes what they think is possible,” says Ms. Purser. “It has been a special experience building this production for and with our Youth Company. 

On March 6 at 12 p.m., the Opera will also be presenting a program at the Orange County Regional History Center featuring a presentation by University of Florida professor Kenneth Kidd, a specialist on Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, along with composer Stella Sung and performers from the cast of The Secret River. Attendees will enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the children’s book and the opera it inspired.

Opera Orlando is proud to have engaged a number of community partners for this production, including dancers from Inez Patricia School of Dance and fantastic puppetry originally created by MicheLee Puppets—now Orlando Family Stage. The Secret River will be conducted by Bethune-Cookman University professor Karl Van Richards with stage direction by local director Ayọ̀fẹ́mi Jeriah Demps and choreography by Maxine Montilus, who provided choreography for the world premiere of the work in 2021.

The Secret River features soprano Sabrina Langlois making her Company debut as Calpurnia, soprano Renée Richardson making her Company debut as Cassandra, bass-baritone Lloyd Reshard as Augustus, mezzo-soprano Kimberly Hernández returning to her role as Mother Albirtha, soprano Amy Cofield as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, and the Opera Orlando Youth Company.

This production is dedicated to the memories of puppeteer Tracey Conner and stage director Dennis Whitehead-Darling whose creative vision shaped this piece from the start.

OPERA ON SITE

The Secret River | music by Stella Sung and libretto by Mark Campbell

sung in English with no supertitles

Friday  |  March 6 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday  |  March 7 at 7:30 p.m.

Bring the whole family and enjoy this heartwarming story of how a young Calpurnia searches for a secret river to help her family and small town. This story for all ages demonstrates the power of trusting one’s imagination and the goodness within us all.

This production is graciously supported by Karyn Plater and Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation.

Individual tickets with general admission to the lawn are now available and start at $29. Children three and under are free. Purchase general admission tickets by calling Opera Orlando’s box office at (407) 512-1900 or online HERE. VIP packages include reserved seating in the front four rows along with a pre- and post-show reception that includes wine, beverage service, appetizers, and dessert. VIP packages can be purchased online HERE.

See YOU at the Opera!

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About Opera Orlando:     Celebrating, expanding, and sharing the world’s greatest art         form, the 2025-26 season marks Opera Orlando’s 10th         Anniversary of producing high-quality operatic entertainment         and educational programs that engage Central Florida             audiences. Stay up to date with Opera Orlando’s season         online at OperaOrlando.org, and follow and like the Opera’s         Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts to share in all the         celebrations this season.