Out of the Box Opera Presents Holiday Tenor Extravaganza at Canopy, Dec.16-18

Out of the Box Opera will present Holiday Tenor Extravaganza on December 16, 17 and 18 (performances at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30) as the final installment in its 2021 series at the Canopy by Hilton Minneapolis. The evening will offer a mix of opera, pop and traditional holiday music sung by a trio of tenors moving in and around the hotel’s restaurant and lounge.

Out of the Box Artistic Director David Lefkowich stated, “We think of what we do not as shows in the conventional sense but as musical adventures that include the audience as part of the performance.” In the case of the Holiday Tenor Extravaganza, individual singers will stop and engage with hotel diners and guests sitting at their tables or mingling in the lounge. The cast will also perform together as a group of strolling carolers. The repertoire will be equal parts traditional carols, popular holiday songs and opera arias in keeping with the spirit of the season. Lefkowich says that in putting together the program, he asked the singers to choose some of their own favorite pieces. “We think this will give the evening a sense of authenticity and intimacy, knowing that these men are singing music that recalls their own holiday memories.”

Musical Director and accompanist Carson Rose Schneider added, “We have chosen three dynamic singers to fill out our version of The Three Tenors. They have broad and varied backgrounds which fit perfectly with the range of music we are featuring in this event.” David Walton performed in the first Canopy show, A Night at The Opera/A Night on The Town, and with Out of The Box in 2019’s Acis and Galatea The Wonder Nymph. Walton has appeared locally with Minnesota Opera and Minnesota Bach Ensemble and nationally with Virginia Opera, Opera Carolina and Glimmerglass Festival. Brian Wallin performed earlier this year in Hello Italy at the Canopy and was in the cast of Out of The Box’s very first show, Love Lost/Love Found at the Weisman Art Museum in 2017. Walin has also performed with Minnesota Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Atlanta Opera, and Opera National de Bordeaux. This is Eric Morris’ first performance with Out of The Box, but he has appeared locally as a performer with the Guthrie Theater, Theatre Latte Da, Mill City Summer Opera and Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and has directed shows at the Old Log Theater. Outside the Twin Cities, Morris has directed and performed with Dayton Opera and Michigan’s Barn Theater.

Umbra’s award-winning Executive Chef, Kevin Aho, has crafted a special menu offering exclusively for the three nights of Holiday Tenor Extravaganza performances. This Winter Feast includes a salad, 16oz Prime Rib, truffle mashed potatoes, seasoned vegetables and hazelnut tart. Visit their website to see the most up-to-date menu and reserve your table.

The show is a non-ticketed event. A dinner reservation at Canopy’s restaurant, Umbra, will guarantee reserved seating, but the show can also be seen and heard from the hotel’s lounge and lobby (and even from balconies in the hotel’s atrium if you have a room).