“Vía Láctea” Opera Branches Out to Eugene

It's not every day that Central Oregon sees its very own, locally-written opera hit the stage, so when it happened last June, it was a pretty big deal. "Vía Láctea, A New Opera in English" debuted at the Tower Theatre June 10, 2016 , after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Now the opera is spreading its wings into new territory: to the Eugene Opera.

"Vía Láctea" is a fictional account of one woman's pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain. The title makes reference to the Milky Way, which can be seen along the path. Throughout the journey, the opera's heroine meets a lively cast of characters, some real, some existing only in her imagination. Regardless of their actual existence, the characters give the traveler insight and answers to life's questions. The libretto—a fancy word for the text part of an opera—was written by Bend writer Ellen Waterston and composed by Rebecca Oswald.

If you missed it in Bend, you have your chance to see "Vía Láctea" again in May 2018, when it's scheduled to open at Eugene's Hult Center.

"The opportunity to work with the very talented General Director Mark Beudert and Music Director Andrew Bisantz is enormously exciting," says Waterston. "This giant step in the evolution of this opera is thanks to all who worked so hard to make the premiere the success it was. Special thanks to OperaBend, Maestro Michael Gesme and the Central Oregon Symphony, the talented principal singers who took the risk of being part of a brand new opera, and the many generous donors."

Details and dates for the Eugene Opera's 2017-18 season will be finalized by March 15.

Get tickets and schedules at eugeneopera.com