Join us for an enchanting evening of opera at Waterloo Greenway, as LOLA - Local Opera Local Artists teams up with Austin Camerata to bring you a night of timeless operatic favorites. Set against the stunning backdrop of the *Moody Amphitheatre in Waterloo Park, this free concert on September 7th at 7:30 pm is open to the public and appropriate for all ages. Enjoy a magical experience under the setting sun and stars, featuring a talented string quartet and the captivating voices of Julia Taylor, Samantha Balboa, Evan K. Brown, and Scott Clark. Bring your friends and family and revel in the beauty of opera in the heart of Austin!

LOLA is honored to have the support of Waterloo Greenway in bringing this concert to the Moody Amphitheatre stage. "Doors" will open at 7 pm with the show starting at 7:30 pm. Complimentary beverages will be available thanks to our amazing sponsor, Tito's Vodka! Big thanks to our media sponsor, KMFA 89.5 Classical Austin! This concert is supported in part by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division.

*Performance, audience seating, and bar will all be on the stage

Wild Waterloo: Sensory Science

Presented in partnership with Families in Nature

Location: Meredith Heritage Tree Deck

Date: August 9, 2024

Time: 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Connecting to nature has well-documented benefits to physical and mental health, social well-being, and cognitive development. Wild Waterloo: Sensory Science is an environmental awareness program specifically designed for sensory learning. Connecting to nature has well-documented benefits to physical and mental health, social well-being, and cognitive development.

During the event, space will be designated Sensory-Friendly Zones to provide opportunities for visitors to self-regulate and decompress, as needed.

Event Highlights

Visitors will participate in a variety of interactive workshops, immersive experiences, and hands-on activities including:

Immersive Experiences

• 6:30 PM – Sound Bath

  • Nurture your mind and body with an immersive full body listening experience led by Michela Whalen. All ages and abilities are encouraged.

• 7:00 PM – Forest Bathing

  • Forest therapy, or forest bathing, is a practice encouraging individuals to spend time outdoors and in nature. This immersive sensory experience, led by Families in Nature, allows you to take in the natural world in order to receive all the incredible mental and physical benefits of being outdoors.

• 7:30 PM – Edible Plant Walk

  • Come learn about common edible plants that are found in Waterloo Park! While foraging and collecting are not permitted at Waterloo Park, Capital Area Master Naturalist, Wendy Anderson will provide samples from plants should you all want to try them. Limited capacity!

• 8:00 PM – Bat Echolocation

  • Join Austin Bat Refuge to learn about the sophisticated technique that bats use to navigate and find food in the dark by emitting high-frequency sound waves and listening to the echoes that bounce back.

• 8:30 PM – Operatic Scavenger Hunt & Sing-Along (LOLA)

  • This immersive auditory experience invites participants to journey throughout Waterloo Park’s Hill Country Garden guided by the enchanting melodies of unamplified trained opera singers. The experience culminates in a captivating group performance and sing-along at Lebermann Plaza. This intimate experience promises to be a highlight, uniting the community in a shared celebration of music and sensory exploration.

• 9:00 PM – Waterloo Park Bats

  • Experience Waterloo Park after dark! Join Austin Bat Refuge and explore the park’s most popular nocturnal residents – bats!

Interactive Workshops & Activities

• Self-Guided Sensory Scavenger Hunt

• Outdoor Games & Nature-inspired Playground

• Nature’s Touch with Families in Nature

• Soil Discovery with Waterloo Greenway

• Water Quality Exploration with Austin Youth Riverwatch

• Recycled Material Community Mural with Austin Creative Reuse

• Bee Hummer with GirlStart

• and more!

Hydration & Nutrition to Fuel Your Senses

• Eso’s Taco’s

• Lyssie Lou’s Cookie Company

• Mom & Pops All Natural Frozen Pops

• Herb-based Mocktails

• Waterloo Sparkling Water

• Liquid Death Mountain Water

Here Be Monsters

May 25-26, 2024

HERE BE MONSTERS IS

• A two-day festival of Austin's indie-classical music scene

• Designed to reveal and celebrate the unique culture and identity of Austin's music creators

• Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26 2024

• Doors at 5pm, music from 6 - 11pm at Radio East

HERE BE MONSTERS OFFICIAL LINEUP:

SATURDAY, MAY 25

Beerthoven, Highway Lights, Invoke, Kenken Gorder and Friends, One Ounce Opera, Panoramic Voices, Studio A, Tetractys New Music, Unwound Sound, VAMP

SUNDAY, MAY 26

Austin Unconducted, Density512, Golden Hornet, Goliath Was Bigfoot, Inversion Ensemble, Kraken Quartet, Less Than Ten Music, Line Upon Line Percussion, LOLA, Man Woman Friend Computer

Join us for Here Be Monsters, hosted by Tetractys New Music.

KMFA Classical 89.5 is a proud media sponsor of Tetractys New Music's presentation of Here Be Monsters.

LOLA is proud to be returning to Songs in the Skyspace, Landmarks' monthly music series hosted inside James Turrell’s Skyspace, The Color Inside. The program represents a diverse mix of voices and instruments and offers a unique way to engage with Turrell’s elegant light sequence.

Mezzo-soprano Liz Cass and pianist Ben Tibbetts will be presenting a program of Italian and French art song during the light show on Sunday March 19th around 7 pm.

**When: March 19th, 2023 from 7 pm - 8:30**

**Where: UT Campus William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center**

**(Third floor, Rooftop Garden 2201 Speedway at 22nd Street Austin, Texas 78712)**

Songs in the Skyspace runs monthly on select evenings during the sunset light sequence. Free reservations are required and can be made online.

Join us on October 17th @5pm in the beautiful Draylen Mason hall at the KMFA studios in downtown Austin, Texas for a live stream concert performance of the new chamber opera, Good Country by composer Keith Allegretti and librettist Cecelia Raker. Learn more about this exciting project and the creative team by opening the program below.

Join us at 7pm for a FREE Livestream of Part II of Lardo Weeping, the Opera! Lardo Weeping, an original opera composed by Peter Stopschinski with libretto by Terry Galloway and dramaturgy by Donna Nudd, is a provocative commentary on the human condition as seen through the eyes of Dinah Le Farge, a fat, queer, philosopher recluse, and lover of both art and garbage. With her wit and candor, she takes the audience on a journey into her past experiences and struggles. The opera culminates with Dinah literally tearing herself apart then picking up the pieces and putting them back together again.

This opera is intended for ages 18+ and is not appropriate for children.

LOLA presents the full concert premiere of the new chamber opera by composer Peter Stopschinski and playwright Terry Galloway with Mezzo Soprano Liz Cass as Dinah LeFarge. 

 August 17th @7pm CDT

Studio A Concert Hall

This event is free, donations are welcome, reservations are required

Recommended for adults 18 and older

 Lardo Weeping is a wonderful journey through the mind of recluse-genius Dinah LeFarge, a clever, intellectual, quite sexual woman of independent means who seldom ventures outside her apartment and refuses to answer her door unarmed. Dinah finds herself with only five dollars left to her name but claims to have "otherworldly resources" and hints at a miraculous transformation for her and her audience. Dinah takes us through her many ideas and schemes and through this storytelling we are introduced to many feminist icons including Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Emma Goldman, Ann Landers, and others. We are treated to stories about her past employment as a convenience store clerk, her food journaling, and Dinah’s ongoing obsession with the “Weekly World News”. This journey ends with Dinah literally tearing her body apart and putting it back together again further highlighting the stress and demands put on human and especially female bodies.

Cast: Dinah LeFarge - Liz Cass, Chorus - Jihee Han, Chorus - Julie Silva

Orchestra:  Piano - Peter Stopschinski, Violin - Sonja Larson, Cello - Nora Karakousoglou

Production Team:  Composer - Peter Stopschinski, Librettists - Terry Galloway & Donna Nudd , Executive Producer - Liz Cass, Artistic Producer - Rebecca Herman, Stage Direction - Rebecca Herman, Production Manager - Carli Kerr

This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.

Join us for a FREE event on June 5th @4:30 CDT on our YouTube Channel. LOLA is excited to host Soprano, Dr. Nicole Taylor live for a presentation her pre-recorded Black Composers Concert and Q&A following the recital. Pianist, Nikki Birdsong accompanies this recital with music by:

• Florence Price

• Margaret Bonds

• William Grant Still

• John Daniels Carter

• Betty Jackson King

• Undine Smith Moore

• Robert Owens

• H. Leslie Adams

It is our pleasure to present this event at no cost on the LOLA YouTube Channel. If you are able, we welcome a donation in any amount.

Join us on Saturday, October 24th for a live in-person drive-in concert! Vocalists Julia Taylor and Liz Cass with pianist David Utterback will present classic operatic duets and arias from the scenic front porch of the Armstrong Community Music School (404 Camp Craft Rd. Austin, TX 78746). Spaces are limited to 20 cars for maximum safety and peace of mind. This event is free and donations are welcome. Follow the button below to make your reservation and donate or to reserve a spot without donation, simply fill out the form below with your name, email, and number in your party. We look forward to sharing this experience with you! #weallsingbettertogether