enjoy again the fun of “the choristers perform”!
TheGuild of Salt Marsh Opera invites you to a free event at The First Congregational Church in Old Lyme on Friday, April 25th. Join us for an enjoyable informal Cabaret of great music from Salt Marsh Opera's chorus members, past, present and future!
TheGuild will supply light refreshments including hors’ d’oeuvres, wine, beer and seltzer. Doors open at 5:30pm and the performance starts around 6:00pm. As in past years there will be two halves with an intermission for snacking and socializing. Guild President Tom Mullaney will emcee, channeling spirit of ‘Ol’ Blue Eyes,” and will be joined by a stellar cast of regulars and some new talent as well!
We look forward to seeing you. Please email info@saltmarshopera.org to RSVP.
First Congregational Church of Old Lyme
5 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371
2025 Salt Marsh Opera Events
Gianni Schicchi
The United Theatre | Kids Love Music! | Friday | May 16 | 7:00pm
Music at the Lighthouse
Stonington Lighthouse Museum | Sunday | June 22 | 6:00pm (Rain date: June 29)
Music at the Lighthouse
Stonington Lighthouse Museum | Sunday | August 3 | 6:00pm (Rain date: August 10)
25th ANNIVERSARY GALA
The United Theatre | Saturday | August 9 | Time TBD
Opera in the Park
Town Green, Old Saybrook | Friday | August 29 | 6:00pm (Rain date: August 30
Pirates of Penzance
The Loos Center, Woodstock | Thursday | October 2 | 7:00pm
Pirates of Penzance
The United Theatre | Saturday | October 11 | 3:00pm
Pirates of Penzance
The United Theatre | Sunday | October 12 | 3:00pm
Pirates of Penzance
The Kate | Friday | October 17 | 7:00pm
Pirates of Penzance
The Kate | Sunday | October 19 | 3:00pm
A Quarter Century of Song
Word on the street, especially in certain marshy locales, is that our beloved Salt Marsh Opera is celebrating twenty-five years of history this August 9th at a swanky Masquerade Gala at the United Theatre in Westerly! As we think about which opera character we might like to dress up as for the gala, Salt Marsh Opera Board Member Marianne McNee has spoken with some of the many illustrious singers, volunteers, financial supporters and production pros to glean interesting snippets of the company’s history.
The first article below covers the very beginnings of Salt Marsh Opera and how the faith, love and talent of early organizers set the stage for many stellar productions.
The Birth of Salt Marsh Opera
by Marianne McNee
Salt Marsh Board Member, April 2025
Have you heard the story about two guys who went to an opera in New London, enjoyed an impromptu lobby concert and then decided to start an opera party in Stonington, Connecticut? Well, there’s a little more to the launch of Salt Marsh Opera, but it’s not a stretch to recognize that the nub of a good idea was born from their love of singing, opera, and that inspiring performance many years ago.
Jan Macgregor, early Salt Marsh Opera organizer, performer and former board member, recalls meeting Bruce Wineberg, both Stonington residents at the time, and discovering their shared love of music, especially singing. “We both were very interested in music. Bruce had a fine voice, and he also had a small band. We were in the choir at Calvary Church, so we sang together. We had some parties that were musically oriented. In the mid-nineties, Bruce and I went to see a production of Don Giovanni, put on by the Amato Opera Company at the Garde Arts Center in New London. After the performance, all the lead singers came out to the lobby and they each sang their favorite songs. Most of them were arias, though not all. Afterwards, we were discussing how much we had enjoyed this unusual pop-up music event. And we decided that what we needed in Stonington was chamber opera. So, in 1997, we decided to have an opera party,” Jan explained.
INTRODUCING:
Shaunna Siver, soprano
Shaunna is a CT based soprano and the founder of her private voice studio, SLS studios. Her operatic roles include Donna Elvira from Don Giovanni, Rosalinda from Die Fledermaus, Antonia from The Tales of Hoffman, and most recently, Violetta from La Traviata. This summer, Shaunna will be covering the role of Santuzza from Cavelleria Rusticana with Modern Vintage Opera. In the fall, she will be covering the role of Mimi from La Boheme with CT Lyric Opera. Shaunna will graduate with a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from the Osher School of Music at the University of Southern Maine in May of this year.
Passionate in her belief that opera is for everyone, Shaunna is thrilled to be bringing opera to local schools with Salt Marsh Opera's, Kids Love Music Program. In promotion of their upcoming production of Gianni Schicci, it is has been her pleasure to introduce the music of Puccini to students in Connecticut.
