Walnut Creek residents can catch a full professional opera performance for free on Sunday, July 26, when Festival Opera stages Donizetti's comic classic "The Elixir of Love" at Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive, starting at 4 p.m.

The production caps the Walnut Creek-based company's 35th anniversary season and marks the second of two free "Opera in the Park" performances. The first took place Thursday, July 23, at Orinda Community Park.

Tenor Spencer Greene headlines as Nemorino, a lovesick country boy convinced he needs a magic potion to win the heart of Adina, the clever and wealthy woman he adores. Soprano Marielle Leiboff sings Adina. Baritone Liam Daley plays Sergeant Belcore, the swaggering soldier who also pursues her, and baritone Igor Vieira takes on Dulcamara, the traveling quack who sells Nemorino the supposed elixir, which turns out to be cheap wine.

Zachary Gordin, Festival Opera's general and artistic director, directs the production and narrates between scenes. Gordin, an Oakland native and baritone who became the company's artistic director in 2019, has pushed to make opera accessible beyond the concert hall. "For opera to survive, it has to figure out again and again what it is going to be," he told the East Bay Times in May 2024.

The Sunday performance is built for newcomers and seasoned fans alike. Gordin delivers scene synopses between acts, and English translations of the Italian libretto are available via QR code on attendees' smartphones, according to Festival Opera's website.

The Walnut Creek Civic Pride Foundation is sponsoring the Civic Park show. Audience members are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs and pack a picnic.

Festival Opera, headquartered at 1630 N. Main St. in Walnut Creek, has staged full operas at Civic Park in previous seasons, including Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci." The company's next scheduled event is a Salon Series: Resident Artist Showcase on Sunday, Sept. 27, featuring several of the same performers.

Upcoming community events

  • Sunday, July 26 — Festival Opera, "The Elixir of Love," 4 p.m., Civic Park, 1375 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Free.
  • Sunday, Sept. 27 — Festival Opera Salon Series: Resident Artist Showcase. 7: 30 p.m. Details at festivalopera.org.