“Unexpected Opera in Unexpected Places,” recipient of a Knight Arts Challenge grant, is a new three-year program developed by the Florida Grand Opera (FGO) to expose lesser-known operas to the South Florida community by staging them in unorthodox spaces. Thursday night, FGO opens its first performance at The Stage, with a double-bill of tango featuring Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s comedic opera “Tango” and Astor Piazzolla’s magical realism opera “Maria de Buenos Aires.”

Photo by Philip Groshong for Cincinnati Opera.

Taking opera out of the theater and to the community injects a certain level of anxiety and excitement into the process. However, these risks can be rewarding. “It’s completely different because this is the first time we are doing this, and we don’t know what the reaction will be,” said Maestro Ramon Tebar, music director FGO and conductor for the tango double bill. “There are difficulties we wouldn’t find in our opera theater, like acoustics, the space, the placement of the orchestra, the public surrounding the action. This will make this first performance more difficult, but also more exciting.”

More exciting may the key to hooking new audiences on an art form that attracts a particular crowd who, most likely, are not regulars on the Miami alternative music and club scene. By merging a contemporary setting and traditional opera, audiences may in fact let go of their preconceived notions of what opera is or can be and seek out more opera. A new legion of opera goers and, just maybe, a few aspiring composers may emerge as well.

“Exploring new venues, breaking barriers of conventionalism and getting closer to people who frequent those venues and that probably have stereotypes of what opera is, we hope will open more windows to the community by bringing this art form to places and people who otherwise wouldn’t go to the theater, “said Maestro Ramon Tebar. “Hopefully, after this experience, they will get really interested, at least curious of what else we do, and they want to explore different repertoires.”

FGO isn’t finished transforming South Florida’s opera scene. In the near future, there will be more operatic surprises. But, for now, the transformation begins tonight at The Stage with “Unexpected Opera in Unexpected Places” tango double bill. Although Thursday’s opening night performance is sold out, tickets are available for March 22nd, 23rd and 24th.

General admission, standing-room tickets are $25 per person; recommended for ages 18 and older. Limited seating available. Tickets may be purchased in advance through the Florida Grand Opera Box Office by phone at 800-741-1010 and online at www.FGO.org. Tickets will also be sold at the door on the day of the event. At The Stage,  170 N.E. 38th St., Miami; 305-576-9577; thestagemiami.com. The evening’s program is as follows: 8 p.m. – Doors open 9-9:30 p.m. – Pre-show with live band 9:30-10 p.m. – Tango 10-10:15 p.m. – Intermission 10:15 – 11:15 p.m. – María de Buenos Aires The Sunday, March 24 performance will feature an earlier schedule as detailed below: 6 p. m. – Doors open 7-7:30 p.m.– Pre-show with live band 7:30-8 p.m. – Tango 8-8:15 p.m. – Intermission 8:15-9:15 p.m. – Maria de Buenos Aires