OperaBend

OperaBend is a non-profit performing arts organization based in Central Oregon.

OperaBend is a Non-Profit Regional Opera Company located on the stupendous backdrop of the Oregon High Desert. We are a small opera company, dedicating its resources to the theatrical production of fine vocal works via concerts, scenes, and full productions. Our Mission: Promoting, nurturing, and preserving the Central Oregon tradition of excellence in Opera and Classical Vocal Music. Opera Bend w

as founded by:
- Nancy Engebretson, soprano, who serves as Creative Director, Vocal Director, and Stage Director.
- Jason Stein, tenor, serving as Executive Director, Music Director, and Stage Director.

05/31/2026

Our performance weekend for DIE FLEDERMAUS is just 3 weeks away (June 19th & 21st)!

MEET THE DIRECTOR:

Jason Stein returns to the Director’s chair for DIE FLEDERMAUS, armed with equal parts theatrical experience and a suspiciously large collection of bat‑themed puns he promises not to use. Probably.

Jason has directed a long list of productions for Candlelight Dinner Cabaret and OperaBend, where he has developed a reputation for staging shows that are heartfelt, beautifully sung, and only occasionally on fire (artistically speaking). His favorite musicals (The Secret Garden, Tom Foolery, and Red, Hot and Cole) reflect his love of clever storytelling, and characters who make questionable life choices.

On the operatic side, Jason has guided audiences through the passion of Carmen, the heartbreak of La Traviata, the clown‑based emotional damage of Pagliacci, the rustic drama of Cavalleria Rusticana, and the romantic mischief of The Elixir of Love. After all that tragedy, he felt it was time for something lighter, preferably with champagne fountains and a plethora of disguises.

With DIE FLEDERMAUS, Jason invites you to sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of music, mayhem, and merriment. If anything goes wrong, it was definitely part of the plan!

Tickets on Sale Now - https://www.operabend.org/die-fledermaus

05/25/2026

A wonderful weekend of performances of Menotti’s THE MEDIUM by Ping & Woof Opera! Thanks to everyone who came out to see it, and made donations to support future programming at OperaBend! We have one more show to go this season: Strauss’ DIE FLEDERMAUS. Tickets are available now at:

https://www.operabend.org/die-fledermaus

05/22/2026

THE MEDIUM opens Tomorrow (Saturday, May 23rd)!

Admission is donation based and you can reserve your seat for either Saturday (7pm) or Sunday (3pm) at this link - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

Check out our page in Cascade A&E!

05/19/2026

OperaBend and Ping & Woof Opera present: THE MEDIUM, is coming May 23rd & 24th!

Meet the Artists:

Susan McDaniel (Pianist) has appeared widely as a solo and collaborative pianist, including regional and national concert tours as well as recitals in France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. After studies in piano performance with Jill Timmons at Linfield College and in vocal accompanying with Warren Jones at The Manhattan School of Music, she performed as a young artist with San Diego Opera and then worked as a member of the music staff at Seattle Opera and Utah Festival Opera.

Since returning to her home state of Oregon, Susan has maintained an active performing career in vocal and instrumental chamber music; she was also the resident pianist of All Classical Portland’s live-performance radio show, Thursdays @ Three, and has accompanied numerous productions at Portland Opera.

Susan has been a frequent faculty artist in the Vocal Arts program at the Atlantic Music Festival and in summer 2023 will join the coaching staff at the Music in the Marche opera training program in Mondavio, Italy. In 2018, she was appointed lecturer of music at the University of Portland, where she teaches collaborative piano and lyric diction in addition to coaching and accompanying both singers and instrumentalists.

For more info and to reserve your seat - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

05/18/2026

Coming this weekend (May 23rd & 24th) to COCC's Wille Hall, Menotti's THE MEDIUM! Don't miss your chance to see this amazing cast and hear Menotti's unforgettable score. Admission is donation based, and you can reserve your seat here - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

05/16/2026

OperaBend and Ping & Woof Opera present: THE MEDIUM, is coming May 23rd & 24th!

Meet the Artists:

ALEXIS HAMILTON as "Madame Flora / Baba" - Alexis Hamilton is a dynamic presence in the Portland arts community, facilitating collaborations and building community among such diverse organizations as PHAME, IDEAL PDX, Portland Parks, Beaverton Symphony Orchestra, Eastern Oregon Symphony, Eastern Oregon University, Washington State University, et. al., and creating innovative programming for learners from cradle to grave as part of her work as Portland Opera’s Associate Director of Education Outreach.

Equally at home teaching preschoolers and elders (and everyone in between!), Alexis has designed and executed multiple programs that use the opera as a spring board to activate learning and creativity including managing Portland Opera To Go, Portland Opera’s flagship outreach program; Opera ala Cart, Portland Opera’s mobile concert venue; writing multi-media curriculum to be delivered both in person and virtually; conceiving and producing the Our Oregon Series; creating the Building Blocks of Opera program; and generally finding fun ways to bring opera into everyone’s life—because, whether they know it or not, people need opera in their life!

Alexis is also an accomplished mezzo-soprano who delights in telling all sorts of stories. Alexis has played almost every Gilbert and Sullivan contralto role ever written, the title role in Carmen, "Mrs. Herring" in Albert Herring, and many more roles both operatic and in musical theater. She has appeared with Portland Opera, Rogue Opera, Bravo Vancouver, Oregon East Symphony, and Mocks Crest. She is delighted to return to the stage after an—ahem—long hiatus to play "Baba" in The Medium with Ping & Woof!

For more info and to reserve your seat - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

05/15/2026

OperaBend and Ping & Woof Opera present: THE MEDIUM, is coming May 23rd & 24th!

Meet the Artists:

JOCELYN CLAIRE THOMAS as "Monica" - Praised for her “staggeringly brilliant...ethereal soprano” (The Source) Jocelyn Claire Thomas has engaged audiences with her haunting sound, musical intelligence, and unusual versatility. She has sung more than 40 operatic roles with Portland Opera, Tacoma Opera, Eugene Opera, Inland Northwest Opera, Opera Theater Oregon, OperaBend, Brava Opera Theater, Cascadia Chamber Opera, Opera in the Park Portland, and others.

Recent solo highlights include "Eliza" in Dark Sisters with Eugene Opera, "Frasquita" in Carmen with Opera in the Park Portland, Soprano Soloist in Messiah with Harmonia Seattle, and Soprano Soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 & Choral Fantasy with the Willamette Master Chorus. Originally from Columbia, MO, Jocelyn holds a B.M. from the Oberlin Conservatory, a M.M. and a Graduate Performance Diploma from the Peabody Conservatory. Currently based in Portland, OR, Jocelyn maintains a private studio in voice, piano, and flute.

Some upcoming engagements include "Ida" in Die Fledermaus with OperaBend, "Rapunzel" in Into the Woods with Mt. Hood Repertory Theater, "Donna Elvira" in Don Giovanni with Villa Catalana, and Broken Standards with The Muses Project in Hot Spring Arkansas. http://www.jocelynclairethomas.com

For more info and to reserve your seat - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

05/14/2026

OperaBend and Ping & Woof Opera present: THE MEDIUM, is coming May 23rd & 24th!

Meet the Artists:

AARON LANGE as "Toby" - With a voice described by Oregon ArtsWatch as "strong and resonant", that "masters the entire range", tenor Aaron Lange obtains the ability to bring both dramatic depth and powerful vocals to the stage. A true local, Aaron grew up in Gresham and attended Portland State University for his Bachelor's Degree. His most recent performance credits include "Mafia Guy" in Paul Moravec's The Shining at Portland Opera, "Frederic" in The Pirates of Penzance with Light Opera of Portland, and Tenor Soloist in Handel's Messiah with Bravo! Concerts Northwest.

For more info and to reserve your seat - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

05/13/2026

OperaBend and Ping & Woof Opera present: THE MEDIUM, is coming May 23rd & 24th!

Meet the Artists:

LINDSAY RAE JOHNSON as "Mrs. Nolan" - Praised for her passion, artistry, and commanding stage presence, soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson has performed throughout the United States and Europe. A native of Minneapolis, Lindsey moved to the Bay Area in 2012 followed by Portland in 2016. In California, she performed with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Lamplighters Music Theatre, Opera on Tap San Francisco, Waffle Opera, and First Church of Christ, Scientist.

Since moving to Portland, Lindsey has enjoyed performing with Portland Opera, New Wave Opera, OperaBend, Ping & Woof Opera, Renegade Opera, Lark Opera, Q***r Opera, Opera on Tap Portland, Light Opera of Portland, Portland SummerFest, Classical Revolution PDX, Coulter Concert Series, Mocks Crest Productions, The Dickens Carolers, The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Baptist, and Proto-Cathedral of St. James the Greater.

Lindsey received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas. She graduated in 2012 with a 3.95 GPA, having studied under Dr. Lynn Eustis. Lindsey received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, magna cm laude, from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. She is a member of Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society, Delta Phi Alpha German honor society, Phi Kappa Phi academic honor society, Alpha Chi academic honor society, and Mu Phi Epsilon professional music fraternity. https://lindseyraejohnson.com

For more info and to reserve your seat - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

02/16/2026

Thank you to all who came out this afternoon for our BEND SINGER SHOWCASE! And thank you also to everyone who helped make it happen. We loved sharing this program and these fabulous local singers with you!

Up next for OperaBend, Menotti’s THE MEDIUM on May 23rd and 24th - https://www.operabend.org/the-medium

Address

PO Box 2301
Bend, OR
97709

Telephone

+15413509805

Website

http://www.operabend.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when OperaBend posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment in Bend?