Special Pre-SummerFest Event
An Opera about Frank Lloyd Wright
Music by Daron Hagen • Words by Paul Muldoon

Opera and architecture come together in a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Join us for a very special performance of Shining Brow on the outdoor terraces at Fallingwater, as Wright’s iconic local masterpiece becomes the stage for Daron Hagen’s acclaimed opera about Wright’s tragic love affair.
This unique event starts with private access to the house before the performance—be a guest for the sort of party the Kaufmanns used to throw at Fallingwater – and continues with light summer fare and fine wines before the opera. Then meet the artists for champagne and dessert and a birthday toast to Frank Lloyd Wright immediately following the performance.
Don’t care to drive? Join us on Saturday evening on our private motorcoach for round-trip transportation, featuring a talk about the opera and exclusive access to composer Daron Hagen.
Friday, June 7 at 6:30 pm
Saturday, June 8 at 6:30 pm
Cast and Production Team
Music | Daron Hagen | |
Words | Paul Muldoon | |
Director | Jonathan Eaton | |
Conductor | Robert Frankenberry | |
Frank Lloyd Wright | Kevin Kees | |
Mamah Cheney | Lara Lynn Cottrill | |
Louis Sullivan | James Flora | |
Edwin Cheney | Dimitrie Lazich | |
Catherine Wright | Kara Cornell | |
Maid | Anna McTiernan | |
Orchestra | ||
Flute/Piccolo | Josephine Kost | |
Oboe/English Horn | Cyn Warren | |
Clarinet/Eb Clarinet/Bass Clarinet | Mary Beth Malek | |
Keyboard | Hyery Hwang | |
Violin | Roger Zahab | |
Viola | Jason Hohn | |
Cello | Paul Miahky | |
SHINING BROW is produced by permission of E.C. Schirmer Music Company, Framingham, MA.
Tickets
- $350 for general admission
- $275 for SummerFest Passport holders / Western Pennsylvania Conservancy members
- $35 for round trip transportation on private motorcoach (Saturday, June 8 only)
- [Bus departs from and returns to Opera Theater offices at 286 Main Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood. Secure free parking is available onsite.]
- All seating is general admission.
Location
Fallingwater
1478 Mill Run Rd, Mill Run PA 15464
Critical acclaim for Shining Brow
Shining Brow, which has been produced by numerous opera companies nationally, is acclaimed by music and architecture writers alike:
"Shining Brow is one of the most important American operas of the past decade. Don’t miss it...Hagen was born to write music theater works."
—John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
“Like Wright’s flowing, open-plan prairie houses, [Hagen’s] opera has immediate appeal.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
For more information on Shining Brow, visit the composer's website.
Shining Brow will also be performed in Pittsburgh during SummerFest 2013.
Performance Calendar