Who we are

Manitoba Underground Opera presents a festival each August that includes mainstage operas, concerts, and free outreach events. Opera was originally an artform that resonated with people from all walks of life, and our goal is to continue that tradition by making classical works relevant to the modern world. Whether we’re reimagining Don Giovanni as a #metoo era parable, examining the issue of social media bullying with Dido and Aeneas, or presenting an original operatic digital miniseries at the height of the pandemic, you always know that an MUO production will be like nothing you’ve seen before.

Beyond the Fest

We’re also active outside of our annual festival. MUO’s Opera for Children Tour brought live opera to over 1000 children and parents in Southern Manitoba in 2019, and we’re planning on expanding the tour to include Northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan once it again becomes safe to travel between remote communities. Our Opera Around Town initiative (OAT for short) brings pop-up opera performances to locations around Winnipeg throughout the year, with intimate concerts presented in local museums, businesses, and even farmers’ markets!

Past, Present, and Future

MUO began in 2008 as a group of students who simply wanted to share their love of opera, and today we’ve grown into an established fixture of Winnipeg’s arts scene. Thank you for being a part of our journey! We can’t wait to see what the future holds.