The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company Appearance at the Minnesota State Fair 2023

September 1 and 2, 2023

The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company returned to the Minnesota State Fair for a second year.  Those who had done so in 2022 considered it to be both a delightful experience and felt that doing so again would be a wonderful way to promote the company and its upcoming productions of H.M.S. Pinafore and Utopia, Limited.

While the weather was hot, as is often the case at the State Fair, the participants performed enthusiastically.  The space in which they performed was a significant improvement over the space where they performed the year before, with the audiences able to sit under shade umbrellas that had been provided.

The audiences clearly enjoyed the music very much, and it is our hope that many of them will be in attendance at our mainstage shows this fall and spring.

Participants

Maggie Benham, Tom Berg, Sarah Brickeen, Alexander Gerchak, Scott Gorman, Mary Gregory, Mary Kettlewell, Anna Maher, Blanka Melbostad, John Orbison, Mallory Rabehl, Lowell Rice, Sam Vinitksy, and Josh Zapata-Palmer

Accompanist

Jean Orbison Van Heel

Event Coordination and Master of Ceremonies

Waldyn Benbenek

Logistical Assistance

Mary Mescher Benbenek, Brian Chan