The ability to celebrate Father’s Day once again with friends and family is something to sing about, which is exactly what came to mind when Bon Operatit! and the Beauregard-Keyes Historic House and Gardens teamed up to present “Summertime” on Sunday, June 20, from 6-8 pm.
The courtyard concert will feature New Orleans opera singers Lauren Mourney Gisclair, Mary Penick Akin, Joseph Akin and Jacob Penick performing a perfect pairing of opera and musical theater hits, including music from George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern and more, along with tunes paying tribute to fathers in the audience.
Gisclair, who serves as coordinator for Bon Operatit!, is quick to note that this special Father’s Day concert will be the musical ensemble’s first public performance back in the French Quarter since the outset of the pandemic. She readily adds, “Bon Operatit! couldn’t be more thrilled to have such a beautiful historic setting to once again entertain audiences and ultimately contribute to the music scene that makes this city so culturally rich and authentic.”
The special Father’s Day celebration is sponsored in part by Beattie’s Distillers, which will provide each guest with a complimentary summer cocktail. Guests are also invited to bring their own refreshments.
Doors open at 6 p.m.; the performance begins at 6:30 pm. The Beauregard-Keyes House is located at 1113 Chartres Street, across from the Old Ursulines Convent. Parking is available nearby at the French Market Riverfront lots or surrounding streets.
Beauregard-Keyes Historic House and Gardens was built in 1826 and purchased by noted author Frances Parkinson Keyes in 1948 and restored under her loving care.The board of trustees is currently conducting an on-going capital improvements project to restore the dependency where Mrs. Keyes lived until her death in 1970. The Father’s Day Concert, along with grants, donations, and other fundraising events will help generate the more than $400,000 needed for this restoration and future capital improvement projects.
Tickets, which are limited, may be purchased in advance from bkhouse.org based on availability. Individual and group table seating will be offered, ranging in price from $35-$40. For additional information, call (504) 523-7257.
