On May 10, 2025, San Diego’s Balboa Park became the stage for a truly unconventional opera experience with a new staging of Park Opera by Polish composer Wojtek Blecharz. Set entirely outdoors, the performance invited audiences to explore the park with a map in hand, discovering live music, movement, and visual art installations.
First commissioned by Teatr Powszechny in Warsaw in 2016, Park Opera has since been adapted for sites in Switzerland and Austria. Each version responds to its surroundings, and the San Diego edition was specially tailored for Balboa Park — a place Blecharz knows well from his years living in the city.
Rather than present opera as a fixed spectacle, Park Opera encourages free movement and deep listening. Music emerges naturally — from toy pianos echoing in a courtyard to singers whose voices float across open spaces — blending with the ambient sounds of the park. Children and adults alike become part of the performance simply by exploring it.
Below you’ll find some photos from the event and a video. Check it out!
[Source: email from the composer; photo credit: Robbie Bui]