The Atlanta Opera: Jay Hunter Morris Cabaret

CL Critic Kevin C. Madigan Recommends: Tenor and raconteur Jay Hunter Morris gets his own one-off matinee show in the Come As You Are series at Pullman Yards. The Roswell-based vocalist is known for his Metropolitan Opera performances as the title character in Richard Wagner’s “Siegfried” and in 2017 performed in the Atlanta Opera’s production of  “The Flying Dutchman.” Elsewhere he appeared in “Master Class,” “Madama Butterfly,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Grendel,” and “Doctor Atomic.” The self-described “redneck opera zinger” - also the title of his autobiography - studied vocal performance at Juilliard in New York and initially performed gospel and country music, but soon lost interest in those genres. At the Pullman Yards gig he will be singing standards and chatting about his life and career. — KCM

CL Critic Doug DeLoach Recommends: The Atlanta Opera concludes its 2021-22 season at Pullman Yards with the “Come As You Are” festival featuring a new production of Cabaret; the Atlanta premiere of As One, a highly acclaimed chamber opera featuring transgender baritone Lucia Lucas, who made her Metropolitan Opera debut in February, in the lead role; and a special Saturday matinee featuring Roswell resident and Metropolitan Opera performer Jay Hunter Morris in a cabaret-style concert. On one hand, “Come As You Are” builds on the company’s popular Discoveries Series, which for the last ten years has presented adventurous smaller works in unexpected venues around the metro area. On the other, it represents the Atlanta Opera’s community outreach campaign to build a broader audience by stripping away some of the formal trappings of “grand opera” including any pretense to a dress code. Witnessing opera in the uniquely configured environs of Pullman Yards promises to be a highlight of this summer’s arts events. -DD