DMMO Invites You to Picnic & Puccini an Opera Adventure 2026

About TheBilly Goats Gruff

Arranged by John Davies and directed by Matthew J. Schulz, The Billy Goats Gruff takes a familiar tale and adds a fun operatic twist with a strong anti-bullying message. On the way home from school, three little billy goats encounter a steep bridge, a mean troll and a sticky situation that they must try to solve-and all set to some of the greatest classic music by Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti!

Many in the community may remember The Billy Goats Gruff from our 2026 OPERA Iowa tour. Over nine weeks, the OPERA Iowa troupe performed this delightful production 60 times, reaching more than 25,000 students across Iowa.

About the Cast

The featured artists of The Billy Goats Gruff include members of Des Moines Metro Opera's acclaimed Apprentice Artist Program. We are thrilled to welcome tenor Ethan E. Burck as Dandini Goat, soprano Emily Finke as Lucy Goat, baritone Harrison Hancock as Osmin the Troll, mezzo-soprano Anya Newsome Hill as Ernesto Goat, and Music Director Alissa Cox.

Now in its 52nd year, Des Moines Metro Opera's Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artist Program is one of the oldest, largest and most respected programs of its kind in the United States. This comprehensive career training program takes the best and brightest opera talents in America on a seven-week program designed to provide the skills necessary to bridge the gap between academic study and a professional career.