Join us 7 pm, Friday, January 5, at Mt. Lebanon Public Library, for a musical preview and lively discussion about the opera's story and what it takes to bring it to life on stage. Speakers will include representatives from Pittsburgh Opera's cast, music staff, and artistic team.Pittsburgh Opera brings a gripping, contemporary American opera to the CAPA Theater with The Long Walk, which is based on the book The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows by Brian Castner. The opera is a deeply personal exploration of a soldier’s return from Iraq where he served as an officer in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. ‘The Long Walk’ is the term for when a bomb disposal expert puts on their bomb suit and walks, alone, towards an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which they must disarm. As Castner explains, “It is an extremely lonely experience; no one can help you.” However, ‘the long walk’ also refers to the struggle to re-integrate back into your own life upon returning to the United States, a struggle which Castner shares with brutal honesty.

This library after hours event is free and open to the public. It will take place on the main floor of the library.