Get ready for outdoor summer fun, as the North Shore Music Association and Opp-Hvidston Foundation present Mixed Precipitation’s 16th annual opera extravaganza.

Pickup Truck Opera’s Faust is French composer Charles Gounod's 1859 Romantic opera, with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré, plus new wave disco beats. It's a deal with the devil as humanity shoots for the moon. In the not-so-distant future, scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Johann Faust faces a planet in crisis but no motivation to spare humanity its fate. He yearns to find a life of meaning and love. Méphistophélès, a mysterious extraplanar entity with a devilish charm, appears with a bargain: Relocate Earth's climate refugees to a lunar colony and win the love of the brilliant physicist Marguerite. Together, Faust and his mysterious companion launch a fanatical quest to save humanity and reach beyond the limits of human potential. Dr. Faust finds himself torn between the love of his life and the conditions of his bargain. The music of Depeche Mode is laced into this tale, featuring the work of songwriters Vince Clarke and Martin Gore.   

Tenor Maurice Fields leads the cast as Faust. Bass Justin Spenner returns to Mixed Precipitation in the role of Méphistophélès, and sopranos Carrie Couma and Corissa Bussian split the role of Marguerite. Galina Đorđević, Joshua Eidem, Joni Griffith, Jill Morgan, and Nick Miller play multiple roles and multiple instruments under the leadership of music director Gary Ruschman.  

Mixed Precipitation’s 2024 summer tour includes performances in sprawling parks, nature centers, and farms all over Minnesota. In Cook County, they will perform on August 9 at 6:30 PM at Hovland Town Hall, 4957 East Highway 61, Hovland. On August 10, they will perform at 3:00 PM at Sweethearts Bluff, 114 S 8th Ave. West, Grand Marais. Audiences are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and beverages for comfort and hydration. The performance lasts approximately 75-90 minutes.