Mozart’s The Secret Gardener

An opera about a garden, performed in one. Written when Mozart was just eighteen, this sparkling comedy follows a countess who disguises herself as a humble gardener to escape her past, only to find her old flame, a marriage-minded mayor, and a tangle of jealous suitors waiting among the flowerbeds. Mistaken identities bloom, hearts mend, and Mozart’s youthful genius shines in every note. Presented outdoors on the Morrow Lawn at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, it is opera in the open air at its most charming.