Anne Wieben

ST. PAUL — Last weekend a special performance of “Die Fledermaus” was given at Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul by a New Ulm native, Anne Wieben.

Wieben is the daughter of Tim and Mary Wieben, who are also New Ulm natives. The Wiebens moved out of New Ulm in 1985. They now live in Bismarck, ND and Anne lives in Vienna, Austria.

Anne Wieben graduated from the University of Minnesota before moving to Vienna 15 years ago where she works as a professional opera singer. She holds a Masters degree in Opera Performance from the Vienna Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Classical Vocal Performance, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota.

Mary Wieben said her daughter has always been involved with music, especially classical music. Anne’s mother and grandmother introduced her to the music at a young age. She studied vocal performances in college.

Wieben recently returned to Minnesota for an experimental production called Opera on the Lake. “Die Fledermaus” was the inaugural performance. Wieben acted, produced and directed the production. The idea behind Opera on the Lake is to show opera can happen anywhere.

Mary Wieben said this is the first time her daughter has tried this in Minnesota. Opera is not necessarily big in the land of oom-pah music, but there is a growing audience for opera in the Twin Cities.

The Opera on the Lake experiment did pay off. Anne Wieben received positive reviews for “Die Fledermaus.”

This production of “Die Fledermaus” was shortened and given a local update of the classic Johann Strauss Jr. operetta. The title of the operetta translates to “The Revenge of the Bat” and is a comedy. Wieben’s production had the spoken dialogue translated into English, but the arias and duets remained in German.

No future performances have been scheduled, but Mary Weinben said Anne would likely host future Opera on the Lake performances at Como Lakeside Pavilion. The official Facebook page for Opera on the Lake also promises a return next year.

According to website, Wieben performs regularly with Vienna’s premier interactive theater ensemble, Nesterval and recently starred in a sold-out show of “Das Dorf.”