Opera, orchestra team up to tell story of deadly 1913 flood

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An opera company and an orchestra are teaming up to tell the story of the 1913 Great Flood, one of the country’s worst weather disasters.

The production to premiere Friday in Columbus focuses on the flood and its lasting effects on one Ohio family through time.

“The Flood” is a collaboration of Opera Columbus and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

Peggy Kriha Dye (KREE’-ha dye) is general and artistic director of Opera Columbus. She says opera is well-suited for the flood story’s heavy subject matter.

The disaster unfolded in March 1913 as several days of rain flooded Midwestern rivers and streams. In Ohio alone, more than 400 people died and over 20,000 homes were destroyed.

The same weather system led to significant flooding from Illinois through Connecticut.