Both Uses

opera
in
The House on Mango Street
(Auto-generated)

She has lived in this city her whole life. She can speak two languages. She can sing an opera.
Chpt 36 *

opera = a classical music play in which most of the dialogue is sung
She borrows opera records from the public library and sings with velvety lungs powerful as morning glories.†
Chpt 36

opera = a musical play with orchestra in which most of the dialogue is sung (or the art form that consists of such musicals; or describing something as related to that art form)

Definitions:

(1) (opera)
a form of musical theater with orchestra in which most of the words are sung, often in a classical style and sometimes in a foreign language
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
Less commonly, the expression, soap opera, refers to a television or radio program that typically runs for many years and dramatizes the lives of a group of characters.