A fever dream of obsession, power, and prophecy comes to Music Hall June 18 and 20
Cincinnati Opera opens its 2026 Summer Festival with
SALOM
Music by Richard Strauss
Libretto by Hedwig Lachmann
Based on the play by Oscar Wilde
CINCINNATI (June 5, 2026)—On June 18 and 20 at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall, immerse yourself in a psychological thriller that will set your heart racing: Richard Strauss’s Salome. Not seen in Cincinnati in more than 25 years, Cincinnati Opera opens its 2026 Summer Festival with this spellbinding story of obsessive desire and devastating consequences.
Salome pairs a richly dramatic score with fierce performances from a cast led by the Metropolitan Opera’s “reigning Queen of the Night” (The New York Times), soprano Kathryn Lewek, in her title role debut. The all-star cast of Metropolitan Opera regulars also includes tenor Chad Shelton as Herod, bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Jochanaan, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as Herodias, and tenor Zach Borichevsky as Narraboth. Robert Spano conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Jose Maria Condemi directs.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: Cincinnati Opera presents Salome
Music by Richard Strauss
Libretto by Hedwig Lachmann
Based on the play by Oscar Wilde
Sung in German with projected English translations
WHEN:
- Thursday, June 18, 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, June 20, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cincinnati Music Hall, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
THE STORY:
Salome, the teenage princess of Judea, becomes dangerously fixated on the imprisoned prophet John the Baptist (named “Jochanaan” in the opera). When he rejects her advances, her desire curdles into obsession. At her stepfather Herod’s birthday feast, Salome dances and, at her maniacal mother’s behest, demands a gruesome reward. Set to Richard Strauss’s lush score, Salome is a fever dream of obsession, power, and prophecy, where every glance is loaded, and no desire is without cost.
CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM:
- Salome … Kathryn Lewek
- Herod … Chad Shelton
- Jochanaan (John the Baptist) … Alfred Walker
- Herodias … Michelle DeYoung
- Narraboth … Zach Borichevsky
- Page of Herodias … Emily Cotten
- First Nazarene … Thomas Dreeze
- First Soldier … Donghoon Kang
- Second Soldier … Sam Smith
- First Jew … Julius Ahn
- Second Jew … Levi Capesius
- Third Jew … Mark Hockenberry
- Fourth Jew … M. Andrew Jones
- Fifth Jew … Ron Dukes
- Second Nazarene … Alexander Gushrowski
- A Slave … Clara Reeves
- A Cappadocian … Stephen Hanna
- Dancers … Sydney Caggiano, Amanda Pérez Duarte
- Conductor … Robert Spano
- Stage Director … Jose Maria Condemi
- Scenic and Properties Designer … Tim Wallace
- Costume Designer … Anita Yavich
- Lighting Designer … Thomas C. Hase
- Wig & Makeup Designer … James Geier
- Choreographer … Erina Noda
- Stage Manager … Jennifer Shaw
- Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
TICKETS & INFO:
Tickets start at $25. Call 513-241-2742 or visit cincinnatiopera.org.
- The June 18 performance of Salome is Veterans Night. In appreciation, a limited number of free tickets are available to U.S. veterans through Vet Tix, and a 20% discount on full-priced tickets is available for veterans and their families.
- The June 20 performance of Salome is Pride Night. Following that evening’s performance, the company celebrates LGBTQIA+ community with drinks, dancing, and surprises in Music Hall’s Wilks Studio. Tickets are $40 (Salome tickets sold separately). Host and Sponsor opportunities available.
- Additional discounts are available for groups, students, educators, young professionals, seniors, SNAP cardholders, and ArtsWave Pass members. Cincinnati Opera also offers Pay What You Wish tickets for the June 18 performance of Salome, beginning the day of the performance. Details are available at cincinnatiopera.org.
Looking ahead:
Cincinnati Opera 2026 Summer Festival
Salome
Music by Richard Strauss
Libretto by Hedwig Lachmann
- June 18, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
- June 20, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
Springer Auditorium, Cincinnati Music Hall
Studio Sessions: Soul & Sound 2.0
- June 25, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.
Wilks Studio, Cincinnati Music Hall
Studio Sessions: Matthew White in Recital
- July 1, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.
Wilks Studio, Cincinnati Music Hall
Lalovavi (world premiere)
Music by Kevin Day
Libretto by Tifara Brown
- July 9, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
- July 11, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
Springer Auditorium, Cincinnati Music Hall
Carmen
Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
- July 25, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
- July 29, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
- July 31, 2026 | 7:30 p.m.
- August 2, 2026 | 3:00 p.m.
Springer Auditorium, Cincinnati Music Hall
Orpheus and Euridice
Music and text by Ricky Ian Gordon
- July 28, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.
- July 30, 2026 | 8:00 p.m.
- August 1, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Wilks Studio, Cincinnati Music Hall
Visit cincinnatiopera.org for complete details.
About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920 and the second-oldest opera company in the U.S., Cincinnati Opera presents a mainstage season of grand opera every summer at Cincinnati Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark, performed with the renowned Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The company also offers year-round community programming throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.
The company’s repertoire spans beloved classics and bold new works, with a distinguished tradition of producing opera that resonates far beyond the stage. Select regional, national, and world premieres include Margaret Garner (2005), Fellow Travelers (2016), and Blind Injustice (2019), which have gone on to productions across the country. Cincinnati Opera is also the originating home of The Black Opera Project, a first-of-its-kind, multiyear commissioning initiative creating three full-length operas celebrating the Black American experience, beginning with the Afrofuturist grand opera Lalovavi (July 2026). Through Opera Fusion: New Works, its long-running creative partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the company shepherds new American operas from workshop to world premiere. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. Learn more at cincinnatiopera.org
Cincinnati Opera is supported by the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Programming is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Cincinnati Opera also receives support from The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, and the H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations. 90.9 WGUC is media partner for the 2026 Summer Festival.
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LALOVAVI
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 