Highlights of the season:
- The world premiere of John Lewis: Good Trouble, the second work in Cincinnati Opera’s groundbreaking Black Opera Project, honoring the life and legacy of the civil rights icon
- Puccini’s spectacular Turandot in a lavish new-to-Cincinnati production
- The return of Mozart’s masterful comedy The Marriage of Figaro
- Viva Verdi!, a concert celebration of Giuseppe Verdi’s best-loved music
- Two Studio Sessions, offering rare, up-close musical experiences curated by the artists themselves
CINCINNATI (July 25, 2026)—Tonight from the stage of Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall, Cincinnati Opera’s Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director Evans Mirageas unveiled details of the company’s 2027 Summer Festival. Performances will run from June 18 through August 1, 2027, featuring stories that explore courage and conviction, romantic wit, fierce passion, jubilant celebration, and intimate discovery.
The 2027 season opens with the world premiere of John Lewis: Good Trouble (June 18 and 20), inspired by the life of the civil rights icon, with music by Maria Thompson Corley and libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover, marking the second new work to be created through Cincinnati Opera’s Black Opera Project. The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s comic masterpiece, returns (July 8 and 10) in a charming period production. Not performed at Music Hall since 2015, Puccini’s spectacular final opera Turandot will take the stage in an opulent, new-to-Cincinnati production (July 24 and 30; August 1). Completing the season are Viva Verdi!, a concert evening celebrating the music of beloved composer Giuseppe Verdi (June 25), and two Studio Sessions (July 1 and 14) in Music Hall’s intimate Wilks Studio, featuring artist-curated performances in a cabaret-style setting.
Said Mirageas, “During our 2026 season, it was thrilling to see how enthusiastically audiences responded to The Black Opera Project’s first work, Lalovavi, an encouraging sign that this endeavor has arrived at just the right time. We continue that momentum next summer by shining a light on an inspiring American icon with the world premiere of John Lewis: Good Trouble. Combined with the epic emotions of Turandot, the witty charm of The Marriage of Figaro, the celebratory spirit of Viva Verdi!, and the artist-curated Studio Sessions, we look forward to creating memorable experiences that connect and uplift our community.”
Cincinnati Opera
2027 Summer Festival
John Lewis: Good Trouble
Music by Maria Thompson Corley
Libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover
Friday, June 18, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 20, 2027 | 3:00 p.m.
Springer Auditorium | Cincinnati Music Hall
Sung in English with projected lyrics
The season opens with an inspiring operatic tribute to an American icon: John Lewis: Good Trouble, with music by Maria Thompson Corley and libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover. John Lewis: Good Trouble is the second work in Cincinnati Opera’s Black Opera Project, a nationally unique, three-opera commissioning initiative that celebrates the resilience, richness, and creativity of the Black American experience.
John Lewis: Good Trouble chronicles the remarkable life of the U.S. Congressman, a towering figure in the Civil Rights Movement. The opera interweaves Lewis’s personal story with the broader struggles of the time, capturing the essence of his unwavering commitment to love, nonviolence, and justice. Spanning Lewis’s humble beginnings in Troy, Alabama, through the tumultuous events that shaped the movement, John Lewis: Good Trouble delves into issues of race, humanity, and the moral imperative to rise above division. The opera underscores an enduring message of hope, urging each generation to continue the fight for equality and to embrace love as the ultimate tool for lasting change.
The title role will be sung by two singers representing distinct eras of Lewis’s life: Tenor Freddie Ballentine brings “mesmerizing power” (Seen and Heard International) to the role of Younger John Lewis, and the “rich and resonant” (OperaWire) bass-baritone Kevin Short sings Elder John Lewis. As Lewis’s wife, Lillian, is mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, who has performed at distinguished opera houses around the world, including La Scala, Royal Opera House–Covent Garden, Houston Grand Opera, LA Opera, and Washington National Opera. The “rich-toned soprano” (New York Classical Review) Victoria Okafor sings the dual roles of civil rights activist Diane Nash and Older Sister. With a “clear, expressive voice” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), soprano Sirgourney Cook portrays the multiple roles of Congresswoman, Willa Mae, and Student. Praised for his “bountiful, arresting voice” (Chicago Tribune), bass Ron Dukes appears as Jim Forman and John Lewis’s father, Eddie, while Markel Reed employs his “steely baritone” (Schmopera) to portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, and the Jailer. Award-winning tenor Andrew Turner, currently a member of the Vienna State Opera Studio, sings James Bevel and Older Brother.
A prolific director of opera and theatre, Timothy Douglas serves as stage director and dramaturg, with Everett McCorvey, founder and music director of the American Spiritual Ensemble, conducting the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Damien Geter serving as chorus master. The production will be constructed by Cincinnati Opera and helmed by the design team of Anthony Cisek (scenic design), Trevor Bowen (costume design), and Thomas C. Hase (lighting design).
John Lewis: Good Trouble is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Susan and Joseph Pichler.
Viva Verdi!
Friday, June 25, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.
Springer Auditorium | Cincinnati Music Hall
Sung in Italian with projected English translation
Cincinnati Opera celebrates the singular genius of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi with Viva Verdi!, a concert evening drawn from the composer’s most beloved arias, duets, choruses, and instrumental interludes. Spanning favorite operas such as Rigoletto, La Traviata, Aida, and Il Trovatore, the program showcases the sweeping melodies and dramatic power that have made Verdi one of opera’s most enduring voices. Featured artists and programming will be announced at a later date.
Viva Verdi! is made possible thanks to a generous gift from The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists.
The Marriage of Figaro
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
Thursday, July 8, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 10, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.
Springer Auditorium | Cincinnati Music Hall
Sung in Italian with projected English translation
Mozart’s sparkling comedy The Marriage of Figaro returns to Music Hall in a fast-paced tale of love, jealousy, and class conflict set within a single frenzied day. As the clever servant Figaro prepares to marry Susanna, he must outwit his philandering employer, Count Almaviva, who has designs of his own on the bride-to-be. The effervescent score, paired with Lorenzo Da Ponte’s witty libretto, propels a tangle of disguises, mistaken identities, and schemes toward one of opera’s most delightful resolutions.
GRAMMY Award-winning artist Janai Brugger offers a “creamy soprano and passionate singing” (New York Classical Voice) as Countess Almaviva, with baritone Philip Addis as the Count, a role he has portrayed in more than a dozen productions worldwide. Bass-baritone Lawson Anderson brings “irresistible gusto” (The Telegraph) as Figaro, and soprano Cadie J. Bryan, praised for her “radiant tone and nuanced singing” (Bachtrack), sings Susanna. Megan Moore, hailed for her “rich, buttery mezzo tone” and “genuinely beautiful voice” (The Observer), is the young page Cherubino. With a “voice that is rich yet focused” (The New York Times), bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi is Doctor Bartolo, and versatile vocalist Sarah Folsom, who last appeared with Cincinnati Opera as Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof (2025), sings Marcellina.
Designed by Allen Charles Klein, the new-to-Cincinnati production comes from Indiana University and is a co-production by Opéra de Montréal, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Opera Carolina. Costumes have been reimagined by Elizabeth Licata, with lighting design by Thomas C. Hase and wig and makeup design by James Geier. Lorenzo Passerini conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Henri Venanzi serves as chorus master.
Turandot
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Saturday, July 24, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 30, 2027 | 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, August 1, 2027 | 3:00 p.m.
Springer Auditorium | Cincinnati Music Hall
Sung in Italian with projected English translation
Giacomo Puccini’s final opera, Turandot, is one of the art form’s grandest spectacles. Princess Turandot has vowed to marry only the suitor who can correctly answer three riddles, and those who fail are condemned to death. An unknown prince—Calaf in disguise—accepts the challenge, answering all three riddles correctly. When Turandot still hesitates to honor her vow, he offers a wager of his own: if she can learn his true name by dawn, he will accept death. Puccini’s lush, monumental score, including the beloved aria “Nessun dorma,” builds to one of opera’s most transcendent conclusions.
Soprano Jessica Faselt brings her “rich, full, and luminous” (The New York Times) voice to the title role of Princess Turandot. Matthew White, “an elegant tenor capable of exciting high notes” (Cincinnati Business Courier), returns to Cincinnati Opera to make his role debut as Calaf. Soprano Kathryn Lewek, who thrilled Cincinnati Opera audiences as Salome in 2026 and as Rigoletto’s Gilda in 2025, is the devoted servant Liù. With a “clear, glinting bass-baritone” (Parterre Box), Donovan Singletary sings Timur, and baritone Kyle White, praised for his “brawny tone” (Opera News), appears as a Mandarin.
The opulent, new-to-Cincinnati production, designed by Allen Charles Klein and originally directed by Bliss Hebert, hails from Lyric Opera of Chicago and is a co-production of the Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera. On the podium leading the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra will be Lorenzo Passerini. Lighting design is by Thomas C. Hase with wig and makeup design by James Geier. Henri Venanzi serves as chorus master.
Turandot is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Harry and Linda Fath.
Studio Sessions
Thursday, July 1, 2027 | 8 p.m.
Wednesday, July 14, 2027 | 8 p.m.
Wilks Studio | Cincinnati Music Hall
Cincinnati Opera will host two Studio Sessions in Music Hall’s Wilks Studio, each offering an artist-curated, up-close, and personal performance experience. These concerts immerse audiences in a unique atmosphere where artists take center stage, guiding the evening through storytelling and song. Featured artists and programming will be announced at a later date.
Tickets
Subscriptions for the 2027 Summer Festival are on sale now with special “early bird” pricing available until September 14, 2026; subscriptions can be purchased at cincinnatiopera.org or by calling the Cincinnati Opera Box Office at 513-241-2742. Individual tickets will be available for sale beginning February 9, 2027.
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 from 2026 through 2028 celebrating the Black American experience. 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 and the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Support for The Black Opera Project has been provided by the Mellon Foundation, Susan and Joseph Pichler, Ann and Harry Santen, The David C. Herriman Fund of Greater Cincinnati Foundation, Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation, Michael L. Cioffi and Rachael A. Rowe, P&G, The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation, Fifth Third Bank, Liz Kathman Grubow and Jerry Kathman, The Louise Taft Semple Foundation, ArtsWave FLOW, Kari and Jonathan Ullman, H.B., E.W. & F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Vilcek Foundation, Arts Midwest, and the many donors recognized as Friends of The Black Opera Project. Project partner for The Black Opera Project is the Denyce Graves Foundation.
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