Tag Archives: Cincinnati Opera

October 26, 2026 · 5:50 pm

Cincinnati Opera on WGUC

Cincinnati Opera and 90.9 WGUC bring opera to the airwaves with fall broadcasts of the 2026 Summer Festival and a live 2027 Season Preview

CINCINNATI (October 26, 2026)—Cincinnati Opera and 90.9 WGUC, Cincinnati’s classical public radio station and the Opera’s media partner, continue their collaboration to bring local opera to the airwaves this fall and winter.

Beginning November 1, 2026, WGUC will broadcast six performances from Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival on Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. ET. Then, on Saturday, January 23, 2027, WGUC will air Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Season Preview live from the Cincinnati Public Radio studios, and the public is invited to join the studio audience.

Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Summer Festival took place June 18–August 2, 2026, at Cincinnati’s historic Music Hall. The fall broadcasts include Richard Strauss’s Salome; the world premiere of Kevin Day and Tifara Brown’s Lalovavi, the first work in Cincinnati Opera’s Black Opera Project; Georges Bizet’s Carmen; Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice; and both of Cincinnati Opera’s 2026 Studio Sessions: “Soul & Sound 2.0: The Gospel of Tomorrow” and “Matthew White in Recital.”

The 2027 Season Preview in January offers an early look at Cincinnati Opera’s 107th Summer Festival, which features the world premiere of Maria Thompson Corley and Diana Solomon-Glover’s John Lewis: Good Trouble, the second work in the Black Opera Project; the all-star concert Viva Verdi!; Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; Puccini’s Turandot; and the return of Studio Sessions.

All broadcasts can be heard locally on air at 90.9 FM and online at wguc.org.

CINCINNATI OPERA’S 2026 SUMMER FESTIVAL ON 90.9 WGUC

Broadcast Schedule:

Sunday, November 1 | 8 p.m. ET

Salome
Originally performed June 18 and 20, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Richard Strauss; libretto by Hedwig Lachmann, based on the play by Oscar Wilde
Robert Spano, conductor; Jose Maria Condemi, stage director

Featuring: Kathryn Lewek, Alfred Walker, Chad Shelton, Michelle DeYoung, Zach Borichevsky; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: Salome, the teenage princess of Judea, becomes dangerously fixated on the imprisoned prophet John the Baptist. 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 lust, power, and prophecy, where every glance is loaded, and no desire is without cost.

Sunday, November 8 | 8 p.m. ET

Studio Sessions—Soul & Sound 2.0: The Gospel of Tomorrow
Originally performed June 25, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio

Featuring: Tifara Brown (poet and host), G. Thomas Allen (countertenor), Donald Lee III and Kevin Miller (pianos)

Description: Hosted by poet Tifara Brown and featuring countertenor G. Thomas Allen and pianists Kevin Miller and Donald Lee III, this intimate cabaret-style performance is more than a concert—it is a living, breathing ceremony, rooted in the gospel tradition and expanded through virtuosic performance and storytelling. The artists remember and reimagine the power of Black music across time, from the sacred foundation of spirituals into the heart of gospel, through the freedom of jazz and the depth of Black classical excellence, and into a bold Afrofuturist horizon.

Sunday, November 15 | 8 p.m. ET

Studio Sessions—Matthew White in Recital
Originally performed July 1, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio

Featuring: Matthew White (tenor), James Maverick (piano)

Description: Cincinnati audiences will remember tenor Matthew White from his 2025 starring role as Cavaradossi in Tosca and his Don José in 2026’s Carmen. During this Studio Session, White takes to the cabaret stage for his first-ever solo recital, featuring an enthralling evening of music, from opera arias to Appalachian folk tunes, with Cincinnati Opera’s Head of Music Staff James Maverick at the piano.

Sunday, November 22 | 8 p.m. ET

Lalovavi (world premiere)
Originally performed July 9 and 11, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Kevin Day; libretto by Tifara Brown
Kevin Miller, conductor; Kimille Howard, stage director and dramaturg

Featuring: Brittany Olivia Logan, Adrienne Danrich, Morris Robinson, Talise Trevigne, Zoie Reams, Terrence Chin-Loy, Michael Preacely, G. Thomas Allen; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: Set 400 years into the future, Lalovavi (lah-low-VAH-vee) is an Afrofuturist adventure that follows Persephone, the youngest daughter of the ruler of Atlas, the city formerly known as Atlanta. Currency and status in Atlas are determined based on the presence of Syndica, a gene that promotes vitality and longevity. When Persephone is found to possess a version of Syndica that confers immortality, she is betrayed by her family and must run for her life. She is thrust into an epic journey, uncovering a hidden past that leads her to discover love’s true meaning and the power to determine her destiny. 

Sunday, November 29 | 8 p.m. ET

Carmen
Originally performed July 25, 29, 31, and August 2, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall
Music by Georges Bizet; libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Ramón Tebar, conductor; Paul Curran, original stage director; Anderson Nunnelly, revival stage director

Featuring: J’Nai Bridges, Matthew White, Teresa Perrotta, Ryan McKinny, Sam Smith, Kayleigh Decker, Jeysla Rosario Santos, Thomas Dreeze, Jack Keller, Nathan De’Shon Myers; Cincinnati Opera Chorus; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: The fiercely independent Carmen lives—and loves—on her own terms. When she sets her sights on Don José, a straitlaced soldier with a sweetheart back home, he quickly unravels, abandoning everything for her. But Carmen’s heart doesn’t stay in one place for long, and when the charismatic toreador Escamillo enters the ring, jealousy turns deadly. Set to Bizet’s iconic, rhythm-driven score, Carmen is a story of desire, freedom, and fatal choices.

Sunday, December 6 | 8 p.m. ET

Orpheus and Euridice

Originally performed July 28, 30, and August 1, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio
Music and text by Ricky Ian Gordon
Stephen Mulligan, conductor; Audrey Chait, stage director

Featuring Heidi Middendorf (soprano), Christopher Pell (clarinet); members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Description: Orpheus, a grieving musician, loses his beloved Euridice too soon—and is granted one impossible chance to bring her back from the underworld. Guided by music and memory, he descends into a realm of shadows with only one rule: don’t look back. Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice retells the ancient myth with lyrical intimacy and emotional clarity, blending classical voice with contemporary style.

Thanks to the L and L Nippert Charitable Foundation and the Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund and the Victoria L. Memmel Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation for supporting WGUC’s Cincinnati Opera broadcasts.

CINCINNATI OPERA’S 2027 SEASON PREVIEW: LIVE ON 90.9 WGUC

Saturday, January 23, 2027 | 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. ET

Cincinnati Public Radio, 2117 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45207

Broadcast live on 90.9 FM and wguc.org

Tickets: $15; to order, visit www.cincinnatiopera.org beginning Monday, October 26.

Description: Be part of the live studio audience for an inside look at Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Summer Festival. Hosted by Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera’s Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, the program explores the history behind each work and shares behind-the-scenes details about the productions coming to Music Hall. Live singers will perform excerpts from the 2027 Summer Festival, which features John Lewis: Good Trouble, Viva Verdi!, The Marriage of Figaro, Turandot, and Studio Sessions. 

About Cincinnati Public Radio
Cincinnati Public Radio is home to 90.9 WGUC, Greater Cincinnati’s classical music station, and 91.7 WVXU, the region’s NPR news and information station. In addition to its broadcast programming, Cincinnati Public Radio offers a variety of music experiences through its digital streams, including JazzWorks, Inhailer Radio, and Radio Artifact. Through music, journalism, and community engagement, Cincinnati Public Radio connects audiences to the arts, culture, and stories that enrich our region. Learn more at Cinradio.org.

About Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920, it is the second-oldest opera company in the U.S. It presents a season of grand opera every summer at Cincinnati Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark, featuring world-renowned artists and the esteemed Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The company also offers year-round education and community engagement 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 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 Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund as well as 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 Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.

# # #

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as ,

October 8, 2026 · 6:28 pm

Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s Opera Fusion: New Works Partnership Presents Public Preview of Claude & Marcel


CINCINNATI (October 8, 2026)—Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) invite the public to an exclusive preview of Claude & Marcel, a new opera commissioned by West Edge Opera, on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio (1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202). This special sneak peek will be presented through Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s dynamic creative partnership, Opera Fusion: New Works, which offers composers and librettists the opportunity to refine their works-in-progress through Cincinnati-based workshops.

With music by Alyssa Weinberg and libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, Claude & Marcel tells the story of Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, who formed one of the most daring creative partnerships of the avant-garde in the early 20th century. Romantic partners, collaborators, and radical thinkers, the two women created surrealist photographs that challenged gender, identity, and power decades before those conversations entered the mainstream. Living on the island of Jersey during World War II, the pair transformed their artistic imagination into acts of resistance against Nazi Germany. Disguised and working in secret, they produced subversive propaganda—poems, pamphlets, and messages designed to demoralize German soldiers—slipping them into pockets, vehicles, and public spaces. Arrested and sentenced to death for their actions, they ultimately survived the war, leaving behind a legacy of courage, defiance, and boundary-breaking art. Their story is one of love, creativity, and resistance—two artists who proved that imagination itself can be a powerful act of rebellion.

The OF:NW workshop of Claude & Marcel will be led by director Elkhanah Pulitzer and conductor Jonathan Khuner. The opera will receive its world premiere at West Edge Opera in August 2027.

Event Information

  • Opera Fusion: New Works presentsClaude & Marcel
  • Thursday, November 19, 7:30 p.m.
  • Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio, 1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202
  • Tickets: Pay What You Wish tickets starting at $15 for adults; free for full-time students (one ticket per valid student ID)
  • Order at cincinnatiopera.org or 513-241-2742 

About Opera Fusion: New Works

Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) dedicated to fostering the development of new American operas. OF:NW offers composers and librettists the opportunity to workshop an opera during a residency in Cincinnati utilizing the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists and culminate with a public presentation of excerpts. Opera Fusion: New Works is generously supported by an anonymous donor. For more information, visit ofnw.org.

About West Edge Opera

West Edge Opera is an opera company based in the East Bay Area, renowned for bold productions and an unwavering commitment to the development of new American opera. Through its annual Summer Festival at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center and its groundbreaking Snapshot and Aperture new works initiatives, WEO has established itself as an incubator of new opera. Since the launch of its New Works programs, WEO has generaed four full opera commissions from emerging voices, with more in development. www.westedgeopera.org

About CCM

Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time. CCM offers 10 degree types (BA, BFA, BM, MA, MFA, MM, MME, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs and workshops.

CCM provides students with professionally oriented immersive experiences to prepare them to enter directly into performing and media arts careers. CCM’s Opera and Voice Departments provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Many of the college’s graduates have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts, and 94.1% of graduates are working in the field or continuing their education one year after graduation.

CCM Voice and Opera program support is provided by The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund and the Patricia A. Corbett Estate. Additional support for CCM’s undergraduate opera productions is provided by Rafael and Kimberly de Acha. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu. 

About Cincinnati Opera

Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920, it is the second-oldest opera company in the U.S. It presents a season of grand opera every summer at Cincinnati Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark, featuring world-renowned artists and the esteemed Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The company also offers year-round education and community engagement 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 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 Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund as well as 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 Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.

# # #

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as ,

October 7, 2026 · 6:28 pm

Celebrating a $6 Million Gift from The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, Cincinnati Opera Announces World-Class Cast for VIVA VERDI!

CINCINNATI (October 6, 2026)—Cincinnati Opera is thrilled to announce the artists who will headline Viva Verdi!, a celebratory concert presented as part of its 2027 Summer Festival on June 25, 2027, at 7:30 p.m. at Cincinnati Music Hall. The internationally renowned artists to be featured include soprano Ailyn Pérez, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Matthew White, baritone Michael Chioldi, and bass Soloman Howard.

The cast includes some of the most sought-after voices in classical music who perform regularly with prestigious opera companies and orchestras throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. They will be joined by the Cincinnati Opera Chorus, under the leadership of Chorus Master Henri Venanzi, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alex Amsel.

This special concert is made possible by a transformational $6 million gift from The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, led by trustees Nanci Wilks Lanni and Barbara Wilks, establishing The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists. This endowed fund will provide Cincinnati Opera with ongoing support for the presentation of singers of the highest quality, beginning in 2027 and continuing with key principal artist engagements in seasons to come. The gift was first announced from the Music Hall stage during Cincinnati Opera’s July 2026 performances of Carmen.

“This is the kind of lineup you’d expect to find on the stage of Carnegie Hall or the Paris Opera,” said Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director. “Each of these artists is a star in their own right, and together they represent the very best of opera today. Harry Wilks loved great singing, and thanks to the family foundation that carries on his legacy, Cincinnati audiences will hear these artists together, right here at Music Hall.”

“An opera company is only as great as the singers on its stage,” said Christopher Milligan, The Harry Fath General Director & CEO. “Cincinnati Opera has long been known for bringing some of the world’s finest voices to Music Hall, and this visionary gift not only secures that tradition but strengthens it for generations to come. Endowed in perpetuity, The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists will sustain the artistry at the heart of our mission not just for one season, but year after year.”

Harry T. Wilks was a Hamilton, Ohio-based attorney, philanthropist, and art collector. An alumnus of Miami University and the University of Cincinnati College of Law, he went on to found Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, preserving hundreds of acres in Hamilton to create one of the most remarkable outdoor-art spaces in the country. Wilks also loved opera and served for many years on Cincinnati Opera’s Board of Trustees, eventually endowing the role of artistic director. Since his passing, his philanthropic legacy has continued through The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, now led by his daughters and Foundation trustees, Nanci Wilks Lanni and Barbara Wilks.

The establishment of The Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists reflects the Wilks and Lanni families’ vision of supporting outstanding artistry in the Greater Cincinnati region and Harry T. Wilks’s lifelong devotion to the art form. It also represents a significant investment in Cincinnati Opera’s future as a celebrated home for excellent singing.

Said Ms. Lanni, “Our desire is to enrich our cultural community by ensuring that Cincinnati Opera has the ability to bring celebrated world-class vocal talent to the Cincinnati audience.”

About the Artists

Ailyn Pérez.

Soprano Ailyn Pérez “possesses not only a gorgeous voice but the spirit and personality of a consummate storyteller” (Boston Classical Review). She has sung leading roles at many of the world’s great opera houses, including Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, London’s Royal Ballet and Opera, Staatsoper Berlin, Teatro Real, and San Francisco Opera. Her signature roles include Tosca, Cio-Cio-San (Madame Butterfly), and Desdemona (Otello), among others, and local audiences will remember her dazzling performances as Mimì (La Bohème, 2010) and Violetta (La Traviata, 2012). A regular at the Metropolitan Opera, she has sung numerous roles there and made history in 2023 in the title role of Florencia en el Amazonas, the Met’s first Spanish-language opera in nearly a century. Recent and upcoming engagements include her role and house debut in Manon Lescaut at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Katya Kabanova at Santa Fe Opera, Aida at Houston Grand Opera, and Desdemona at the Met, where she will also sing in its Diamond Jubilee.

J’Nai Bridges

Two-time GRAMMY® Award-winning mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, praised for her “plush-voiced” singing (The New York Times) and “calmly commanding stage presence” (The New Yorker), performs frequently on the world’s leading opera and concert stages. Her portrayal of Bizet’s Carmen has taken her to the Wiener Staatsoper, Teatro Real, Seattle Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and, most recently, Cincinnati Opera. Her roles at the Metropolitan Opera include Nefertiti in Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and Mary in John Adams’s El Niño; she returns there this season for its Diamond Jubilee all-star gala. She has also appeared with San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Notable recent and upcoming engagements include performances with the BBC Proms, Philadelphia Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, China National Symphony Orchestra, and New Japan Philharmonic.

Matthew White

The New York Times praises tenor Matthew White’s “attractive, healthy voice,” and the New York Classical Review calls him a “distinctive tenor [with a] dark and powerful lyric sound.” Recent opera engagements have included Verdi’s Don Carlo at the Royal Danish Opera, Prince Vassily in Mussorgsky’s Khovanshchina at the Salzburg Easter Festival, and Alfredo (La Traviata) at Houston Grand Opera. Frequently performed roles include Don José (Carmen), Pinkerton (Madame Butterfly), Rodolfo (La Bohème), and the Duke of Mantua (Rigoletto). He premiered and recorded Aaron Zigman’s Émigré with the New York Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Hong Kong Philharmonic. A Cincinnati Opera favorite, he has sung Don José, Cavaradossi (Tosca), and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) with the company. This season, he returns to Cincinnati to make his role debut as Calaf in Turandot, makes his Washington National Opera debut as Pinkerton, and sings the Duke at Opéra de Montréal.

Michael Chioldi

GRAMMY®-nominated baritone Michael Chioldi is a leading interpreter of Verdi and Puccini, appearing at San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, LA Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Gran Teatre del Liceu. Bachtrack hailed his 2022 Metropolitan Opera Rigoletto as a triumph, calling his voice “muscular and grand.” At the Met, he has sung Nabucco, Amonasro (Aida), Sharpless (Madame Butterfly), Gérard (Andrea Chénier), and Don Alvaro in Florencia en el Amazonas, a production released as a GRAMMY®-nominated recording. Beyond the Met, his repertoire encompasses many of the great Verdi baritone roles, including Macbeth, Falstaff, Iago (Otello), Conte di Luna (Il Trovatore), Rodrigo (Don Carlo), and more. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, and orchestras throughout North America and Europe. Following his moving 2025 Rigoletto at Cincinnati Opera, he sings the role at San Diego Opera this season and returns to the Met as Amonasro.

Soloman Howard.

Bass Soloman Howard’s voice has been called “sonorous” (The New York Times), “superhuman” (The Denver Post), and “a triumph” (The Guardian). He has performed at venues across the globe, including London’s Royal Opera House, Semperoper Dresden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera, and Washington National Opera. Signature roles include Verdi’s Ramfis (Aida), Grand Inquisitor (Don Carlo), and Sparafucile (Rigoletto), along with Mozart’s Sarastro (The Magic Flute) and Wagner’s Fafner (Ring Cycle). His Metropolitan Opera credits include Sparafucile, Sarastro, the Commendatore (Don Giovanni), and Timur (Turandot), among others. In 2026-27, he sings Ramfis at the Met, makes house debuts at Houston Grand Opera and São Paulo’s Theatro Municipal, and debuts with the Philadelphia Orchestra as Heinrich in Lohengrin under Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Tickets & Information

Subscriptions to Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Summer Festival, including Viva Verdi!, are currently on sale. Single tickets for Viva Verdi! go on sale February 9, 2027. Tickets and information are available at cincinnatiopera.org. 

About Cincinnati Opera 

Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920, it is the second-oldest opera company in the U.S. It presents a season of grand opera every summer at Cincinnati Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark, featuring world-renowned artists and the esteemed Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The company also offers year-round education and community engagement 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 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 Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund as well as 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 Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.

# # #

Leave a comment

Filed under Press Releases

Tagged as

July 27, 2026 · 6:33 pm

2027 Summer Festival Announced by Cincinnati Opera

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.

# # #

Leave a comment

Filed under Season Announcements

Tagged as

June 25, 2026 · 5:06 pm

LALOVAVI Future Visions Launch Party Unveils Community Murals and a New Comic Book Inspired by Cincinnati Opera’s Upcoming World Premiere Opera LALOVAVI

CINCINNATI (June 24, 2026)—Cincinnati Opera, in partnership with The Robert O’Neal Multicultural Arts Center (ROMAC) and Soul Palette, invites the public to the Lalovavi Future Visions Launch Party. This free community celebration honors the artists and collaborators whose creativity helped bring two ambitious projects to life inspired by the company’s upcoming world premiere of the Afrofuturist adventure, Lalovavi. The event takes place on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 6:00–8:00 p.m., at the ROMAC Artpreneur Center, 1701 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH.

Next month, Cincinnati Opera presents the world premiere of Lalovavi at Music Hall (July 9 and 11), an Afrofuturist opera set 400 years in the future, with music by Kevin Day and libretto by Tifara Brown. Inspired by the setting and themes of the opera—truth, self-determination, and love—Cincinnati Opera partnered with artists and creative organizations to develop two community-generated projects: the Future Visions Community Murals and Rise of Titan, a comic-book prequel to Lalovavi.

Future Visions Community Murals
The evening will mark the official public unveiling of Future Visions Community Murals, a citizen-powered mural series inspired by the Afrofuturist themes at the heart of Lalovavi. The project grew out of a sustained engagement with more than 100 Greater Cincinnati residents, who contributed their ideas and hopes for the future to shape each panel’s imagery, and six core artists who helped bring these ideas to life.

Developed in partnership with Soul Palette, the mural series reflects the power of community voices in the artistic process. Guests at the Launch Party will be among the first to see a sample of the completed panels on display and will have the opportunity to meet some of the mural artists and project partners who brought the work to life. The complete collection of mural panels will be displayed at Music Hall during Cincinnati Opera’s performances of Lalovavi.

Rise of Titan: A Comic-Book Prequel to Lalovavi
The event also celebrates the release of the first volume of Rise of Titan, a comic-book prequel to Lalovavi, written by librettist Tifara Brown and illustrated by Michael Taylor. Developed in partnership with ROMAC’s Artpreneur Program (in which Taylor is a participant), the book expands the world of Lalovavi, offering readers a deeper look at the characters and mythology that underpin Cincinnati Opera’s groundbreaking Afrofuturist world premiere. Brown and Taylor will be on hand to greet attendees, and signed copies of the comic book will be available for purchase.

Lalovavi Community Engagement and Education sponsors are P&G, Millstone Fund, and ArtsWave Circle of African American Leaders for the Arts. 

Lalovavi Future Visions Launch Party

When:
Tuesday, June 30, 2026, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Where:
ROMAC Artpreneur Center
1701 Ray Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Description:
Join Cincinnati Opera and community partners to celebrate the launch of two Lalovavi-themed community creations: the Future Visions Mural Project and the Rise of Titan prequel comic book. Mural panels and Rise of Titan copies will be available for viewing, and participating artists and partners will be in attendance.

Admission:
Free and open to the public

For information:
cincinnatiopera.org

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 nation, 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 continues to shepherd 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. Our 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. 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.

# # #

Leave a comment

Filed under Events, Press Releases

Tagged as