The Academy of Vocal Arts begins 2019 with a production Dvořák’s “Rusalka,” an opera that it will present for the first time ever in the academy’s 84-year history.

The opera is set to star Kara Mulder in the title role,  John Myers and Piotr Buszewski as the Prince and Claire de Monteil and Renée Richardson as the Foreign Princess. Alice Chung and Chelsea Lagganround out the cast as Jezibaba.

AVA’s production will be fully staged with piano accompaniment and will be sung in Czech with English supertitles.

AVA Master Vocal Coach Luke Housner is the music director and pianist, and Kevin McDowell directs the production.

In a press release, Housner says, “Dvorak’s ‘Rusalka’ offers the Resident Artists of the Academy of Vocal Arts the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the Czech language, culture, and folklore. The opera’s timeless themes, which grapple with the struggle and complex relationship between man and nature, resonant strongly in today’s environment.”

Performances begin on Jan. 26 and run through Feb. 2, 2019.