Opera Philadelphia has announced its 2022-23 season which will see the return of the season-opening Festival O.

Festival O22 (Sept. 21-Oct. 2)

The season will open with Rossini’s “Otello” starring Opera Philadelphia Artistic Advisor Lawrence Brownlee as Rodrigo. He is joined by fellow tenors Khanyiso Gwenxane in the title role and Alek Shrader as Iago, with mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack as Desdemona. Spanish director Emilio Sagi directs the production which will be rounded out by Sun-Ly Pierce, Christian Pursell and Aaron Crouch. Corrado Rovaris conducts.

Performance Dates: Sept. 23-Oct. 2, 2022

“The Raven” by Toshio Hosokawa, based on the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, conjures up a shadowy and unfamiliar world through 45 engrossing minutes of music for mezzo-soprano and 12 instruments. The new production is led by director Aria Umezawa and stars mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi.

Performance Dates: Sept. 21-Oct. 1, 2022

“Black Lodge” will make its world premiere. The work by David T. Little and Anne Waldman is scripted and directed by Michael Joseph McQuilken. The work blends opera and rock into an alchemical exploration of magic, mystery, regret, and redemption. The Festival O22 performances will spotlight the “Black Lodge” film with live musical performance by singer and band Timur & the Dime Museum and members of the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra.

Performance Dates: Oct. 1 & 2, 2022

“Opera on Film” will celebrate both the return to multiple live performance venues in Philadelphia as well as the industry’s recent bold foray into cinematic opera necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Live audiences will enjoy a selection of feature-length and short-form opera films on multiple screens at the Philadelphia Film Center, the city’s premier hub for film.

Screening Dates: Sept. 27-Oct. 2, 2022

“Afternoons at AVA” will be co-presented with the Academy of Vocal Arts. The series will feature soprano Latonia Moore, and additional singers and repertoire will be announced this summer.

Lecture Dates: Sep 24 & Oct 1, 2022

Main Season 

“Carmina Burana” will be performed in concert with Brandie Sutton, Alasdair Kent, and Ethan Vincent.

Performance Dates: Feb. 3 & 5, 2023

Puccini’s “La bohème” will be performed in Yuval Sharon’s new production which shows the opera in reverse order. Corrado Rovaris conducts the opera with Joshua Blue as Rodolfo and Kara Goodrich as Mimì. Melissa Joseph, Troy Cook, Benjamin Taylor, Adam Lau, and Kevin Burdette round out the cast.

Performance Dates: April 28-May 7, 2023