Mannes Opera has announced its 2023-24 season which will feature contemporary American operas, including works by composers on the forefront of today’s opera scene: Kate Soper, Rachel J. Peters, Mark Adamo, and John Adams.

“We have spent a lot of time building our practice in contemporary and experimental music at Mannes, including our composition faculty, ensembles in residence, and the repertoire being chosen for our major productions and performances. So, we are excited to see the 2023 season of the Mannes Opera focus on such wonderful contemporary works,” said Richard Kessler, Dean of Mannes.

The season opens with two fantastical stories, “Mermaid in the Jar,” the first short chamber opera in the Peters and Vavrek’s Wild Beast of the Bungalow triptych. It will be performed alongside Ravel’s “L’enfant et les sortilèges.”

Performance Dates: Nov. 17 & 18, 2023

The next production of the season will be Kate Soper’s “Here Be Sirens.” The work is scored for three singers and a piano. Jen Pitt directs, with original cast member Gelsey Bell as Musical Advisor.

Performance Dates: Feb. 16 & 17, 2024

Mark Adamo’s “Lysistrata, or The Nude Goddess” will be performed at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater. Geoffrey McDonald conducts and Laine Rettmer directs.

Performance Dates: March 7-10, 2024

The season concludes with John Adams’ “I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw The Sky.” The work will be performed at Ernst C. Stiefel Hall, 55 West 13th Street.

Performance Dates: April 12 & 13, 2024