Curtis Opera Theatre is set to present “La Passion de Simone” by Kaija Saariaho and Amin Maalouf. The work will be perfumed by the Curtis New Music Ensemble at Philadelphia Film Center’s Mainstage Theater on Feb. 26, 2026 and Feb. 28, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Led by innovative director and new media artist Marcus Shields, “La Passion de Simone” will {…}
Curtis Opera Theatre is set to open its 2025–26 series with the opera “L’Orfeo” at the Philadelphia Film Center’s Mainstage Theater. The opera will be shown on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16 in a production by John Matsumoto Giampietro. The cast will include rising young stars of the Curtis Opera Theatre, including tenor Harun Ellis Tekin as Orfeo, soprano Juliet Renée {…}
The Curtis Opera Theatre has announced its 2025-26 season. The school will collaborate with renowned conductors, directors, and designers to present fresh and passionate performances from across the operatic repertoire. The first production of the season will be Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo” with David Stern, music director of Palm Beach Opera, conducting the musicians of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. The cast includes tenor {…}
The Curtis Opera Theatre’s 2024–25 Centennial Series will conclude with Bernstein’s “Candide.” The work will be performed on April 11 and 13, 2025, at the Forrest Theatre. The work will be directed by Emma Griffin and conducted by David Charles Abell. Griffin’s staging will place the action of Bernstein’s operetta in a large room, reminiscent of an old Marx Brothers {…}
The Curtis Opera Theatre continues its Centennial Series with Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.” The opera will be presented on Feb. 27–28, 2025 and March 1–2, 2025 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. Conductor Nicholas McGegan and director Marcus Shields lead the work. Robert Frazier and Evan Gray share the role of Figaro alongside Nathan Schludecker and Emilio Vasquez as {…}
Curtis Opera Theatre is set to launch its 2024–25 centennial series with the East Coast premiere of “The Comet / Poppea” at Philadelphia’s historic 23rd Street Armory. The performances will be held on Nov. 1, 2 & 3, 2024, and features MacArthur Award-winning composer George Lewis’ and librettist Douglas Kearney’s wildly inventive operatic setting of Pan-Africanist civil rights activist W.E.B. {…}
Curtis Opera Theatre is set to present “Les Mamelles de Tirésias” and “The Seven Deadly Sins” on March 15 and 17, 2024. The Poulenc opera will star Nathan Schludecker, Juliette Tacchino, Erik Tofte, Morgan-Andrew King, Landry Allen, Hongrui Ren, Judy Zhuo, and Evan Gray. The Weill work will feature Evan Gray, Morgan-Andrew King, Katie Trigg, Maya Mor Mitrani, Landry Allen, {…}
The 2023–24 season of the Curtis Opera Theatre kicks off on Nov. 10 and 12 with George Frideric Handel’s “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato” at the Philadelphia Film Center. This piece was inspired by John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” and adapted by Charles Jennens. Chas Rader-Shieber directs, and Nicholas McGegan conducts. The opera comprises a cast of rising vocalists backed {…}
The Curtis Symphony Orchestra and members of the Curtis Opera Theatre will open the 2023–24 season on October 22 at 7 p.m. at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Cultural Campus, with a tribute to composer Richard Strauss entitled ‘Spectacular Strauss.’ Curtis’ young musicians will showcase their talent, led by conductors Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Micah Gleason. Nézet-Séguin holds the position of music director {…}
On March 10, 2023, Curtis Opera Theatre will present Donizetti’s bel canto comedy, “The Elixir of Love.” Held at the Philadelphia Film Center, this production takes inspiration from steampunk and Victorian-era fashion and ingenuity, and comes as Curtis celebrates Women’s History Month by paying tribute to the impact of women in the arts. Sarah Ina Meyers, who has directed at {…}
(Credit: DanielWelch) Curtis Opera Theatre will present “La Voix Humaine” on Feb. 14, 2023. The monodrama by Poulenc will feature mezzo-soprano Ruby Dibble. She will be directed by Marcus Shields with Lisa Keller accompanying at the piano. The showcase kicks off at 7:30 p.m. local time. “This piece is a virtuosic emotional/vocal showcase for the performers, in our case, Ruby {…}