Photo: Wide Eyed Studios On February 26, 2026, Curtis Opera Theatre presented something that was… unique. Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho (1952–2023) deliberately stripped away the familiar scaffolding of opera—no heroes, no villains, no tidy narrative arc—and replaced it with something closer to performance art with a score. Sung in French with English supertitles, “La Passion de Simone” is a 75-minute, {…}
Curtis New Music Ensemble’s 2024–25 series concludes with Amy Beth Kirsten’s “Savior” and “Infernal Angel” at the Gould Rehearsal Hall, on May 9 – 10. Kirsten’s “Savior” is a full-length theatrical work inspired by the mystical life and death of Joan of Arc. The work which premiered in 2018, was originally commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for MusicNOW with {…}
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 {…}
