Pittsburgh Opera is set to world premiere Jennifer Higdon and Jerre Dye’s “Woman With Eyes Closed.” The opera will be presented between April 26 and May 4 and is inspired by the real-life theft of seven modernist paintings from Rotterdam’s Kunsthal in 2012. The opera is named after one of the stolen paintings, by Lucian Freud. The show follows a woman who discovers {…}
Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn has announced he will retire after Pittsburgh Opera’s 2025-26 season. Hahn announced during yesterday’s Board of Directors meeting. Hahn began his tenure with the Pittsburgh Opera’s General Director in 2008 and has served as its Artistic Director since 2000. Hahn began his career in opera in 1983 as a Rehearsal Administrator at the San {…}
Pittsburgh Opera is set to present the first-ever performances of Joseph Haydn’s opera “Armida” at the Pittsburgh CAPA School Theater, in downtown Pittsburgh. The opera will be presented between Jan. 25 and Feb. 2, 2025, The work tells the story of The Prince of Darkness who has sent the enchantress Armida into the world to seduce the Christian heroes and {…}
Pittsburgh Opera has added a fifth performance of its world premiere of Jennifer Higdon and Jerre Dye’s “Woman With Eyes Closed.” The company announced that the fifth performance will be held on May 3, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. The newly added performance is due to high demand as the first performance on April 26, 2025, and the final performance on {…}
The Pittsburgh Opera has announced its 2024-25 Resident Artists. The artists will include pianist Maeve Berry, soprano Shannon Crowley, soprano Lauryn Davis, stage director Dana Kinney, tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica, baritone Erik Nordstrom, bass Matthew Soibelman, and mezzo-soprano Audrey Welsh. Pittsburgh Opera’s Resident Artist Program is one of the country’s leading training programs for young singers and received more than {…}
Pittsburgh Opera has announced that Music Director Antony Walker has signed a five-year contract extension with the company. The extension will keep Walker on Pittsburgh Opera’s podium through June 2029. Walker first conducted for Pittsburgh Opera in the company’s 2004 production of “Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria” and has since conducted over 250 Pittsburgh Opera performances spanning more than 50 operas. Pittsburgh {…}
Pittsburgh Opera will present “The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson” this April. The showcase, which features original music by Carlos Simon as well as additional music from Bizet, opens on April 27 and runs through May 5, 2024. The work is inspired by the true story of the founder of the National Negro Opera Company in Pittsburgh in 1941. It {…}
Pittsburgh Opera has announced the debut of an innovative program to make it easier for patrons to enjoy their opera performances. The company announced that it will be offering free childcare to children ages 2-12 at the Sunday, March 24th matinee performance of “La Traviata” at the Benedum Center. The childcare will take place onsite at the Benedum Center, in {…}
Pittsburgh Opera is set to perform Verdi’s “La Traviata” for the first time in seven years. The opera is set to be performed by Vuvu Mpofu in her Pittsburgh debut, Duke Kim, also making his Pittsburgh Opera debut and Michael Chioldi. The cast also includes Julia Swan Laird, Fran Daniel Laucerica, Brandon Bell, Evan Lazdowski, Oren Gradus, and Leah Heater. Antony Walker will {…}
Pittsburgh Opera has announced its 2024-25 season. The season opens with “Tosca.” Ana María Martínez stars alongside Kyle Albertson. Antony Walker conducts and Tara Faircloth directs. The performances will take place at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts. Performance Dates: Oct. 5 – 13, 2024 Next up is “Cavalleria Rusticana” and “Pagliacci.” “Cavalleria” stars Eve Gigliotti, Rafael Davila, Sebastian Catana, {…}
Pittsburgh Opera is set to debut a rideshare voucher program to facilitate patrons getting to and from their opera performances. The new program is funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation and will let Pittsburgh Opera ticket buyers add $60 of Uber Vouchers to their Pittsburgh Opera ticket purchase, at no extra cost. The performances eligible for the program include ” {…}