LYRIC PREMIERE & NEW-TO-CHICAGO PRODUCTION CENDRILLON (CINDERELLA) by Jules Massenet Sung in French with projected English translations “BLISSFUL” AND “ENCHANTING” APTLY DESCRIBE THIS VERSION OF EVERYONE’S FAVORITE FAIRYTALE. Massenet adapted Cinderella with an irresistible blend of wit, sensitivity, and elegance. The love duets are the very essence of romance, but there’s hilarity, too, thanks to the most […]

LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi Sung in Italian with projected English translations VERDI’S MUSIC IS INCOMPARABLE, WITH ONE HEARTSTOPPINGLY BEAUTIFUL MELODY AFTER ANOTHER, in this exquisitely romantic story. Within the social whirl of sophisticated Paris, the courtesan Violetta lives purely for pleasure but longs for true love. She finds the right man in Alfredo, but their […]

LYRIC PREMIERE & NEW COPRODUCTION ARIODANTE by George Frideric Handel Sung in Italian with projected English translations VILLAINOUS POLINESSO LUSTS AFTER GINEVRA, BUT SHE LOVES NOBLE ARIODANTE, WHO LOVES HER IN RETURN. Polinesso will stop at nothing to get his way. Will Ariodante win out over his rival? The dramatic sparks fly, and so do […]

A love story as old as time. It has been told and retold over and over, in movies (Pretty Woman) and books (La Dame aux Camélias) and musicals (Moulin Rouge), but no one tells the story quite like Verdi – with a sumptuous setting and sweeping music. Violetta, a young and beautiful courtesan, falls in […]

A RIVALRY OF BROTHERS All eyes in the village are on Jenůfa. Her fiancé sees only a trophy wife. Her rejected suitor sees a chance to avenge the most cutting wrongs in his past. Her righteous stepmother sees her own life’s tragedy about to play out again for her child. The results are two unspeakable […]

Puccini’s great opera Tosca is a tragedy of a great actress who has “lived for art.” Because of her love for the young artist and revolutionary Cavaradossi, she falls victim to the evil machinations of Scarpia, head of the secret police. The production, using sets from the Seattle Opera, is directed by the distinguished young […]

Two despicable stepsisters, a narcissistic buffoon, and some high-speed vocal acrobatics spell hilarity for Rossini’s take on a beloved fairytale. In La Cenerentola, the good-hearted Cinderella casts off the helpless damsel in distress persona to hold the original Mean Girls at bay. She’s not afraid to pursue her beloved (who she thinks is the Prince’s valet), […]

We invite you to join us in the beautiful St. John's Cathedral in Downtown Boise for a special performance of Handel's Messiah with the Boise Phil and Master Chorale. George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759) Messiah (selections) Emily Birsan, soprano Siena Licht Miller, alto Carlos Santelli, tenor Alan Higgs, baritone Bring a pair of new, […]

Composer: Richard Strauss Librettist: Richard Strauss Premiere Date: Dec 9, 1905, Königliches Opernhaus, Dresden A psychological thriller draped in lust, incest, power, and seduction, Salome is the twisted tale of a depraved tyrant, his bewitching stepdaughter, and her unholy infatuation with John the Baptist. First transported from Mark’s Gospel to the world’s stage by Oscar Wilde, the opera Salome scandalized the music […]

Set a classic children’s tale to Rossini’s sparkling music, and what do you get? Cenerentola: Cinderella, or Goodness Triumphant. Everyone needs a happy ending once in a while, and its composer knew from the start that he had a winner on his hands. Rossini confidently predicted that his Cenerentola would conquer Italy within a year, […]

Italian blockbuster! Traditional grand opera at its best with love, betrayal, and sacrifice. If you love catchy tunes like  “La donna e mobile”, chorus and melodrama, this is for you. Artistic Advisor Francesco Milioto (Chicago Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera) debuts at the Florentine in this traditional production with a modern touch. Victor Hugo’s play […]