Curtis Opera Theatre - Curtis Institute of Music
Source: https://www.curtis.edu/curtis-performances/opera
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:19
Curtis Opera Theatre - Curtis Institute of Music
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Visionary productions and extraordinary musicianship.
The promising young artists of
Curtis Opera Theatre
collaborate with renowned conductors, directors, and designers to present fresh and passionate performances from across the operatic repertoire. Through visionary productions and extraordinary musicianship, they engage audiences with dynamic interpretations. Curtis’ voice and opera students feature prominently throughout the season, gaining formative performance experience to fuel their careers with top opera companies across the United States and Europe, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.
Subscription pre-sale now available.
Subscribe and Save
Subscribe now to the 2026–27 season and get the best seats at the best prices.
Subscribe Now
Contact
E-mail
:
tickets@curtis.edu
Phone
:
(215) 893-7902
Hours
: Mon–Fri from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2026/27
November 19 & 21, 2026 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Written at the height of 1950s McCarthyism, the work follows a young woman unjustly persecuted by her Evangelical community in rural Tennessee. Praised for its distinctly American voice,
Floyd
’s score blends folk-inspired melodies and traditional hymns with operatic lyricism, creating a sound world rooted in the American South.
Learn More
February 18 & 20, 2027 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Romance and madness collide in
Haydn
’s heroic comedy
Orlando Paladino
. Inspired by Ariosto’s 16th-century epic poem, the opera follows princess Angelica and her beloved Medoro as they flee the jealous knight Orlando, whose unrequited love drives him toward delirious obsession.
Learn More
April 30 & May 2, 2027 | Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center
Debussy
’s modernist masterpiece traces a shadowy, dream-like love triangle through glances, silences, and hidden desires. A landmark of musical symbolism,
Pelléas et Mélisande
continues to mesmerize audiences over a century later.
Learn More
2025/26
November 14 & 16, 2025 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Curtis Opera Theatre presents
L’Orfeo
,
Monteverdi
’s groundbreaking masterpiece that reshaped opera. Renowned conductor
David Stern
leads the cast of rising opera stars in acclaimed director and playwright
John Matsumoto Giampietro
’s production. Premiered in 1607,
L’Orfeo
merges Renaissance polyphony with Baroque drama—a stunning musical experience that places raw human emotions at its core.
Learn More
February 26 & 28, 2026 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Experience a mesmerizing meditation on faith, sacrifice, and resistance by Finnish composer
Kaija Saariaho
in a “Musical Journey in 15 Stations.” Directed by
Marcus Shields
and conducted by
Marc Lowenstein
, this opera-oratorio explores the life and writings of the radical French philosopher and activist Simone Weil through a stunning fusion of music, poetry, and theater.
Learn More
April 30 & May 2, 2026 | Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center
Magic and mischief intertwine in
Benjamin Britten
’s enchanting adaptation of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. Critically acclaimed director
Sarah Ina Meyers
and dynamic international conductor
Vinay Parameswaran
lead a dazzling cast of young opera stars in this spellbinding production where feuding fairies meddle with mortals, hearts are led astray, and the surreal world of dreams blurs the edges of reality.
Learn More
The Curtis Opera Theatre is generously supported by the Ernestine Bacon Cairns Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.
Curtis Opera Theatre is a proud member of Opera America.
Curtis received funding from Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Play to your greatness.
Request Info
Visit
Apply
Subscribe to our newsletter for Curtis news, events, announcements, and more.
Sign Up
Skip to content
Visionary productions and extraordinary musicianship.
The promising young artists of
Curtis Opera Theatre
collaborate with renowned conductors, directors, and designers to present fresh and passionate performances from across the operatic repertoire. Through visionary productions and extraordinary musicianship, they engage audiences with dynamic interpretations. Curtis’ voice and opera students feature prominently throughout the season, gaining formative performance experience to fuel their careers with top opera companies across the United States and Europe, including La Scala, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera.
Subscription pre-sale now available.
Subscribe and Save
Subscribe now to the 2026–27 season and get the best seats at the best prices.
Subscribe Now
Contact
:
tickets@curtis.edu
Phone
:
(215) 893-7902
Hours
: Mon–Fri from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2026/27
November 19 & 21, 2026 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Written at the height of 1950s McCarthyism, the work follows a young woman unjustly persecuted by her Evangelical community in rural Tennessee. Praised for its distinctly American voice,
Floyd
’s score blends folk-inspired melodies and traditional hymns with operatic lyricism, creating a sound world rooted in the American South.
Learn More
February 18 & 20, 2027 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Romance and madness collide in
Haydn
’s heroic comedy
Orlando Paladino
. Inspired by Ariosto’s 16th-century epic poem, the opera follows princess Angelica and her beloved Medoro as they flee the jealous knight Orlando, whose unrequited love drives him toward delirious obsession.
Learn More
April 30 & May 2, 2027 | Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center
Debussy
’s modernist masterpiece traces a shadowy, dream-like love triangle through glances, silences, and hidden desires. A landmark of musical symbolism,
Pelléas et Mélisande
continues to mesmerize audiences over a century later.
Learn More
2025/26
November 14 & 16, 2025 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Curtis Opera Theatre presents
L’Orfeo
,
Monteverdi
’s groundbreaking masterpiece that reshaped opera. Renowned conductor
David Stern
leads the cast of rising opera stars in acclaimed director and playwright
John Matsumoto Giampietro
’s production. Premiered in 1607,
L’Orfeo
merges Renaissance polyphony with Baroque drama—a stunning musical experience that places raw human emotions at its core.
Learn More
February 26 & 28, 2026 | Mainstage Theater, Philadelphia Film Center
Experience a mesmerizing meditation on faith, sacrifice, and resistance by Finnish composer
Kaija Saariaho
in a “Musical Journey in 15 Stations.” Directed by
Marcus Shields
and conducted by
Marc Lowenstein
, this opera-oratorio explores the life and writings of the radical French philosopher and activist Simone Weil through a stunning fusion of music, poetry, and theater.
Learn More
April 30 & May 2, 2026 | Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center
Magic and mischief intertwine in
Benjamin Britten
’s enchanting adaptation of William Shakespeare’s romantic comedy. Critically acclaimed director
Sarah Ina Meyers
and dynamic international conductor
Vinay Parameswaran
lead a dazzling cast of young opera stars in this spellbinding production where feuding fairies meddle with mortals, hearts are led astray, and the surreal world of dreams blurs the edges of reality.
Learn More
The Curtis Opera Theatre is generously supported by the Ernestine Bacon Cairns Trust, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the Wyncote Foundation.
Curtis Opera Theatre is a proud member of Opera America.
Curtis received funding from Pennsylvania Creative Industries, powered by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Play to your greatness.
Request Info
Visit
Apply
Subscribe to our newsletter for Curtis news, events, announcements, and more.
Sign Up