Singer

A satirical novella by Voltaire meets a dazzling score by Leonard Bernstein in this 1956 operetta. The naïvely optimistic Candide sets out to explore the world, beset by an endless series of disasters, including war, an earthquake, and a shipwreck.

By turns funny, philosophical, and deeply moving, Candide mixes human foibles, supernatural catastrophes, and earthly adversity into a thoroughly entertaining whole. Come hear Bernstein’s legendary score, full of witty lyrics, romantic longing, and the greatest finale in all opera.

EPSG:4326

Candide

Overture Center for the Arts

A satirical novella by Voltaire meets a dazzling score by Leonard Bernstein in this 1956 operetta. The naïvely optimistic Candide sets out to explore the world, beset by an endless series of disasters, including war, an earthquake, and a shipwreck.

Lyric Opera of Chicago welcomes Champion, the first opera written by composer Terence Blanchard. Based on a true story and featuring a libretto by Michael Cristofer; the drama unfolds in what composer Terence Blanchard calls “an opera in jazz.” Welterweight boxer Emile Griffith is tortured by the complex realities of his life: decades-long guilt from defeating a challenger in the ring, who died from Griffith’s blows; and desperately conflicted feelings regarding his own sexuality. James Robinson’s production arrives in Chicago with a remarkable cast. Joining Lyric favorites Reginald Smith, Jr., Whitney Morrison, and Paul Groves is Justin Austin, a brilliant new star who triumphed in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, with Music Director Enrique Mazzola leading the Lyric Opera Orchestra.

Champion

Lyric Opera House

Sicily, 1900. A beautiful place with a passionate underbelly. The perfect setting for Pietro Mascagni’s legendary Cavalleria rusticana, a compelling story of love and betrayal. Turiddu and Lola have happily rekindled their old love, but Lola’s husband finds out, and Santuzza feels betrayed, all with dire consequences. Conductor James Gaffigan brings an international reputation as an opera conductor, and he tells this tale with white-hot intensity. 

Opera in Concert: Cavalleria rusticana

Stifel Theatre

The world’s greatest love story told in unforgettable duets, radiant melodies, and powerful choruses. While Gounod is best known for Faust, his setting of Shakespeare’s “most excellent tragedy” is a stunning showcase for its two young stars. With a stellar cast and a contemporary production from the Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company, be sure to catch this new take on a classic.

2023 Romeo and Juliet

Alice Busch Opera Theater

Francesca Zambello’s spectacular production of this great American musical comes roaring back to life. Voltaire’s biting wit, Bernstein’s toe-tapping, heart-warming melodies, and a barrel-load of laughs make for a wild ride across the “best of all possible worlds.” Yet from Montevideo to El Dorado, calamity seems to follow poor Candide and Cunegonde everywhere they go; what’s the use of optimism when the odds seem stacked against you?

2023 Candide

When Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones opened the Met’s 2021–22 season to universal acclaim, it marked a historic moment in the annals of the company. Now, the six-time Grammy Award–winning composer’s first opera arrives at the Met. Bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green is the young boxer Emile Griffith, who rises from obscurity to become a world champion, and bass-baritone Eric Owens portrays Griffith’s older self, haunted by the ghosts of his past. Soprano Latonia Moore is Emelda Griffith, the boxer’s estranged mother, and mezzo- soprano Stephanie Blythe is the bar owner Kathy Hagan. Yannick Nézet-Séguin is again on the podium for Blanchard’s second Met premiere, and director James Robinson—whose productions of Fire and Porgy and Bess brought down the house—oversees the staging. Camille A. Brown, whose choreography electrified audiences in Fire and Porgy, also returns.

Meredith Arwady

Contralto

Events

26 - 28 Apr, 2024

Candide · Madison Opera

26 - 27 Apr, 2024

Candide · Overture Center for the Arts

Jan 27 - Feb 11, 2024

Champion · Lyric Opera of Chicago

11 - 12 Nov, 2023

Opera in Concert: Cavalleria rusticana · St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Jul 15 - Aug 19, 2023

2023 Romeo and Juliet · Glimmerglass Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

The Old Lady in Candide by Bernstein

Madison Opera

Kathy Hagen in Champion by Blanchard

The Metropolitan Opera

About

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