Name: VanderLaan Prize
Start: 2026-03-28T19:30:00
Location: Betty Van Andel Opera Center

Karen Slack

Blair Salter

Jason Ferrante

Opera Grand Rapids

Opera Grand Rapids proudly presents the Michigan premiere of Stuck Elevator, a groundbreaking chamber opera by composer Byron Au Yong and librettist Aaron Jafferis. Inspired by the true story of an undocumented Chinese immigrant trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours, this genre-defying work fuses opera, hip-hop, and spoken word to illuminate the unseen struggles of immigrant life in urban America. This landmark production features an all native Chinese-speaking cast and the first all-Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative team to stage the opera, under the visionary direction of Mo Zhou, marking a significant milestone in the work’s performance history.

Stuck Elevator

Betty Van Andel Opera Center

… literature, that is!

Curated by musicologist Camellia Adams, this informative and entertaining evening connects the music and stories of opera with its many roots in the written word.

Opera is Lit

One of the top collegiate vocal competitions in the nation, the VanderLaan Prize gives vocal students a chance to compete for cash prizes. 10 finalists will be chosen to perform in the final-round concert, judged by world-class opera professionals.

VanderLaan Prize

OGR’s annual fundraising gala. Stay tuned for more details!

Night With the Opera

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Opera Grand Rapids concludes its 2025–26 season with a bold reimagining of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, a poignant tale of survival, betrayal, and cultural collision. This landmark production marks Opera Grand Rapids’ first-ever international co-production, in partnership with Calgary Opera and Arizona Opera. Led by an all-female, Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) creative team, the production offers a fresh, culturally informed perspective on this timeless classic.