Composers Marianna Martines and Maria Antonia Walpurgis defied 18th-century convention by putting women front and center. GRAMMY-nominated soprano Lauren Snouffer takes the stage in this daring solo performance reawakening Talestri, Queen of the Amazons, and Berenice, Princess of Egypt. Lauren also shines in bravura arias by Gluck and J.C. Bach, written for the era’s fiercest rival to the soprano: the castrato, a castrated male singer.  The storied Opera Lafayette Orchestra completes this program with Haydn’s Symphony 63, “Roxelana,” an instrumental work celebrating the Sultana of the Ottoman Empire.

EPSG:4326

New Woman

Kaufman Music Center

Sixth & I

Purcell’s ground-breaking opera makes its long-awaited Opera Lafayette debut. Mary Elizabeth Williams returns to Opera Lafayette as Dido, the ill-fated Queen of Carthage, following her internationally lauded performance in last season’s Morgiane. The famously haunting aria “When I Am Laid in Earth” brings the resilient Dido to a crossroad in this woman-centered storyline, delivering an unforgettable saga of love, loss, power, and humanity.

Opera Lafayette Orchestra

Apr 30 - May 2, 2026

New Woman

16 - 20 Oct, 2025

Dido and Aeneas

Opera Lafayette Orchestra