Image courtesy of Pacific Opera Project
Tonio in Pagliacci role debut
POP opens our 15th Anniversary Season with an immersive production of Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, under the stars and overlooked by gorgeous Victorian houses at Heritage Square Museum. One of the most iconic operas of all time, Pagliacci is best known for the haunting aria “Vesti la giubba” and its unforgettable main character, Canio—the clown who must perform while his world falls apart. Set in a worn-down traveling circus, Pagliacci explores themes of jealousy, betrayal, and the blurry line between stage and reality. In classic POP fashion, this production places the audience in the middle of the drama during the opera’s famous “play-within-a-play.”
Pacific Opera Project
Josh Shaw, stage director
Blair Salter, conductor
Featuring soprano Janet Todd, tenors Nathan Bowles and Arnold Livingston Geis, and baritone Kenneth Stavert
September 5-14, 2025 at 7:30PM
Heritage Square Museum Lawn: Los Angeles, CA
More information, including tickets, can be found on POP’s website.
Image courtesy of Wichita Grand Opera
High Tea Dressage and Opera
An Unforgettable Afternoon Includes:
🐎 Live Dressage Performances
🐎 Stadium Jumping
🎼 Live Opera Singers
🍰 Traditional High Tea Service
🎩 Kentucky Derby-Inspired Attire Encouraged
Wichita Grand Opera
Featuring soprano Oriana Geis-Falla, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Shelden, tenor Brendan Boyle and bass Peter Volpe
Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 3PM
Haras de Vess Dressage Stables, Kansas: Wichita, KS
Image courtesy of Wichita Grand Opera
Wichita Grand Opera *house debut
With Oriana Geis-Falla
Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 8PM
Holy Cross Lutheran Church: Wichita, KS
No tickets required; free-will donation accepted at the door.
Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem
The season begins with Brahms’ deeply spiritual and humanistic choral masterwork. Composed as a message of comfort for the living, this powerful performance draws on sacred German texts and rich orchestration to explore themes of grief, healing, and hope. Performed in the resonant acoustics of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, it sets the tone for a season rooted in meaning and emotional depth.
Image courtesy of Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera *house debut
Brian Staufenbiel, stage director
Antony Walker, conductor
featuring sopranos Shannon Crowley and Lauryn Davis, mezzo-soprano Audrey Welsh, tenor Logan Wagner, baritones Yazid Gray, Erik Nordstrom and Daniel Teadt, and bass Matthew Soibelman
November 14-16, 2025
Byham Theater: Pittsburgh, PA
More information, including tickets, can be found on Pittsburgh Opera’s website.
Senator Charles Potter/General Arlie/Bartender in Fellow Travelers
Based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 gut-wrenching novel, Fellow Travelers was praised as “a near-perfect example of fast-flowing musical drama” by The New York Times and is already widely considered a contemporary classic.
Image courtesy of San Luis Obispo Master Chorale
Soloist in “Songs of Joy”
The San Luis Obispo Master Chorale invites you on a joyful sonic journey! Enjoy an afternoon of inspiring music for chorus and orchestra, performing alongside talented soloists for a delightful concert of uplifting compositions.
San Luis Obispo Master Chorale
Thomas Davies, conductor
Featuring soprano Jamie Chamberlain, mezzo-soprano Max Potter and tenor Manfred Anaya
Sunday, November 23, 2025 at 3PM
Performing Arts Center: San Luis Obispo, CA
More information, including tickets, can be found on SLOMC’s website.
Artwork by Shimmerleaf Illustration for Opera Laguna.
Opera Laguna
Conductor and solo colleagues TBA.
Kia Smith, choreographer
Dancers of the South Chicago Dance Theater
December 12-14, 2025
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church: Laguna Beach, CA
More information, including tickets, can be found on Opera Laguna’s website.
Handel’s Messiah
Opera Laguna’s holiday tradition returns with a new chapter. Handel’s Messiah has always carried the spirit of opera within it, filled with love, loss, struggle, and redemption. This year, OL continues to lean into that drama, shaping the work as a journey that speaks to our time. The evening includes choreography by Kia Smith and the acclaimed South Chicago Dance Theatre. Their movement brings Handel’s music to life in ways that are both surprising and deeply moving, creating an experience that is as theatrical as it is uplifting.
Image courtesy of Amarillo Opera
Amarillo Opera *house debut
Cynthia Stokes, stage director
Gregory Buchalter, conductor
Featuring soprano Katia Kim, tenors Eric Barry and Joseph McBrayer, and baritone Kenneth Stavert
April 11, 2026 at 5PM
Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts: Amarillo, TX
More information, including tickets, can be found on Amarillo Opera’s website.
Tonio in Pagliacci
Pagliacci is a gripping Italian opera by Ruggero Leoncavallo that tells the tragic story of a traveling clown, Canio, whose heartbreak and jealousy erupt during a performance when he discovers his wife’s betrayal. Blurring the line between theater and reality, the opera climaxes in a shocking finale where art and life collide.