Opera Orlando on the MainStage celebrates an opera great: Giuseppe Verdi. The Company returns to Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts to present two of his operatic masterpieces, La Traviata and Rigoletto, along with the world premiere of The Secret River based on the book by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. It promises to be another exciting season of original productions featuring outstanding voices, stunning visuals, and incredible music.

With safety as its first priority in the presentation of its 2021-22 season, Opera Orlando continues its consultation with health partners and Dr. Phillips Center to implement an appropriate and comprehensive plan with the goal of continuing to reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19.

RIGOLETTO | music by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
sung in Italian with English supertitles

FRIDAY | April 22, 2022 at 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY | April 24, 2022 at 2 p.m.

Opera Orlando closes its 2021-22 MainStage season with Verdi’s first major success, Rigoletto. This riveting melodrama is a compelling depiction of the callousness of the ruling class at the expense of those beneath them, featuring Korean baritone SeungHyeon Baek in the title role, Metropolitan Opera soprano Lindsay Ohse as Gilda, Rigoletto’s secret daughter, and acclaimed tenor Kirk Dougherty as the dastardly Duke of Mantua. Audiences are in for an intense evening of complex characters, an action-packed plot, and unforgettable music led by Metropolitan Opera conductor Gregory Buchalter and directed by international stage director Kathleen Belcher. The production also features the Opera Orlando Chorus, musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and dancers from the Orlando Ballet.

Full production details HERE.

Age Advisory | PG-13

LA TRAVIATA | music by Giuseppe Verdi with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
sung in Italian with English supertitles

FRIDAY | October 29, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY | October 31, 2021 at 2 p.m.

Opera Orlando kicks off its Viva Verdi! season with his beloved classic, La Traviata, on the MainStage at Dr. Phillips Center. Stephanie Rhodes Russell conducts musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, with artistic director Grant Preisser directing this original, updated production that takes inspiration from the life and experiences of Molly Bloom and is set in the glitz and grit of an underworld New York. Internationally renowned soprano Cecilia Violetta López returns to Opera Orlando as Violetta, whose plight in the original story is a perfect parallel to that of Bloom, who at 26 years old ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game, became an FBI target, and lost everything. The stellar cast will also feature tenor Victor Ryan Robertson, making his Opera Orlando debut as Alfredo, members of the Opera Orlando Chorus, and dancers from Orlando Ballet.

Full production details HERE.

Age Advisory | PG-13

THE SECRET RIVER | music by Stella Sung with a libretto by Mark Campbell
an opera based on the book of the same name by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
sung in English

FRIDAY | December 17, 2021 at 7:30 p.m.
SATURDAY | December 18, 2021 at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
SUNDAY | December 19, 2021 at 2 p.m.

Opera Orlando premieres its first commissioned new work on the MainStage: The Secret River, an opera for all audiences. Based on the young-adult book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Secret River is a one-act chamber opera set in Central Florida during the Great Depression, and follows the journey of Calpurnia, a young, intelligent girl with a robust imagination as she searches for a secret river to help her family and small town. This story for all ages demonstrates the power of trusting one’s imagination and the goodness in everyone. Opera Orlando favorite Kyaunnee Richardson, soprano, returns to sing the role of Calpurnia, with Metropolitan Opera soprano Emily Pulley and acclaimed mezzo-soprano Kimberly Martin as Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Mother Albirtha, respectively. This imaginative, heartfelt, and inspiring production features a chamber orchestra of musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Opera Orlando Youth Company under the baton of Everett McCorvey, founder and music director of the American Spiritual Ensemble. Dennis Whitehead Darling directs with puppetry created and performed by MicheLee Puppets. 

Full production details HERE.

Age Advisory | G