Category Archives: Opera

Opera Scene Study at the Clarice, May 1-2

Opera Scene Study at the Clarice, May 1-2

The University of Maryland and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center present:

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Opera Scene Study

May 1 & 2, 2025 • 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

First-year Maryland Opera Studio students demonstrate their talent in this showcase featuring scenes from a wide operatic repertory. To keep the focus on beautiful, pure sounds and vivid acting, the performance is accompanied only by piano and minimal props.

The Maryland Opera Studio is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from classic repertoire to provocative new works, it is building contemporary audiences for opera and advancing the art form to sustain those audiences.

Free, no tickets required, click here.

Opera al Fresco at the Clarice, Apr 24

Opera al Fresco at the Clarice, Apr 24

The University of Maryland and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center present:

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
Opera al Fresco

Thursday, April 24, 2025 • 12:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Drop in for some light opera in The Clarice’s expansive indoor Grand Pavilion. This afternoon audience favorite offers a casual preview of the Maryland Opera Studio’s scene study performances scheduled for the following week.

The Maryland Opera Studio is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from classic repertoire to provocative new works, it is building contemporary audiences for opera and advancing the art form to sustain those audiences.

Free, no tickets required, click here.

The Merry Wives of Windsor (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) at the Clarice, Apr 11-19

The Merry Wives of Windsor (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor) at the Clarice, Apr 11-19

The University of Maryland and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center present:
Maryland Opera Studio:
The Merry Wives of Windsor (Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor)
April 11–19, 2025
Fri, Apr 11, 2025 . 7:30PM
Sun, Apr 13, 2025 . 3:30PM
Wed, Apr 16, 2025 . 7:30PM
Sat, Apr 19, 2025 . 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Otto Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor (Die lustigen Weiber Von Windsor) is a German adaptation of Shakespeare’s beloved play, telling the story of notorious drunkard and womanizer Sir John Falstaff and his attempts to woo two married women. After receiving identical letters from Falstaff suggesting illicit affairs, Frau Fluth and Frau Reich decide to teach him a well-deserved lesson and prove their fidelity to their husbands. At the same time, the Reich’s youngest daughter must thwart her parent’s plans to marry her off.

Decorated with a rich orchestration, Nicolai’s comic opera is a tale of love and empowerment, depicting the triumph of cleverness over folly.
ABOUT THE MARYLAND OPERA STUDIO

The Maryland Opera Studio is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from classic repertoire to provocative new works, it is building contemporary audiences for opera and advancing the art form to sustain those audiences.

Tickets: Tickets: $25 Public, $10 Students, click here.

The Fishwife at the Clarice, Feb 14

The Fishwife at the Clarice, Feb 14

The University of Maryland and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center present:

Maryland Opera Studio presents:
New Work Reading: The Fishwife
Composed by Ashi Day

Friday, February 14, 2025 • 7:30PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

From traditional arias to jaunty sea Shanties, The Fishwife is an inventive reimagining of the Brothers Grimm The Fisherman and His Wife. Composed by Ashi Day and commissioned by the Maryland Opera Studio, this new work expands on the original story in an operatic collage of musical languages and styles.

The Maryland Opera Studio is dedicated to the future of opera. Preparing the next generation of great singers and offering performances ranging from classic repertoire to provocative new works, it is building contemporary audiences for opera and advancing the art form to sustain those audiences.

Free, no tickets required, click here.

RE | STORE: Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane at the Clarice, Feb 7

RE | STORE: Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane at the Clarice, Feb 7

The University of Maryland and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center present:
Opera Lafayette and Operacreole:
RE | STORE: Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane
February 7, 2025 • 7PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Did you know that the first complete opera by a Black American has been hidden in a single manuscript for more than 130 years? Edmond Dédé, a fourth-generation free person of color born in 1827 New Orleans, had an incredibly successful career as a conductor and composer in Bordeaux, France, writing nearly 100 critically and popularly acclaimed works for the French stage. His magnum opus, however–a four act French grand opera on themes from Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves–had yet to receive a premiere at the time of his death and languished, unrecognized, in private collections and libraries for over a century.

Opera Lafayette, with Artistic Director Designate Patrick Dupré Quigley, and in partnership with New Orleans’ Opera Créole’s Givonna Joseph (who will lead the Pre-Show Discussions), have painstakingly transcribed this monumental work and will present the long overdue world premiere of Dédé’s masterpiece, 138 years after its composition.

ABOUT OPERA LAFAYETTE: A leading interpreter of music from the 17th to the 19th centuries, Opera Lafayette performs little-known operatic gems and creates a legacy of these works through recordings. Incorporating dance, stunning costumes and intimate staging with rising star singers and musicians playing period instruments, an Opera Lafayette performance transports its audiences to an era when beauty and captivating storytelling were the order of the day. Opera Lafayette gives new life to centuries’ old compositions, supported by scholarly research that highlights both the historical context of these works and their relevance to today’s world. Through this unique combination of entertainment and education, audiences discover opera in a whole new light.

Tickets: Pay what you wish: $5 to $50, click here.