Category Archives: Opera

If I Were You by the Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice, Apr 18-26

If I Were You by the Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice, Apr 18-26

Clarice presents:
Maryland Opera Studio
If I Were You
J. Bradley Baker, conductor
Corinne Hayes, director
Jake Heggie, composer
Gene Scheer, librettist

Sat, Apr. 18, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Wed, Apr. 22, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Fri, Apr. 24, 2026 | 7:30 pm
Sun, Apr. 26, 2026 | 3:00 pm

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Based on a novel by Julien Green, Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s If I Were You is a Faustian story that explores themes of love, power and gender roles in a modern setting. In the wake of a near-fatal car accident, the aimless young writer Fabian begins to reassess his life. After an unexpected encounter with his college crush, Fabian makes a deal with an enigmatic, shape-shifting demon, Brittomara, who gives him the power to move his soul from person to person for as long as he likes. Everything comes with a price, however: if he ever returns to his own body, his soul will be Brittomara’s to collect. On his precarious journey to win the heart of his beloved, he leaves a trail of despair and hollow shells. In the end, will he choose to live forever as someone else or die for love as himself?

Tickets: $35, Students/Youth: $15. Click here.

The Alchemists at the Clarice, Feb 13

The Alchemists at the Clarice, Feb 13

Maryland Opera Studio at the Clarice presents:
Opera New Work Reading: The Alchemists
Christian De Gré Cárdenas, composer
Christian De Gré Cárdenas and Joseph Reese Anderson, librettists

Fri, Feb. 13, 2026 | 7:30 PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

The Alchemists unites two legendary periods in the American story—the Gold Rush and the Dust Bowl—to unearth the struggles and triumphs of charging headlong into the unknown in search of glory, and the myths, legends and unfortunate truths that emerge along the journey.

Free, no tickets required. Click here.

The Boy Who Grew Too Fast at the Clarice, Jan 30

The Boy Who Grew Too Fast at the Clarice, Jan 30

Operaterps presents:
Gian-Carlo Menotti’s “The Boy Who Grew Too Fast”

Fri, Jan. 30, 2026 | 7:00 PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. and Online livestream.

Audience Advisory: The Boy Who Grew Too Fast deals with themes of gun violence.

The UMD School of Music’s student-led opera company, OperaTerps, presents Gian-Carlo Menotti’s The Boy Who Grew Too Fast. A tale of highlighting the value of originality and being unafraid to be one’s true self, this single-act opera tells the story of an immensely tall nine-year-old and his desires to fit in. This event includes a post-performance discussion in partnership with PROGRESS, a campus organization focused on preventing gun violence, to both contextualize the work and offer a contemporary perspective on the story and its cartoonish representation of a prominent lived reality.

Tickets: Free, no tickets required. Also livestreamed. Click here.

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.