Featured Stories
The Mechanics of Baroque Opera: Illusion, Engineering, and Spectacle
by Austin Richey, Ph.D.
Digital Media Manager and Storyteller, Detroit Opera
Opera in the Baroque era was as much about visual splendor as it was about music. Audiences didn’t just come to hear exquisite arias—they came for stage magic, for floating castles, fiery infernos, and gods descending from the heavens. The theaters of Handel’s day were laboratories of illusion, where stage designers pushed the limits of technology to transport audiences to enchanted landscapes and mythic battles.
February 17, 2025
Opera
Handel’s Castrati: The Rockstars of the Baroque Stage
by Austin Richey, Ph.D.
Digital Media Manager and Storyteller, Detroit Opera
In the 18th century, long before pop stars filled concert halls with screaming fans, another type of musical idol commanded the spotlight: the castrato. These extraordinary singers possessed voices of unparalleled power, agility, and range. At the height of their fame, they were celebrated, adored, and obscenely wealthy, commanding fees that eclipsed even those of composers like Handel himself.
February 17, 2025
Opera
Handel’s London: A City in Opera
by Austin Richey, Ph.D.
Digital Media Manager and Storyteller, Detroit Opera
In the early 18th century, London was a city of spectacle. Theaters buzzed with energy, coffeehouses teemed with debate, and the newly formed Royal Academy of Music sought to establish Italian opera as the pinnacle of entertainment for the city’s elite. Into this world stepped a 25-year-old German composer named George Frideric Handel, who, in 1711, stunned London audiences with his first Italian opera for the English stage: Rinaldo…
February 10, 2025
Opera
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater programs announced!
We’re so excited to share with you the programs for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater‘s weekend of performances at Dance @ Detroit Opera! We look forward to seeing you there!
January 16, 2025
Dance
Falling Hard
The trope of the “fallen woman” has been a recurring theme in opera for centuries, reflecting societal anxieties about female morality, sexuality, and autonomy. La traviata is perhaps the most famous opera to feature a woman who defies social or sexual norms and faces tragic consequences….
October 15, 2024
Opera
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Alvin Ailey Dance Masterclass
UPDATE: this masterclass is SOLD OUT! We thank our dance community for their vibrant response to this wonderful class. Registration is now closed. This masterclass will be taught by company members of world famous Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The class will include modern technique and movement from Mr. Ailey’s signature works. This is most…
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DANCE MAGAZINE: Celebrating 30 Years of Complexions Contemporary Ballet
by Jennifer Heimlich A dancer’s long leg reaches skyward as she tilts daringly far off pointe, before launching into a rapid-fire string of intricate steps. Her slinky upper body contrasts with the highly technical classicism of her legs. Her movement has a sense of expansive freedom that’s at once gutsy and elegant. If this aesthetic…
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Detroit Opera House Tours
Join us for a 55-minute Detroit Opera House Highlights Tour (tour locations vary subject to performance schedule). These new tours are open to the public; reservations are required. Tickets are available online or on the day of at the Box Office (Broadway Street). $10 for adults and $8 for students. BUY TICKETS – 11:00am Tour…
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