OUR 25/26 OPERA SEASON
The Girl of the Golden West (La fanciulla del West)
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini
Based on a play by David Belasco
The Girl of the Golden West sets the stage for examining whether the roots of America’s promise were always intertwined with conquest, violence, and vigilante justice. Before opera became an American art form, it was up to the great Italian composer Giacomo Puccini to reflect the sound of the nation. Premiering in 1910 at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Fanciulla was an immediate sensation and is still considered by some as the composer’s greatest work. This is a production of English National Opera and Santa Fe Opera.
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September 28 – October 4, 2025
Opera
Highways and Valleys – Two American Love Stories
Highways and Valleys – Two American Love Stories is a unique double bill (Highway 1, USA by William Grant Still and Down in the Valley by Kurt Weill) combining voices often excluded from the operatic mainstream: the “dean of African American music,” William Grant Still, and the Jewish émigré Kurt Weill. From their marginalized positions in American society, both composers sought out the heart of American folk music and brought it into the world of opera.
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December 7-13, 2025
Opera
The Handmaid’s Tale
Music by Poul Ruders
Libretto by Paul Bentley
Based on the novel by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale serves as a cautionary tale that forces reflection on whether America’s core values—freedom and separation of church and state—are at risk. The Handmaid’s Tale provides a chilling look into an imagined future, where America’s fragile democracy collapses into religious tyranny. Echoing contemporary concerns about the overlap between government and religion, this fictional story is timelier than ever.
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March 1 – 7, 2026
Opera
Apartment House 1776
Concept by John Cage
Directed by Yuval Sharon
This immersive opera performance reflects on Detroit’s multiculturalism and encourages audiences to engage in joyous, participatory reflection—highlighting that America’s most significant strength lies in its ability to reimagine and rebuild. Conceived for the US bicentennial celebration of American independence in 1976, John Cage imagined a freeform musical tapestry, a “musicircus,” that reflects America’s diversity and interdependence. Now, fifty years later, Detroit Opera presents a one-of-a-kind immersive experience realizing Cage’s utopian vision of American cultural coexistence.
*Production Premiere*
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May 15-24, 2026
Opera