OUR 25/26 OPERA SEASON
Highways and Valleys – Two American Love Stories
Journey into the soul of America with Detroit Opera’s inspiring double-bill. In Highway 1, USA, William Grant Still, the “Dean of African American composers,” paints a portrait of a family navigating the promises and pressures of the American Dream. It is paired with Kurt Weill’s folk-inspired Down in the Valley, a newly staged production and premiere about love and sacrifice.
Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now!
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.
CONTENT WARNING: The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian setting based on the original novel, contains graphic depictions of sexual and physical violence, state-enforced pregnancy, and gender-based oppression, as well as scenes of psychological trauma and hangings. Viewer discretion is advised. Not recommended for children under 16 years of age.
Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now!
March 1 – 7, 2026
Opera
Apartment House 1776
As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial, Detroit Opera invites you to Apartment 1776, a revolutionary, immersive operatic experience staged inside the galleries of the Cranbrook Art Museum. Originally conceived by John Cage for the US bicentennial in 1976, Apartment House 1776 places you at the crossroads of the nation’s colonial foundations, imagined as a chorus of voices drifting from apartment windows. Listen, share, and consider how the multiplicity of 1776 still resonates today. No two audience members will have the same experience!
*Production Premiere*
May 21-24, 2026
Opera
