The inaugural Opera Ithaca Festival runs from October 22 to November 6 and includes mainstage performances of a double bill of Missy Mazzoli’s “Proving Up” and William Grant Still’s “Highway 1, USA” running in repertory with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco.” Focusing on the confluence of social justice and the arts, the Opera Ithaca Festival also features pre-performance panels before the mainstage performances with artists, scholars, and activists, and a series of pop-up performances at Ithaca’s favorite places.
Tickets for these events are available on the Opera Ithaca website.
Double Bill: “Proving Up” & “Highway 1, USA”
Is there a glass ceiling on the American Dream? Join Opera Ithaca for the first-ever pairing of Missy Mazzoli’s searing 2018 drama, Proving Up, and William Grant Still’s jazzy mid-century meditation on life in rural America.
Featuring the operatic directing debut of Cynthia Henderson, this production features an all-star international cast.
November 3, 7:30 PM, pre-performance panel at 6:45
November 6, 2:00 PM, pre-performance panel at 1:15
Location: Hangar Theatre
“Nabucco”
Don’t miss one of the most popular works in the history of opera at the second mainstage event of the Opera Ithaca Festival!Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco, an operatic political thriller that first premiered in 1842 at La Scala, is at the Hangar Theatre on November 4th,. Who has the power, and what are they going to do with it? Verdi’s first bonafide hit explores the struggles of ancient Babylon. From mad kings to hostages and war over a beloved homeland in the 6th century B.C. of Jerusalem – and of course, Opera Ithaca turns it on its head and brings the blazing immediacy of Nabucco to the present.
November 4, pre-performance panel at 6:45
Location: Hangar Theatre
Pop-Up Concert Series
Opera Ithaca pops up across town in concerts highlighting and celebrating the rich cultural fabric of our region.
Apprentice Artist Recital
Saturday, November 5, 4-5:30
Location: CRS Barn