Opera

The festival of new operas — ‘Only the Air,’ ‘Passio,’ and ‘For Women Serving Time’ — filled the Dupont Underground with startling images and evocative text. By GREGORY FORD 

Artistic Director Francesca Zambello gives us a quintessential American story and makes every moment emotionally riveting. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

After exiting the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Opera mounts Scott Joplin’s opera symbolizing the freedom necessary for creative expression. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

The Passion may be one of Western theater’s oldest surviving forms — but in this festival of three premieres, it feels less like a relic and more like a reckoning. By GREGORY FORD

The opera focuses on an enslaved woman and an anti-slavery white woman who collaborated in spying for the Union in Richmond during the Civil War. By BOB ASHBY

The dreamlike world premiere tells the story of Blues legend Robert Johnson, who was said to have sold his soul to the Devil.  By GREGORY FORD

Rosa Feola as Countess Rosina Almaviva was the absolute star of the night. By ZOE WINSKY 

Mack will begin as Executive Director at IN Series December 1, just prior to the company's world premiere performance of 'The Delta King's Blues.'

United Help Ukraine and Loudoun Lyric Opera Company to present first DC-area production of beloved folk-infused Ukrainian opera.

Composer Damien Geter and Librettist Jarrod Lee share the backstory of 'The Delta King’s Blues,' their world premiere opera about the life of Robert Johnson. By GREGORY FORD

There is plenty of spectacle in Washington National Opera’s production, and the performances are strong and compelling. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

This world premiere staging of Alessandro Stradella’s 1675 oratorio is a colossal achievement of imagination and skill. By GREGORY FORD

In the company’s 50th Anniversary season, a production of Puccini's grand opera to die for. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

The inclusion of Igor Stravinsky’s artfully realized opera in this 50th Anniversary Season shows Glimmerglass Festival at its best. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

The opera festival's 50th season honors designer legend John Conklin with a Sondheim feast and a world premiere coming-of-age story about a young Chicana. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

Washington National Opera's production makes a radical and joyful declaration of the power and resiliency of community. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

The creators and performers deliver a touching love story, a powerful history lesson, and a cautionary note about continuing bias. By BOB ASHBY

Washington National Opera presents an important and lasting new opera about a tech bro who was not a nice guy. By SUSAN GALBRAITH

The captivating production merges Monteverdi’s masterpiece with vibrant South Indian influences. By RASHEEDA AMINA CAMPBELL

Music, singing, and acting come together for a moving story of love and sacrifice. By CHARLES GREEN