Cincinnati Opera’s 2027 Summer Festival will open with the world premiere “John Lewis: Good Trouble,” chronicling the life of the U.S. Congressman and Civil Rights icon. The season will include a lavish production of Puccini’s “Turandot,” not seen in Music Hall since 2015. And Mozart’s irresistible comedy “The Marriage of Figaro” will round out the mainstage season.

As we have come to enjoy in recent years, there will be several single-night musical events.  In celebration of a new, $6 million gift from the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation, “Viva Verdi!” will feature some of Verdi’s best-loved operatic music in a Music Hall concert in Springer Auditorium (7:30 p.m. June 25, 2027).  And the popular Studio Sessions of intimate musical evenings curated by the performing artists will continue in two performances in Wilks Studio, July 1 and July 14, both at 8 p.m. in Wilks Studio at Music Hall. More details on those events will be unveiled later.

Performances will run from June 18 through August 1, 2027.

Artistic director Evans Mirageas announced details of the 2027 on July 25 to the Music Hall audience assembled for opening night of Bizet’s “Carmen.”

Said Mirageas in a statement: “During our 2026 season, it was thrilling to see how enthusiastically audiences responded to The Black Opera Project’s first work, Lalovavi,’ an encouraging sign that this endeavor has arrived at just the right time. We continue that momentum next summer by shining a light on an inspiring American icon with the world premiere of ‘John Lewis: Good Trouble.’ Combined with the epic emotions of ‘Turandot,’ the witty charm of ‘The Marriage of Figaro,’ the celebratory spirit of ‘Viva Verdi!,’ and the artist-curated Studio Sessions, we look forward to creating memorable experiences that connect and uplift our community.”

More details:

The 2027 season opens with the world premiere of “John Lewis: Good Trouble” (Friday, 7:30 p.m. June 18 and Sunday, 3 p.m. June 20), with music by Maria Thompson Corley and libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover, marking the second new work to be created through Cincinnati Opera’s Black Opera Project. The unique, three-opera commissioning initiative celebrates the resilience, richness, and creativity of the Black American experience. The opera interweaves Lewis’s personal story — including his humble beginnings in Troy, Alabama — with the broader struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, capturing the essence of his unwavering commitment to love, nonviolence, and justice.

Timothy Douglas serves as stage director and dramaturg. Everett McCorvey, founder and music director of the American Spiritual Ensemble and director of Opera Theatre at the University of Kentucky, will conduct the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

The title role will be sung by two singers representing distinct eras of Lewis’s life: Tenor Freddie Ballentine will perform the role of Younger John Lewis, and bass-baritone Kevin Short sings Elder John Lewis. As Lewis’s wife, Lillian, is the renowned mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson, and Victoria Okafor sings the dual roles of civil rights activist Diane Nash and Older Sister. Soprano Sirgourney Cook portrays the multiple roles of Congresswoman, Willa Mae, and Student. Bass Ron Dukes appears as Jim Forman and John Lewis’s father, Eddie, while Markel Reed will portray Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, and the Jailer. Award-winning tenor Andrew Turner sings James Bevel and Older Brother.

Damien Geter serves as chorus master. The all-new production will be constructed by Cincinnati Opera and helmed by the design team of Anthony Cisek (scenic design), Trevor Bowen (costume design), and Thomas C. Hase (lighting design).

         The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s comic masterpiece, returns in a period production (Thursday 7:30 p.m. July 8 and Saturday 7:30 p.m. July 10). The Grammy Award-winning artist soprano Janai Brugger performs the role of Countess Almaviva, with baritone Philip Addis as the Count, a role he has portrayed in more than a dozen productions worldwide. Bass-baritone Lawson Anderson sings the role of Figaro, and soprano Cadie J. Bryan is  Susanna. Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, a native of West Chester, is the young page Cherubino, bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi performs as Doctor Bartolo, and vocalist Sarah Folsom sings the role of Marcellina.

Designed by Allen Charles Klein, the production comes from Indiana University and is a co-production by Opéra de Montréal, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Opera Carolina. Costumes have been reimagined by Elizabeth Licata, with lighting design by Thomas C. Hase and wig and makeup design by James Geier. Lorenzo Passerini conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Henri Venanzi serves as chorus master.

        Not performed at Music Hall since 2015, Puccini’s spectacular final opera Turandot will take the stage in an opulent, new-to-Cincinnati production (Saturday 7:30 p.m. July 24 and Friday 7:30 p.m. July 30; Sunday, 3 p.m. August 1). Soprano Jessica Faselt, an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, brings her “rich, full, and luminous” (The New York Times) voice to the title role of Princess Turandot. Matthew White, currently appearing as Don José in “Carmen,” returns to Cincinnati Opera to make his role debut as Calàf. Soprano Kathryn Lewek, who thrilled Cincinnati Opera audiences as Salome in 2026 and as Rigoletto’s Gilda in 2025, makes her third role debut in Cincinnati, this time as the devoted servant Liù. Bass-baritone” Donovan Singletary sings Timur, and baritone Kyle White appears as a Mandarin.

Designed by Allen Charles Klein and originally directed by Bliss Hebert, the production hails from Lyric Opera of Chicago and is a co-production of the Dallas Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and San Francisco Opera. Lighting design is by Thomas C. Hase with wig and makeup design by James Geier. Lorenzo Passerini will be conducting the CSO; Henri Venanzi serves as chorus master.

Subscriptions for the 2027 Summer Festival are on sale now with special “early bird” pricing available until September 14, 2026; subscriptions can be purchased at cincinnatiopera.org or by calling the Cincinnati Opera Box Office at 513-241-2742. Individual tickets will be available for sale beginning February 9, 2027.

 

S