Mozart, Strauss, Bellini and Verdi headline Academy of Vocal Arts' 91st opera season

The Academy of Vocal Arts will celebrate its 91st opera season with a lineup of four acclaimed works spanning centuries of the operatic tradition. The 2025-2026 season features Mozart’s witty comedy "Le nozze di Figaro," Strauss’ philosophical "Capriccio," Bellini’s romantic tragedy "I Capuleti e i Montecchi," and Verdi’s joyful finale "Falstaff." Each production will be performed by AVA’s resident artists with full orchestral accompaniment and English supertitles.

Le nozze di Figaro

AVA opens with Mozart’s beloved classic, "Le nozze di Figaro," a razor-sharp comedy of love, deception, and class conflict that still remains relevant today. The opera picks up the story of the quick-witted barber, Figaro, now a valet in the household of Count Almaviva, as he attempts to marry his beloved Susanna, while outmaneuvering the philandering Count, who has his own designs on the bride-to-be

Performances:
Nov. 8, 5 p.m. – AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater
Nov. 11, 13 & 15, 7:30 p.m. – AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater
Nov. 21, 6 p.m. – Delaware Valley University’s Life Sciences Building
Nov. 23, 4 p.m. – Lehigh University’s Zoellner Arts Center
Dec. 2, 7:30 p.m. – The Haverford School’s Centennial Hall

Capriccio

Strauss’ "Capriccio" poses a timeless question: Which art is more beautiful — music or poetry? The elegant Countess Madeleine finds herself torn between two admirers, a composer and a poet, as the opera explores love, art and philosophy with wit and sophistication. Returning to the AVA stage for the first time since 2010, this rare staging invites audiences to experience Strauss’ final, reflective masterpiece in an intimate setting.

Performances:
Jan. 17, 20 & 22, 7:30 p.m. – AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater
Jan. 25, 3 p.m. – AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater

I Capuleti e i Montecchi

Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece reimagines the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet as a political drama between rival factions in 13th-century Verona. With lush melodies and sweeping emotion, "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" tells a familiar love story with a new perspective on loyalty and loss. The production, led by conductor Michelle Rofrano, showcases AVA’s singers in one of Bellini’s most expressive and emotionally charged scores.

Performances:
Feb. 28, Mar. 3, 5 & 7, 7:30 p.m. – AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater

Falstaff

Verdi’s final opera brings the season to a lively close with "Falstaff," a comic tale inspired by Shakespeare’s "The Merry Wives of Windsor." The mischievous Sir John Falstaff’s schemes to court two married women for profit quickly unravel into farce, mischief and laughter. Conducted by Steven White and directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, this buoyant production captures Verdi’s wit and warmth in one of opera’s great comedies.

Performances:
Apr. 18, 21, 23 & 25, 7:30 p.m. – AVA’s Helen Corning Warden Theater
May 5, 7:30 p.m. – The Haverford School’s Centennial Hall

Tickets

Tickets for the Academy of Vocal Arts’ 91st opera season are now available online. For full performance details and to purchase tickets, visit avaopera.org or call 215-735-1685.