O'KEEFFE: KISS THE SKY Preview to be Presented by Cincinnati Opera and CCM
Soprano Christine Goerke will headline an exclusive sneak peek of this new work inspired by the life of legendary artist Georgia O’Keeffe.
Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music will present an exclusive preview of O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky, a new opera-ballet commissioned by Washington National Opera and inspired by the life of celebrated American artist Georgia O’Keeffe, on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. at Cincinnati Ballet. This special sneak peek will be presented through Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s dynamic creative partnership, Opera Fusion: New Works, which offers composers and librettists the opportunity to refine their works-in-progress through Cincinnati-based workshops.
With music by GRAMMY Award-winning composer Christopher Tin, libretto by Kelley Rourke, stage direction by Francesca Zambello, and choreography by Jessica Lang, O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky traces the artist’s journey to becoming one of America’s most iconic creative forces, and the people who shaped her along the way. At its heart is the tension between her passionate but complicated marriage to art dealer and photographer Alfred Stieglitz—her greatest champion, but also controlling and unfaithful—and the liberating influence of Mabel Dodge Luhan, an intellectual and arts patron who brought artists to the Southwest and, in so doing, helped Georgia discover the vast desert landscape that would define her work. Through opera and ballet, O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky explores not just the artist’s life but the unpredictable ways relationships shaped her voice and legacy. Commissioned by Washington National Opera, O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky will receive its world premiere there at a date to be announced.
Internationally-renowned soprano Christine Goerke will lead the cast of the March 31 preview in the role of Mabel Dodge Luhan, with mezzo-soprano Natalie Corrigan as Georgia O’Keeffe and tenor Tristan Tournaud as Alfred Stieglitz. Also featured are dancers Sierra Armstrong, SunMi Park, and Tristan Brosnan from American Ballet Theatre, along with student singers and dancers from CCM.

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