Opera Columbus Will Launch 44th Season With RAPPACCINI’S DAUGHTER

Opera Columbus will launch its 44th season with the Columbus premiere of Rappaccini’s Daughter (La hija de Rappaccini) at the Southern Theatre on September 19 and 21, 2025. This will be only the second time in company history that a full opera is performed in Spanish, following the sold-out production of María de Buenos Aires. The performances also coincide with Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrating the cultural richness that inspires this production.

Composed in 1992 by Daniel Catán — the first Mexican composer to have an opera produced in the United States and, more recently, at the Metropolitan Opera — Rappaccini’s Daughter is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s haunting short story. Performed in Spanish with both English and Spanish captions, the production will feature the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and transform the Southern Theatre into a garden of passion, danger, and intrigue.

Audiences are invited to arrive early for a preshow experience inspired by the opera’s botanical themes, including a “love potion” tea-blending station and the chance to enjoy a signature “La Beatriz” Manhattan from the bourbon bar.

The opera tells the tragic story of Beatriz, a young woman confined to her father’s poisonous garden, made both beautiful and deadly by his botanical experiments. Her fate becomes intertwined with Giovanni, a young medical student who dares to love her, setting in motion a chain of events that ends in a devastating twist.

“This opera blends beauty and darkness and will feature a good mix of beloved artists you won’t want to miss,” said Julia Noulin-Mérat, Opera Columbus’s General Director + CEO. “We’re thrilled to kick off our 44th season with a performance as exciting, mysterious, and rarely performed as Rappaccini’s Daughter.”

The production marks the Opera Columbus directing debut of Brandon Shaw McKnight (2023–25 CRANE Directing Fellow) and music direction by Rolando Salazar (María de Buenos Aires).

Dane Suarez will star as Giovanni, with Cecilia Violetta López as Beatriz, Monica Danilov as Isabella, Carlos Ahrens as Baglioni, Richard Ollarsaba as Rappaccini, Skye Marie Johnson as Flower, Cynthia López Olaya as Flower, and Anabella Petronsi as Flower.

Rappaccini’s Daughter will be presented at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main St., Columbus, OH) on Friday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m.