49th Season at Piedmont Opera Includes PAGLIACCI, CARMEN, and More!

Piedmont Opera has announced its 49th season, offering audiences an unforgettable journey through passion, drama, and cultural celebration. The 2025-2026 season includes two beloved operatic masterpieces- Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Georges Bizet's Carmen-alongside a free community concert, African Queens, curated and performed by Grammy Award-winning soprano Karen Slack. "Opera has the power to connect us to our community and spark emotional truths," says Joseph Mechavich, Interim Artistic Director of Piedmont Opera. "This 49th season is both a tribute to tradition and a commitment to reinvention."

Piedmont Opera will also present a special concert series this season, featuring some of the opera world's finest talents. Highlights include a festive in-home Holiday Concert with celebrated American soprano Jill Gardner and pianist Joseph Mechavich on December 5 at 7:00 PM; a free recital by dynamic Mexican-American bass-baritone Richard Ollarsaba and Eric McEnaney on February 28 at 2 PM at Watson Hall, presented in partnership with The UNC School of the Arts; and World-renowned Metropolitan Opera bass Kevin Burdette returns to Winston-Salem on April 11, 2026, for an exclusive, in-home performance of Schubert's Winterreise. He will be accompanied by Joseph Mechavich.

Leoncavallo's Pagliacci makes its long-awaited company return in a thrilling, immersive production that invites audiences into the heart of the circus. This 90-minute opera follows a traveling commedia dell'arte troupe whose backstage betrayals erupt into tragedy onstage. Making his company debut, Joseph Mechavich will conduct the Winston-Salem Symphony in this bold staging, directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, an acclaimed director known for his work with The Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and LA Opera. Piedmont Opera's Pagliacci will be presented in an immersive carnival-style setting, complete with pre-show circus festivities on Saturday, November 8th at 7:30 PM, Sunday, November 9 at 3 PM, and Tuesday, November 11 at 7:30 PM at the Millennium Event Center, Winston Salem, NC. Benjamin Werley makes his company debut as Canio, the tormented clown whose aria Vesti la giubba is one of opera's most iconic moments. Soprano Cadie J. Bryan debuts as Nedda, Canio's wife, who yearns for freedom and love beyond the confines of her troubled marriage. In an extraordinary twist, Jonathan Bryan, Cadie's real-life husband, performs the role of Silvio, Nedda's secret lover.

In March of 2026, Bizet's Carmen returns in a passionate new staging at High Point Theatre, featuring a new scenic design in collaboration with Knoxville Opera. Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams stars in the title role. Praised by the Chicago Tribune for her "gorgeous, rounded" voice, Reams brings charisma and depth to the fiery Carmen. Tenor Dominic Armstrong, a Metropolitan Opera National Council finalist and George London Competition winner, stars as the conflicted soldier Don José. The cast also includes Piedmont Opera favorites Jodi Burns as Micaëla and Richard Ollarsaba as Escamillo. Stage direction is by Dean Anthony, Producing Director at Knoxville Opera and Director of Opera at Brevard Music Center's Janiec Opera Company. The performance dates are Friday, March 27, at 7:30 PM and Sunday, March 29, at 3 PM at High Point Theatre.

Piedmont Opera concludes its season with African Queens, a free community concert created and performed by Grammy Award-winning soprano Karen Slack, who originated the role of Billie in Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones. African Queens celebrates the history and legacy of seven extraordinary African queens- revered figures whose stories remain underrepresented in Western cultural narratives. The program features powerful new works by composers including Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Will Liverman, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson, alongside traditional repertoire. African Queens will be performed on June 16, 2026, at the First Baptist Church on Fifth, in Winston-Salem, NC. It is presented in partnership with The John W. and Anna H. Hanes Foundation. Piedmont Opera is proud to collaborate with Triad Cultural Arts to kick off the 2026 Juneteenth celebration. The evening will be introduced by Jackie Alexander, acclaimed Producing Artistic Director of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company, bringing a powerful voice to this celebration of culture and music.

Season tickets for Piedmont Opera's 49th season are on sale on July 21 at PiedmontOpera.org or by calling 336.725.7101. Tickets for the Jill Gardner Holiday concert are on sale now. Details about African Queens and all other events will be announced soon.

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