Ars Lyrica Houston Will Present Monteverdi's ORFEO

Ars Lyrica Houston will conclude its 2025/26 Twists of Fate season with a fully staged production of Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo, presented Friday, May 29, 2026 and Saturday, May 30, 2026 at 7:30 PM at Zilkha Hall, The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Created in collaboration with the New York Baroque Dance Company, the production brings together period instruments, dance, and theatrical storytelling in what is widely regarded as the first great opera.

Composed in 1607, Orfeo stands at the head of the operatic repertory not only because of its early date, but because of the extraordinary dramatic power Monteverdi and librettist Alessandro Striggio brought to the myth of Orpheus. The story follows the gifted musician whose singing can move both the living and the dead. When Eurydice dies, Orfeo descends into the underworld in an attempt to bring her back, only to confront the limits of love, memory, and human resolve. With vivid recitative, memorable arias, lavish accompaniments, and an emotional arc of unusual potency, Orfeo breathes life into Monteverdi's revolutionary ideas about musical expression.

This new production is directed and choreographed by Catherine Turocy, Artistic Director of the New York Baroque Dance Company, and conducted by Matthew Dirst, Ars Lyrica Houston's Artistic Director. Drawing on imagery from the early 20th century and the realities of World War I, Turocy's concept reimagines Orpheus as a hero-soldier navigating a fractured world, with the myth unfolding as a dreamlike escape into antiquity. The result is a layered theatrical vision that examines the role of art in times of conflict and the enduring power of music to sustain the human spirit.

A distinguished cast brings Monteverdi's mythic world to life. GRAMMY Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman leads the production in the title role. He is joined by Amia Langer as La Musica/Euridice, a rising soprano and recent Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition award winner; Hannah De Priest, as Proserpina/Ninfa; and Cecilia Duarte as Messaggera/Speranza. Bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca appears as Caronte, alongside Tzvi Bat Asherah as Plutone, with additional performances by Nicholas Garza, Thomas O'Neill, and Steven Brennfleck.

“Orfeo has long stood at the head of the operatic repertory,” notes Matthew Dirst. “Orpheus's most memorable arias illustrate the sheer range of Monteverdi's dramatic gifts.”