Monteverdi's Orfeo at Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

Ars Lyrica Houston closes its 2025/26 season with a fully staged production of Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo, created in collaboration with the New York Baroque Dance Company and featuring period instruments, dance, and theatrical storytelling. Directed and choreographed by Catherine Turocy and conducted by Matthew Dirst, the production draws on imagery from World War I, reimagining Orpheus as a soldier navigating a fractured world. GRAMMY Award-winning tenor Karim Sulayman leads the cast in the title role, joined by Amia Langer as La Musica/Euridice, Hannah De Priest as Proserpina/Ninfa, Cecilia Duarte as Messaggera/Speranza, and Enrico Lagasca as Caronte, among others. Composed in 1607, Orfeo tells the story of a gifted musician who descends into the underworld to reclaim Eurydice, bringing together vivid recitative, memorable arias, and Monteverdi's ideas about musical expression.