Oedipus Rex + Lilacs at Verizon Hall

Enter Thebesa city in crisis whose denizens are looking to one man for salvation: Oedipus Rex. But how can this man save anything when hes unknowingly cursed by the gods? Can he escape his dark fate?The ancient Greek tragedy of the man who killed his father and married his mother is brought into the 20th century with a searing score by Igor Stravinsky in the opera-oratorio, Oedipus Rex. Jack Mulroney Music Director Corrado Rovaris leads the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra and Chorus, with soloists William Burden, Rehanna Thelwell, and Mark S. Doss.Before watching Oedipus fall, reflect on the loss of other guiding stars with Lilacs, George Walkers Pulitzer Prize-winning meditation on grief and remembrance. This rarely-performed piece is a setting of Whitmans poem, When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomd, written after Lincolns assassination. In Lilacs, Walker commemorates famed Black tenor Roland Hayes. Rising soprano Tiffany Townsend performs as the soloist.Opera Philadelphia has partnered with Art-Reach, Inc. and Nicole Sardella to provide Audio Description for this production on January 21. Kimmel Cultural Campus requires proof of vaccination and the wearing of masks inside their venues.