Washington Concert Opera Opens Season with Gluck’s IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE In November

Washington Concert Opera (WCO) will open its 2025–26 season with Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride on Sunday, November 23, 2025, at 6 p.m. at the Lisner Auditorium.

The performance marks the company’s first presentation of Gluck’s final major opera, which premiered at the Paris Opera in 1779 and remains one of his most compelling works.

Based on Euripides’ ancient Greek tragedy, Iphigénie en Tauride follows Agamemnon’s daughter as she faces gods, fate, and family in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Gluck’s score, written in the height of the French classical tradition, fuses emotional power with structural elegance.

The cast is led by American mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, returning to WCO in the title role after acclaimed performances on major international stages. Baritone Theo Hoffman returns as Oreste following his debut in Lakmé, while baritone John Moore makes his WCO debut as Thoas. Cuban-American tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica also makes his debut as Pylade.

The opera will be performed in French with projected English supertitles. The performance will run approximately two hours and thirty minutes, including one intermission.

Audience members are invited to a Pre-Performance Talk with WCO co-founder Peter Russell at 5 p.m. in Lisner Auditorium, included with the price of admission. Following the performance, WCO will host its annual Opera Cast Party at the Arts Club of Washington (2017 I St. NW), offering guests an opportunity to meet the artists. Tickets for the post-show event are $125, with half of each ticket tax-deductible as a donation.