2023-2024 Opera Series

Live opera—combined with singing, music, dance, scenery, and costumes—is intoxicating, captivating, and a true spectacle to behold in the best sense of the word. 

In the 2023-2024 Season, Dayton Opera presents a trio of thrilling performances. The season begins with a Season Opening Celebration: Prince Orlofsky’s Grand Masquerade in collaboration with Dayton Ballet and Dayton Philharmonic to bring Act 2 of Johann Strauss, II’s Die Fledermaus (The Revenge of the Bat) to life.  

Also featured on the opera stage is Stephen Sondheim’s dark and comedic story of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; a tale of political intrigue, passion, and betrayal in Puccini’s Tosca;and an intimate Opera Star Recital with Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman. 

Season Opening Celebration: Prince Orlofsky’s Grand Masquerade

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Saturday, September 16, 2023

2:30 pm Sunday, September 17, 2023


The 2023–24 season opens with a bang: a grand masquerade! All three art forms—DPAA’s Opera, Philharmonic, and Ballet—take the stage in an evening of extravagant celebration. At the heart of the performance is Act II from Strauss’s comic opera, Fledermaus (Revenge of the Bat). The scene is Prince Orlofsky’s party, where disguises and deception abound, and the champagne never stops. Join the party—you never know who is going to show up!

 


 

Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Victoria Theatre

7:30 pm Saturday, November 4, 2023

2:30 pm Sunday, November 5, 2023


Dayton Opera presents Stephen Sondheim’s hit musical thriller, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Performed on Broadway and in opera houses worldwide, the Tony Award-winning modern masterpiece boasts razor-sharp wit and a brilliant score. Fully staged with Victorian-era costumes and sets, Sweeney Todd tells the grisly story of a murderous barber and his deranged sidekick who serve up vengeance with a tasty side of dark humor.

Kathleen Clawson, stage director
Neal Gittleman, conductor
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

 


 

Puccini’s Tosca

Schuster Center

7:30 pm Saturday, April 20, 2024

2:30 pm Sunday, April 21, 2024


Puccini’s Tosca is a thrilling roller-coaster ride of political intrigue, passion, and betrayal, filled with some of the most ravishing music in opera. A feast for both the eye and ear, this truly grand opera will satisfy opera lovers, new and old, with magnificent singing, exquisite sets, and sumptuous costumes.

Kathleen Clawson, stage director
Neal Gittleman, conductor
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

 


 

An Afternoon with Will Liverman: Opera Star Recital

Schuster Center

2:30 pm Sunday, June 2, 2024


Called “one of the most versatile singing artists performing today” (Bachtrack), Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman comes to Dayton fresh from his Metropolitan Opera premiere of Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X. In this recital, Liverman performs works from Black composers as well as pieces from the traditional classical music canon.