In its 2025-26 season, Virginia Opera will present three mainstage productions – Rossini’s “Cinderella” (“La Cenerentola”), Verdi’s “Aïda” and “Intelligence” by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer – and an evening of three contemporary one-acts.
All productions will be staged at Harrison Opera House, 160 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk, and the Carpenter Theatre of Dominion Energy Center, Sixth and Grace streets in Richmond. “Cinderella” and “Intelligence” also are scheduled at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax.
Heggie’s and Scheer’s “Intelligence,” introduced in 2023 by Houston Grand Opera, is based on the espionage ring organized by Elizabeth Van Lew, a pro-Union resident of Richmond, the Confederate capital in the US Civil War. The opera’s protagonist, Mary Jane Bowser, was an enslaved woman who was one of the ring’s key operatives.
The set of one-acts, “One Hour – Three Acts – #NoFilter,” will present “Service Provider” by Christopher Weiss and John de los Santos, “The Whole Truth” by Robert Paterson and Mark Campbell, and “Cinderella 99” by Heggie and Scheer. This non-subscription production will be staged in Norfolk and Richmond.
Adam Turner, Virginia Opera’s artistic director, is scheduled to conduct all performances.
Ticket subscriptions for the three mainstage productions are $218.99-$345.02 in Norfolk, $59.99-$345.01 in Richmond. Flexible subscriptions for two operas also are available. Fairfax opera tickets can be included in a subscription package of three or more “Great Performances at Mason” events, with a 15 percent discount on ticket prices.
Single tickets are $27.01-$152 in Norfolk, $27.67-$168.10 in Richmond, $45-$116 in Fairfax. Tickets for the program of one-acts are $15-$25 in Norfolk, $18.60-$28.60 in Richmond.
For more information, call Virginia Opera’s box office at (866) 673-7283 (Norfolk and Richmond), (703) 993-2787 (Fairfax), or visit http://vaopera.org/events
Dates, venues and casts for Virginia Opera’s 2025-26 season:
Sept. 26 (7:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, Norfolk
Oct. 3 (7:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Richmond
“One Hour – Three Acts – #NoFilter”
Christopher Weiss & John de los Santos: “Service Provider”
Robert Paterson & Mark Campbell: “The Whole Truth”
Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer: “Cinderella 99”
casts TBA
in English
Nov. 7 (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 9 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, Norfolk
Nov. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 16 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Richmond
Nov. 22 (7:30 p.m.)
Nov. 23 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Rossini: “Cinderella” (“La Cenerentola”)
Lisa Marie Rogali (Angelina)
David Walton (Don Ramiro)
Patrick Wilhelm (Dandini)
Levi Hernandez (Don Magnifico)
Maggie Kinabrew (Clorinda)
Melanie Dubil (Tisbe)
David Lefkowich, stage director
in Italian, English captions
Jan. 30 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 1 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, Norfolk
Feb. 6 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 8 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Richmond
Feb. 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Feb. 15 (2 p.m.)
Center for the Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax
Jake Heggie & Gene Scheer: “Intelligence”
Jacqueline Echols (Mary Jane Bowser)
Ashley Dixon (Elizabeth Van Lew)
Cierra Byrd (Lucinda)
Maureen McKay (Callie van Lew)
Craig Irvin (Travis Briggs)
Edward Graves (Wilson)
Kyle Lang directing
in English, English captions
March 13 (7:30 p.m.)
March 15 (2:30 p.m.)
Harrison Opera House, Norfolk
March 20 (7:30 p.m.)
March 22 (2:30 p.m.)
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center, Richmond
Verdi: “Aïda”
Indira Mahajan (Aïda)
Jonathan Burton (Radames)
Deborah Nansteel (Amneris)
Grant Youngblood (Amonasro)
Ricardo Lugo (Ramphis)
Sergio Martinez (the king of Egypt)
Maggie Kinabrew (priestess)
Daniel Esteban Lugo (messenger)
stage director TBA
in Italian, English captions
Letter V 