Cincinnati Opera has announced cast details for its 2026 Summer Festival at Music Hall, featuring four productions across June, July, and August. The season opens June 18 and 20 with Richard Strauss’s Salome, starring soprano Kathryn Lewek alongside baritone Alfred Walker, tenor Chad Shelton, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung, and tenor Zach Borichevsky. José María Condemi directs, with Robert Spano on the podium.

The season’s second offering is Lalovavi, a new opera by composers Kevin Day with a libretto by Tifara Brown, scheduled for July 9 and 11. Soprano Brittany Olivia Logan and bass-baritone Morris Robinson lead the cast, directed by Kimille Howard and conducted by Kevin Miller. Bizet’s Carmen follows from July 25 through August 2, with mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges in the title role opposite tenor Matthew White, baritone Ryan McKinny, and soprano Teresa Perrotta; Ramón Tebar conducts and Paul Curran directs.

The festival concludes with Ricky Ian Gordon’s chamber opera Orpheus and Euridice, running July 28 through August 1, featuring soprano Heidi Middendorf and baritone Christopher Pell under the direction of Audrey Chait and choreography by Yoshihisa Arai, with Stephen Mulligan conducting. Cincinnati Opera will also present Studio Sessions — intimate performances curated by artists — at Music Hall’s Wilks Studio on June 25 and July 1.

Source: OperaWire