Cincinnati Opera opens its 2026 Summer Festival on June 18 with Richard Strauss’s one-act opera “Salome,” a production not staged in Cincinnati in more than 25 years. A second performance follows on June 20. Both take place at Music Hall.
Soprano Kathryn Lewek makes her title role debut, joined by a cast that includes tenor Chad Shelton as Herod, bass-baritone Alfred Walker as Jochanaan, mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as Herodias, and tenor Zach Borichevsky as Narraboth. Robert Spano conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Jose Maria Condemi directs. The opera, based on Oscar Wilde’s play, is sung in German with projected English translations.
The June 18 performance is designated Veterans Night, with free tickets available to U.S. veterans through Vet Tix and a 20 percent discount for veterans and their families. The June 20 performance is Pride Night. Tickets start at $25.
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