UPCOMING EVENTS
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE | GLIMMERGLASS FESTIVAL
Erik will sing the roles of Boatman and Charles in this production
Inspired by Georges Seurat’s groundbreaking painting, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, this musical is a meditation on the artistic process, seen through the eyes of Georges Seurat in 1884 and an imagined great-grandson, also an artist, in 1984. Nominated for 10 Tony Awards and Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Sondheim’s innovative score explores pointillism in sound before opening out into one of the most glorious choral finales in the repertory.
LA BOHÈME | PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Schaunard in this production
Set against the backdrop of 1830s Paris, La bohème follows four impoverished artists surviving with little more than friendship, passion, and love for their art. When Rodolfo, a poet, and Mimi, a young seamstress, meet, the two are drawn into a tumultuous and passionate affair with a love that can only be broken by death.
Emotional and dramatic, it’s no wonder Puccini’s most celebrated opera has transcended the genre, inspiring both a ballet and the Broadway hit musical RENT.
La bohème will make you laugh, and bring you to tears, with its timeless story and captivating music.
Nicole Cabell, winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, makes her Pittsburgh Opera debut as Mimì. Jean-Luc Tingaud conducts. Stephanie Havey directs. Four performances only, at the Benedum Center.
FELLOW TRAVELERS | PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Hawkins Fuller in this production.
The Red Scare, tinted lavender.
At the height of the McCarthy era, naive college graduate Timothy Laughlin comes to Washington eager to join the crusade against communism. But a chance encounter with a handsome State Department official, Hawkins Fuller, leads to Tim’s first job—and his first relationship with a man.
Under the threat of increased government scrutiny, this complicated and clandestine affair will put both men’s loyalties and convictions to the ultimate test. As the poisonous political climate pollutes their relationship, love becomes a casualty of what it takes to “play the game” in Washington.
Based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 gut-wrenching novel, Fellow Travelers was praised as “a near-perfect example of fast-flowing musical drama” by The New York Times and is already widely considered a contemporary classic.
Antony Walker conducts; Brian Staufenbiel directs.
CURLEW RIVER | PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will sing the role of The Ferryman in this production.
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by William Plomer • JANUARY 24, 27, 30, FEB. 1, 2026
Flow with fate.
A woman driven mad by the mystery of her lost son learns of her boy’s unfortunate fate from a chance encounter with a Ferryman while crossing a river.
Based on the Japanese Noh play Sumidigawa River, Curlew River retells this story as a Christian parable. Written in the style of monastic plain song and laden with musical symbolism, this piece artfully melds theatrical simplicity with ecumenical grandeur.
In keeping with these themes and this opera’s history, Curlew River will be staged at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside.
Antony Walker conducts; Dana Kinney directs.
TIME TO ACT | PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Tyson in this production.
Music by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Crystal Manich • FEBRUARY 28, MARCH 3, 6, 8, 2026
Build the world you want to see.
A group of high school students prepares for a production of Sophocles’ Antigone, joined by a new student, Alona, who comes with a formidable secret.
Pittsburgh Opera is proud to present this gripping world premiere. Time to Act demonstrates how the arts can uplift and unify victims of trauma, empowering them to act, while giving voice to the young citizens who have been most impacted by an ongoing cycle of devastating school violence.
Time to Act is composed by Laura Kaminsky, whose acclaimed opera As One has become the most-produced modern opera in America. Emmy Award nominee Crystal Manich, the librettist, is a Pittsburgh Opera mainstay whose works for stage, film, and circus have been seen across the United States, Europe, Argentina, and Australia.
Time to Act is a Co-Commission by Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Montana and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, with additional funding by Opera Santa Barbara.
Michael Sakir conducts; Amy Hutchison directs.
MADAMA BUTTERFLY PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will cover the role of Sharpless and sing the role of Imperial Commissioner in this Production
His escape is her cage.
In this groundbreaking new production created by an all Japanese and Japanese American creative team, Madama Butterfly’s story is transported to a fantastical realm where reality and dreams intersect.
Pinkerton puts on a VR headset and transports us into a vibrant virtual reality playground where he has ultimate control. As his avatar, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant, he can seduce and marry his fantasy girl and abandon her just as easily. But to Cio-Cio San, this is no game and the love and betrayal she feels is all too real.
Enveloped in Puccini’s stunning music, this visually beautiful production is the perfect match. Pittsburgh Opera is proud to partner with Cincinnati Opera, Detroit Opera, and Utah Opera to co-produce this reinvention of Puccini’s classic, uncovering new and resonant meaning for all audiences to enjoy.
These performances are sponsored in part by generous gifts from Caroline & Mary Barensfeld, Daniel G. & Carole L. Kamin, Glenmede, and The Gailliot Fund.
CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA/PAGLIACCI | PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will cover the role of Silvio in this production
An adulterous double feature
Jealousy, two-timing, and revenge unite the back-to-back tragedies of Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. Possessiveness, machismo, and rage fuel their bloody conclusions.
Cavalleria Rusticana: On Easter Sunday, Alfio discovers his wife Lola has rekindled her old romance with Turiddu.
Pagliacci: Just before a performance of his traveling circus troupe, clown Canio discovers the infidelity of his wife Nedda.
Join us for this back-to-back double feature of love and hate—the first time Pittsburgh Opera has performed these two operas together since 1996!
These performances are sponsored in part by The Gailliot Fund and by a generous gift from Robert and Christine Pietrandrea.
TOSCA | PITTSBURGH OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Cesare Angelotti in this production.
She lived for art. Would she die for love?
When painter Cavaradossi—the lover of Rome’s enchanting diva Floria Tosca—decides to harbor a fugitive of the law, he makes himself and his beloved Tosca a target of the corrupt Chief of Police, Baron Scarpia. Now it is up to Tosca to free both her lover and herself from Scarpia’s clutches by making a horrific bargain that will have consequences for them all.
Puccini’s whirlwind political thriller packs high romance, dark motives, love, betrayal, murder, and intrigue all into a plot that unfolds over only 24 hours. See why Tosca is one of the most powerful operas ever written.
These performances are sponsored in part by The Gailliot Fund.
(photo credit: Don Ipock, Kansas City Opera)
CARMINA BURANA| CCM CONCERT ORCHESTRA
Baritone Soloist
This unique collaboration of thirteen Cincinnati music groups – brought together by University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Associate Professor Dr. Aik Khai Pung – includes the CCM Concert Orchestra, Princeton High School Orchestra, Seven Hills Symphony, Walnut Hills High School Orchestra, CCM Chorale, Cincinnati Boychoir, Cincinnati Youth Choir, Fluidity, Sound of Joy Choir, Thomas More University Chamber Choir, Vox Veritatis, Walnut Hills High School Vocal Ensemble, and Young Professionals Choral Collective. The musical event will feature Carl Orff’s magnificent Carmina Burana, a world premiere of Silhouettes by young local talent Andrew Strawn, and choreography by CCM Associate Professor of Dance Shauna Steele. A celebration of Cincinnati’s music community, the much-anticipated event showcases the region’s remarkable talents – from children, high schoolers, and college students to young professionals and local amateur groups.
DVORAK STABAT MATER| MUSICA SACRA
Bass Soloist
With the Musica Sacra Ensemble conducted by Dr. Brett Scott
AN DIE FERNE GELIEBTE| RECITAL
In recital with pianist Parker Konkle
Composition by Ludwig van Beethoven
Text by Alois Jeitteles
Unlike the Schubert–Müller song cycles, the six songs or episodes of An die ferne Geliebte do not form a chronological narrative leading towards a conclusion. Beethoven himself called it Liederkreis an die ferne Geliebte, i.e. a circle or ring of song, and it is so written that the theme of the first song reappears as the conclusion of the last, forming a 'circle' (Kreis) – a ring in the figurative sense of a finger-ring as a love-token – rather than a 'cycle' (Zyklus) in the sense of a programme or drama. This thematic revolution is also expressed in the emotion and conceit of the words.
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN | CCM OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Revírník in this revived production of The Cunning Little Vixen.
Opera in three acts
Composed by Leoš Janácek
Revised version by Jiri Zahrádka
Brian Robertson, director
Vinay Parameswaran, guest conductor
Based on a famous 1920s Czech comic strip, Janácek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen explores the universal longing for youth and purpose, through the lens of philosophical reflection on the cycle of life. The Vixen, a fox, and the Forester’s intertwined stories, are reflective of the surrealist movement blossoming in the 1920’s. Their journeys share the conflict of irrational worlds, dreams, and desires, weathered in the animal and human experience. Sung in Czech.
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN | CCM OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Revírník in this revived production of The Cunning Little Vixen.
Opera in three acts
Composed by Leoš Janácek
Revised version by Jiri Zahrádka
Brian Robertson, director
Vinay Parameswaran, guest conductor
Based on a famous 1920s Czech comic strip, Janácek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen explores the universal longing for youth and purpose, through the lens of philosophical reflection on the cycle of life. The Vixen, a fox, and the Forester’s intertwined stories, are reflective of the surrealist movement blossoming in the 1920’s. Their journeys share the conflict of irrational worlds, dreams, and desires, weathered in the animal and human experience. Sung in Czech.
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN | CCM OPERA
Erik will sing the role of Revírník in this revived production of The Cunning Little Vixen.
Opera in three acts
Composed by Leoš Janácek
Revised version by Jiri Zahrádka
Brian Robertson, director
Vinay Parameswaran, guest conductor
Based on a famous 1920s Czech comic strip, Janácek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen explores the universal longing for youth and purpose, through the lens of philosophical reflection on the cycle of life. The Vixen, a fox, and the Forester’s intertwined stories, are reflective of the surrealist movement blossoming in the 1920’s. Their journeys share the conflict of irrational worlds, dreams, and desires, weathered in the animal and human experience. Sung in Czech.
PIRATES OF PENZANCE | KENTUCKY OPERA
Erik will perform the role of Samuel in this production of Pirates of Penzance with Kentucky Opera.
Leap years come around every four years, and for one young pirate it causes mayhem and turmoil in this comedy about being a “slave to duty.” Gilbert’s witty word play coupled with Sullivan’s memorable music make for a rollicking night at the theatre.
PIRATES OF PENZANCE | KENTUCKY OPERA
Erik will perform the role of Samuel in this production of Pirates of Penzance with Kentucky Opera.
Leap years come around every four years, and for one young pirate it causes mayhem and turmoil in this comedy about being a “slave to duty.” Gilbert’s witty word play coupled with Sullivan’s memorable music make for a rollicking night at the theatre.
THE METROPOLITAN OPERA LAFFONT COMPETITION UPPER MIDWEST REGION
Erik will compete against the winners of the Iowa, Nebraska, and North Dakota-Manitoba districts for prize money and a slot in the semifinal round.
THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA | CCM OPERA
Erik will perform the role of Tarquinius in this production of The Rape of Lucretia with CCM Opera.
THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA | CCM OPERA
Erik will perform the role of Tarquinius in this production of The Rape of Lucretia with CCM Opera.
Homages
LUZ: Bulosan: On American Democracy, “Grand Passacaglia for Narrator, Speaking Ensemble, and Wind Symphony, Op. 17a”
CINCINNATI SONG INITIATIVE | LET IT BE NEW
Watch Erik perform in this concert of world premiers commissioned by Cincinnati Song Initiative.
THE LOVE FOR THREE ORANGES | DES MOINES METRO OPERA
Erik will cover the role of Pantalon and sing one of "The Eccentrics" in this production of The Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev with Des Moines Metro Opera.
CARMEN | DES MOINES METRO OPERA
Erik will cover the role of El Dancaïro and perform as part of the opera chorus for this production of Carmen with Des Moines Metro Opera.
CINCINNATI SONG INITIATIVE AND THE LYNX PROJECT | BEAUTIFUL SMALL THINGS
Erik will perform as part of this collaboration between two organizations to present a concert of art song with texts by primarily non verbal, autistic poets.
LYNX Project is proud to be presented by Cincinnati Song Initiative for this exciting program of song, which shares new compositions based on texts by primarily nonspeaking, autistic poets from Cincinnati. Thank you to ArtsMidwest GIG Fund and the generosity of many individual donors, who have made this program possible.
FELLOW TRAVELLERS | CCM OPERA
Erik will perform the role of Hawkins Fuller in this production of Fellow Travellers.
An Opera by Gregory Spears. Libretto by Greg Pierce. Based on the 2007 novel “Fellow Travelers” by Thomas Mallon
DIALOGUES OF THE CARMELITES | CCM OPERA
Erik will perform the role of Marquis de la Force in this production of Dialogues of the Carmelites with CCM Opera.
