Boston University Opera Institute is thrilled to announce this season of projects and productions. Each fall, we put on the annual Fringe Festival, which is a collaboration between CFA School of Music’s Opera Institute and School of Theatre. Fringe features new and rarely performed significant works in the opera and theatre repertoire, bringing performances and audiences together in unique theatrical settings.

And in the spring, two mainstage operas invite the BU community and beyond to experience the exceptional talent of the students in the program, within incredible productions supported by the School of Theatre.

2026 – 2027 Season

Fall 2026 Fringe Festival

The Seven Deadly Sins

October 9–11, 2026
Studio ONE

Music by Kurt Weill
Libretto by Bertolt Brecht
Matthew Larson, Music Director
Nathan Troup, Stage Director

Friday, October 9, 2026 • 7:30pm
Saturday, October 10, 2026 • 2pm
Saturday, October 10, 2026 • 7:30pm
Sunday, October 11 • 2pm

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s provocative collaboration blends biting satire, cabaret, and unforgettable music in a theatrical journey through ambition, morality, and the price of success. This daring Fringe Festival production invites audiences into an intimate exploration of one of the twentieth century’s most compelling musical dramas.

Vinkensport

October 23–25, 2026
Studio ONE

Music by David T. Little
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Allison Voth, Music Director
Lauren Lenz, Stage Director
Ian Henscheid, conductor

Friday, October 23, 2026 • 7:30pm
Saturday, October 24, 2026 • 2pm
Saturday, October 24, 2026 • 7:30pm
Sunday, October 25, 2026 • 2pm

Beneath the quirky tradition of a Belgian finch-singing competition lies a poignant story of longing, deception, and human connection. David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s inventive chamber opera transforms an unusual pastime into a witty, moving, and deeply theatrical exploration of the lives we create—and the truths we conceal.

Spring 2027 Mainstage

Le nozze di Figaro

February 25–28, 2027
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre
 
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
William Lumpkin, conductor

Thursday, February 25, 2027 • 7:30pm
Friday, February 26, 2027 • 7:30pm
Saturday, February 27, 2027 • 2pm
Sunday, February 28, 2027 • 2pm

Mozart’s beloved comic masterpiece sparkles with unforgettable melodies, razor-sharp wit, and timeless observations on love, power, and forgiveness. Filled with mistaken identities, clever servants, and romantic intrigue, Le nozze di Figaro remains one of opera’s most joyful and enduring celebrations of the human spirit.

The Rape of Lucretia

April 22–25, 2027
Tsai Performance Center

Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Ronald Duncan
William Lumpkin, Conductor
Clair Choquette, Stage Director

Thursday, April 22, 2027 • 7:30pm
Friday, April 23, 2027 • 7:30pm
Saturday, April 24, 2027 • 2pm
Sunday, April 25, 2027 • 2pm

Benjamin Britten’s haunting chamber opera brings extraordinary emotional depth to an ancient story of honor, power, and sacrifice. With its luminous score and intimate dramatic intensity, this powerful production offers a profound meditation on violence, resilience, and the enduring complexities of the human condition.