Boston University Opera Institute 2026-27 Season Includes Beloved Masterpieces
The Fall Fringe Festival features Weill & Brecht’s The Seven Deadly Sins and Little & Vavrek's Vinkensport. On the main stage in the spring are Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro
Boston University Opera Institute 2026-27 Season Includes Beloved Masterpieces
The Fall Fringe Festival features Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht’s provocative The Seven Deadly Sins and David T. Little & Royce Vavrek’s quirky collaboration Vinkensport. On the main stage in the spring are Benjamin Britten’s haunting chamber opera, The Rape of Lucretia, and Mozart’s sparkling comic masterpiece Le nozze di Figaro.
A premiere training program for the emerging generation of opera artists is bringing grand masterpieces to the main stage this year. Boston University School of Music Opera Institute is thrilled to announce this season of projects and productions. Fall’s annual Fringe Festival—celebrating its 30th year!—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 main stage 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.
Mozart’s comedic Le nozze di Figaro, and Benjamin Britten’s haunting chamber opera, The Rape of Lucretia, come to life at Boston University in spring 2027. Before that, the fall 2026 Fringe Festival marks thirty years of celebrating new work with Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht’s provocative The Seven Deadly Sins and David T. Little & Royce Vavrek’s quirky Vinkensport.
2026 – 2027 Season
Fall 2026 Fringe Festival
Presented by BU School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre
The Seven Deadly Sins
October 9–11, 2026
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.
Music by Kurt Weill
Libretto by Bertolt Brecht
Matthew Larson, Music Director
Nathan Troup, Stage Director
Georgi Videnov, Conductor
Show Dates & Times
Friday, October 9, 2026 • 7:30pm
Saturday, October 10, 2026 • 2pm
Saturday, October 10, 2026 • 7:30pm
Sunday, October 11 • 2pm
Location
Studio ONE • 855 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Vinkensport
October 23–25, 2026
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.
Music by David T. Little
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Allison Voth, Music Director
Lauren Lenz, Stage Director
Ian Henscheid, Conductor
Show Dates & Times
Friday, October 23, 2026 • 7:30pm
Saturday, October 24, 2026 • 2pm
Saturday, October 24, 2026 • 7:30pm
Sunday, October 25, 2026 • 2pm
Location
Studio ONE • 855 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
Le nozze di Figaro
February 25–28, 2027
Presented by BU School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre
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.
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
William Lumpkin, Conductor
Show Dates & Times
Thursday, February 25, 2027 • 7:30pm
Friday, February 26, 2027 • 7:30pm
Saturday, February 27, 2027 • 2pm
Sunday, February 28, 2027 • 2pm
Location
Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre • 820 Commonwealth Ave, Brookline, MA, 02446
A coproduction between the School of Music’s Opera Institute and the School of Theatre, each spring, the BU community and beyond is invited to Booth Theatre to experience the exceptional talent of the students in the College of Fine Arts in this unique collaboration.
Tickets
$20 General Admission + online fee
Plan Your Visit
Street parking is available on and around Commonwealth Avenue. BU parking lots and garages are also available. Lot F is the parking lot at Booth Theatre. The garage entrance is at 148 Essex Street, Brookline, MA. This lot opens 90 minutes prior to performances. Rates vary. Visit bu.edu/parking for more information.
Taking public transit?
- Accessible by the MBTA Green Line. Take the B line to the Amory Street station.
- Accessible by the MBTA CT2 and 57 bus lines.
- BU Shuttle stop M2.
The Rape of Lucretia
April 22–25, 2027
Presented by BU School of Music: Opera Institute and School of Theatre
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.
Music by Benjamin Britten
Libretto by Ronald Duncan
William Lumpkin, Conductor
Clair Choquette, Stage Director
Show Dates & Times
Thursday, April 22, 2027 • 7:30pm
Friday, April 23, 2027 • 7:30pm
Saturday, April 24, 2027 • 2pm
Sunday, April 25, 2027 • 2pm
Location
Tsai Performance Center • 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215
A coproduction between the School of Music’s Opera Institute and the School of Theatre, each spring, the BU community and beyond is invited to Tsai Performance Center to experience the exceptional talent of the students in the College of Fine Arts in this unique collaboration.
Tickets
$20 General Admission + online fee
Plan Your Visit
We are located in the heart of the Boston University campus, with an MBTA stop directly outside our front door. Use the information below to ensure you are in your seat when the lights go down.
Taking public transit?
- Accessible by the MBTA Green Line. Take the B line to the BU East station.
- Accessible by the MBTA CT2 and 57 bus lines. Inbound stop: St. Mary’s St. Outbound stop: Granby St
- BU Shuttle stop M2.
The mission of the Opera Institute is to mentor operatic artists of unique quality and caliber who are driven towards a professional career in opera. Within a supportive environment, participants are engaged and encouraged to achieve the highest standards in lessons, classes, coachings, rehearsals, and performances, with the objective of developing proficiency in both traditional and contemporary operatic repertoire.
Founded in 1872, Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Music combines the intimacy and intensity of traditional conservatory-style training with a broad liberal arts education at the undergraduate level, and elective coursework at the graduate level. The school offers degrees in performance, conducting, composition and theory, musicology, music education, and historical performance, as well as artist and performance diplomas including its Opera Institute.
The School of Theatre at Boston University College of Fine Arts offers conservatory-style education for the study of acting, stage management, design, production, and all aspects of the theatre profession within the setting of a major research university. The School of Theatre seeks to provide students with opportunities for artistic growth through a rigorous curriculum, professional connections, and an emphasis on collaboration and new work