New Orleans Opera
“How do you know if music is good? If it makes you feel. That’s it.” That’s how you know!
— Judith Owen, singer, songwriter, jazz musician, and participant in the new series Opera and All that Jazz
Announcing the 23-24 New Orleans Opera Season
Our new season is opera at its best – thrilling voices, spectacular theater, glorious music – a transcendent experience you won’t want to miss!
Love, desire and deception – with a pinch of political unrest.
September 29 and October 1, 2023
The Marriage of Figaro is battle of the sexes cloaked in a comedy of errors! This ‘day in the life’ from 1786 Seville, Spain includes multiple cases of mistaken identity, long-lost relatives, and crossdressing hijinks. No one is safe in this tale as it transcends the boundaries of sexism and class!


“What I need from you is the fire this time.”
– Blue
November 10 and 12, 2023
Tony Award–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and NAACP Theatre Award–winning librettist Tazewell Thompson’s new opera is inspired by contemporary events and Black literature, including Ta-Nehisi Coates’s Between the World and Me and James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time.
“…everything she touches turns into gold”
– Place de l’Opera
December 1, 2023
Inspired by her recent album release, French Bel Canto Arias, Lisette will be curating an evening of French and Italian arias from the Bel Canto period by composers such as Donizetti, Rossini, and Bellini, among others. This style of music is a particular favorite of hers and an opportunity for her to showcase her brilliant technique and incredible musicality and style.


“Alone and out of options, Lucia escapes in the only way she can: she murders her new husband and descends into madness.”
– WNYC Studios
March 22 and 24, 2024
Lucia di Lammermoor is a tale drawn from an actual incident between two rival Scottish families in political opposition. It’s a story rivaling any told on the landscape of today’s true crime podcast! Donizetti’s score building to the dramatic climax of the ‘mad scene’ has been a breakthrough vehicle for several beloved sopranos including Dame Joan Sutherland.
An Evening with Liberace and Liza
Friday, May 19, 2023
Join us for a night of Rhinestones and Glitz!
A Convergence of VEGAS and NOLA.
An Evening with Liberace and Liza
Benefitting New Orleans Opera.
At the New Orleans Jazz Market

Opera … and All That Jazz!
A New Orleans Opera and Music Inside Out Presentation
A NEW VIDEO SERIES INSPIRED BY ALAN LOMAX AND JELLY ROLL MORTON
New Orleans is America’s first city of opera and the birthplace of jazz. Scholars might debate those claims, but New Orleanians hold them close, and you can feel it everyday in the pulse of the city. We invited artists to talk to us about this musical intersection and are proud to present the following interviews.
VIDEO RELEASE DATES
April 20: Tyrone Chambers — opera singer
April 27: Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg – world-renowned violinist
May 4: Ricky Riccardi – musician, Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum
May 11: Givonna Joseph — opera singer, founder of OperaCréole
May 18: David Torkanowsky — piano player, composer
May 25: Antonio Domino — opera singer and grandson of Fats Domino
June 1: Judith Owen — singer, songwriter, jazz musician

Are you looking for a fulfilling and fun way to support an organization you love?
Then New Orleans Opera is looking for YOU!
What People Are Saying About New Orleans Opera.
Thanks to all that have replied to our surveys and commented on our social media! We are listening. And we are very appreciative of you for sharing your insights.
“I remember seeing the Met Opera production of Madame Butterfly and weeping with great sorrow. For this production, I was weeping with great joy. Thank you for sharing your courage.
Audience Member
Madame Butterfly“The scenery was impeccable; the cast, absolutely brilliant. My favorite line had to be the inquiry to Sharpless about his ancestors. Like how’s momma and dem? :)”
Audience Member
Madame Butterfly“What a brilliant production! Thanks for adapting this with such rich thought and feeling. This was my first time attending #NOLAopera and I absolutely loved it!”
Audience Member
Madame Butterfly
We cannot do what we do without you.
There are many ways to get involved!
- From annual giving to our monthly Sustainer Program
- From attending special events to including us in your estate plans
- From sponsoring artists or productions to underwriting educational programs!
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