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WFMT Opera Series 2025
Saturday at 1pm on WVTF Music

Operas from the finest stages around the world

From Milan to New York, Barcelona to Chicago, WFMT gives you a front-row seat to performances from some of the world’s greatest opera companies and performers.

Scheduled broadcasts for 2025

June 14 - La forza del destino / Giuseppe Verdi

From La Scala in Milan, Italy. Anna Netrebko (Donna Leonora); Ludovic Tézier (Don Carlo di Vargas); Brian Jagde (Don Alvaro); Vasilisa Berzhansaya (Preziosilla); Alexander Vinogradov (Padre Guardiano); Marco Filippo Romano (Fra Melitone); Fabrizio Beggi (Marchese de Calatrave); Hunhong Li (Alcade); Carlo Bosi (Maestro Trabuco); Xhieldo Hyseni (Surgeon); La Scala Chorus and Orchestra; Riccardo Chailly, conductor.

June 21 - Eugene Onegin / Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

From La Scala in Milan, Italy. Aida Garifullina (Tatiana); Alexey Markov (Onegin); Dmitry Korchak (Lensky); Elmina Hasan (Olga); Alisa Kolosova (Larina); Yulya Gertseva (Filippyevna); Dmitry Ulyanov (Prince Gremin); Yaroslav Abaimov (Triquet); Oleg Budaratskiy (Zaretski); Huanhong Li (Captain); La Scala Chorus and Orchestra; Timur Zangiev, conductor.

June 28 - L’Orontea / Antonio Cesti

From La Scala in Milan, Italy. Stéphanie d’Oustrac (Orontea); Mirco Palazzi (Creonte); Francesca Pia Vitale (Silandra); Hugh Cutting (Corindo); Luca Tittoto (Gelone); Sara Blanch (Tibrino); Marianna Pizzolato (Aristea); Carlo Vistoli (Alidoro); Maria Nazarova (Giacinta); La Scala Orchestra; Giovanni Antonini, conductor.

July 5 - Les Fêtes d'Hébé / Jean-Philippe Rameau

From Les Arts Florissants and Opéra Comique in Paris, France. Emmanuelle de Negri, (Hébé / The Naiad); Lea Desandre (Sapho / Iphise / Eglé); Ana Vieira Leite (Cupid / A Spartan woman / The stream / A shepherdess); Antonin Rondepierre (Thélème); Cyril Auvity (The stream / Lycurgue); Marc Mauillon (Momus / Mercure); Lisandro Abadie (Eurilas / Alcée); Renato Dolcini (Hymas / Tirtée); Matthieu Walendzik (The river); Les Arts Florissants; William Christie, conductor.

July 12 - Manon Lescaut / Daniel Auber

From Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. Rocío Pérez (Manon Lescaut); Sébastien Guèze (Des Grieux); Armando Noguera (Le Marquis d'Hérigny); Francesco Salvadori (Lescaut); Manuela Custer (Madame Bancelin); Guillaume Andrieux (Monsieur Renaud); Lamia Beuque (Marguerite); Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani (Gervais); Paolo Battaglia ( Monsieur Durozeau); Tyler Zimmermann (Sergeant); José Medina (A Bourgeois); Albina Tonkikh (Zaby); Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio, Turin; Guillaume Tourniaire, conductor.

July 19 - Manon / Jules Massenet

From Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. Ekaterina Bakanova (Manon Lescaut); Atalla Ayan (Le Chevalier des Grieux); Björn Bürger (Lescaut); Roberto Scandiuzzi (Le Comte des Grieux); Thomas Morris (Guillot de Morfontaine); Allen Boxer (Brétigny); Ugo Rabec (Innkeeper); Olivia Doray (Poussette); Marie Kalinine (Javotte); Lilia Istratii (Rosette); Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio, Turin; Evelino Pidò, conductor.

July 26 - Manon Lescaut / Giacomo Puccini

From Teatro Regio in Turin, Italy. Erika Grimaldi (Manon Lescaut); Roberto Aronica (Des Grieux); Alessandro Luongo (Lescaut); Carlo Lepore (Geronte); Giuseppe Infantino (Edmondo); Didier Pieri (Lamplighter / Dance Master); Reut Ventorero (A singer); Janusz Nosek (Sergeant); Lorenzo Battagion (Captain); Chorus and Orchestra of Teatro Regio, Turin; Renato Palumbo, conductor.

August 2 - Trouble in Tahiti / Leonard Bernstein *
A Quiet Place / Leonard Bernstein *

From the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, England. Trouble in Tahiti: Henry Neill (Sam); Wallis Giunta (Dinah), Kirsty McLean (Trio), Guy Elliott (Trio), Peer Edge (Trio).

A Quiet Place: Grant Doyle (Sam); Henry Neill (Junior); Rowan Pierce (Dede); Elgan Llŷr Thomas (François).

Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Nicholas Chalmers, conductor.

August 9 - Turandot / Giacomo Puccini *

From the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, England. Sondra Radvanovsky (Turandot); SeokJong Baek (Calaf); Gemma Summerfield (Liù); Adam Palka (Timur); Paul Hopwood (Altoum); Hansung Yoo (Ping); Aled Hall (Pang); Michael Gibson (Pong); Ossian Huskinson (A Mandarin); Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Rafael Payare, conductor.

August 16 - Die Walküre / Richard Wagner*

From the Royal Ballet and Opera in London, England. Christopher Maltman (Wotan); Elisabet Strid (Brünnhilde); Natalya Romaniw (Sieglinde), Stanislas de Barbeyrac (Siegmund); Soloman Howard (Hunding); Marina Prudenskaya (Fricka); Maida Hundeling (Helmwige); Kaie Lowe (Ortlinde); Lee Bisset (Gerhilde); Claire Barnett-Jones (Waltraute); Catherine Carby (Siegrune); Alison Kettlewell (Rossweisse); Monika-Evelin Liiv (Grimgerde); Rhonda Browne (Schwertleite); Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Sir Antonio Pappano, conductor.

August 23 - Werther / Jules Massenet

From Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, France. Benjamin Bernheim (Werther); Marina Viotti (Charlotte); Jean-Sébastien Bou (Albert); Sandra Hamaoui (Sophie); Marc Scoffoni (The bailiff); Yuri Kissin (Johann); Rodolphe Briand (Schmidt); Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine; Gaël Darchen, chorus master; Les Siècles; Orchestre National de France; Marc Leroy-Calatayud, conductor.

August 30 - Der Rosenkavalier / Richard Strauss

From Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, France. Marlis Petersen (The Marschallin); Marina Viotti (Octavian); Regula Mühlemann (Sophie); Peter Rose (Baron Ochs); Jean-Sébastien Bou (Faninal); Éléonore Pancrazi (Annina); Kresimir Spicer (Valzacchi); Laurène Paternò (Marianne); François Piolino (Major-domo); Yoann Le Lan (Innkeeper); Maîtrise des Hauts-de-Seine; Gaël Darchen, chorus master; Orchestre National de France; Henrik Nánási, conductor.

September 6 - Dido and Aeneas / Henry Purcell
The Seven Deadly Sins / Kurt Weill

From the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dido and Aeneas: Danielle De Niese (Dido); Jóhann Kristinsson (Aeneas); Julie Roset (Belinda); Jasmin White (Sorceress); Sara Swietlicki (Second Woman / Second Witch); Katherine Koester (First Witch); Lasse Flaaten Husmer (Spirit); Kieran Carrel (Sailor).

The Seven Deadly Sins: Danielle De Niese (Anna I and Anna II); Kristoffer Appel (Father); Benjamin Nellemose (Brother); Mads Skovgaard Andersen (Brother); Per Hoyer (Mother).

Malmö Opera Chorus and Danish National Symphony Orchestra; Geoffrey Paterson, conductor.

* Indicates performers are subject to change.