The Jungle Book
“The heart that beats in all of us wants to love without limitation. The heart that beats in all of us shows us who we are.”
Join us the weekend before Thanksgiving for the regional premiere of Kamala Sankaram and Kelley Rourke’s The Jungle Book! This opera for all ages tells the story of Mowgli, an endangered human cub who seeks refuge in the jungle with a pack of wolves. The classic Rudyard Kipling story is reinterpreted by Sankaram and Rourke emphasizing themes of community, empathy, and inclusion, sending a powerful message about embracing those who are different, and recognizing “the heart that beats in all of us.” Sankaram creates a powerful sense of place in the score by weaving elements of classical Indian music including ragas and vocal percussion.
In our Jungle you will find many familiar ResWorks favorites, including a continued partnership with The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus as the wolf pack, mezzo-soprano Timothi Williams(The Little Prince, La donna del lago) as Raksha, the wolf pack matriarch, bass Sergio Martinez (Rigoletto) as Baloo, the bear and tutor to the young wolves, soprano Samina Aslam as Bagheera, a cosmopolitan panther and friend of the pack, and Adrianna Cleveland as Hyena, sidekick/henchman to Shere Khan, the tiger, portrayed by tenor Karlos Piñero-Mercado in their ResWorks and Pittsburgh debut! Stage director Eve Summer returns to lead us through the Jungle, after great success with La donna del lago last year, and we continue our collaboration with sitarist Michael Griska(This Love Between Us) for this special production.
Time to Act
Alona
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 Actdemonstrates 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.
Content warning: this opera contains a simulated safety drill, and discussions related to the topics of school shootings, school violence, and PTSD.
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; Crystal Manich directs.
Saturday, February 28, 2026 * 7:00 PM
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 * 7:00 PM
Friday, March 6, 2026 * 7:00 PM
Sunday, March 8, 2026 * 2:00 PM
Tickets: https://opera.culturaldistrict.org/production/99487/time-to-act
Reson8: Hero Songs
Our acclaimed Reson8 Vocal Octet is back! Reson8: Hero Songs features the live premiere of Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi’s song cycle of the same name. Originally composed for the Decameron Opera Coalition’s HEROES opera-film anthology project, “Hero Songs” is a meditation on heroism and service, contemplating the past, present, and future of fortitude, effort, and sacrifice. Interwoven with this thought-provoking cycle are works by Joel Thompson, Rosephanye Powell, Damian Geter, Reena Esmail, Melissa Dunphy, and more, each carefully chosen to complement and expand on the themes of Hero Songs. Together, they form a unified musical journey that amplifies the many dimensions of what it means to be a hero in today’s world.
Program runs approximately 75 minutes without intermission
The Little Prince
Resonance Works
An aviator stranded in the desert encounters a youngster who has been traveling the universe in search of what is most important in life, learning truths about love, friendship, and the importance of seeing with the heart. This fall, Resonance Works presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Rachel Portman's modern masterpiece, The Little Prince, based on the beloved book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This new production created by acclaimed stage director Keturah Stickann in collaboration with conductor and Artistic & General Director Maria Sensi Sellner features 12-year-old America's Got Talent phenom Victory Brinker in the title role and internationally-lauded baritone Daniel Teadt as The Pilot, alongside the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus and Resonance Chamber Orchestra.
Get tickets:
Archipelago Vocal Ensemble
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918): Hymne au Soleil
Mari Esabel Valverde (b. 1987): Patterns on the Snow*
Hyo Won Woo (b. 1974): Gloria*
Reena Esmail (b. 1983): When the Violin*
Margaret Bonds (1913-1972): Credo*
To Breathe Free
SOLOIST for world premiere of An Anchor in Time by Gilda Lyons
Resonance Works
