Aida
New production
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni
Directed by Kaneza Schaal
Co-Production with Houston Grand Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and LA Opera
Performed in Italian with English supertitles
For the first time in over two decades, Verdi’s monumental masterwork returns to the Academy of Music in a lush new production from director Kaneza Schaal and visual artist Christopher Myers. Drawing from histories, forms, and traditions born in places where the African diaspora collided with other peoples, this new staging explores the opera’s imagined histories, rich complexities, and cultural tensions that have granted it an enduring allure. This Aida brings the timeless story of love, betrayal, and sacrifice to life while illuminating themes of identity, power, and conflict that remain strikingly relevant today, allowing us to hear Verdi’s iconic score in a whole new way. Powerhouse soprano Tiffany Townsend makes her role debut in the title role, alongside tenor Jonathan Burton (Radamès), bass-baritone Alfred Walker (Amonasro), and mezzo-soprano Aubrey Odle (Amneris).
Aida On-Sale Dates:
Tuesday, April 28 at 10:00 a.m.
Subscriptions
Opera Pass
Tuesday, June 30 at 10:00 a.m.
Standard Price Single Tickets
Pick Your Price Pre-Sale for 26/27 Opera Pass holders
Monday, November 23 at 10:00 a.m.
Pick Your Price Public On-Sale (Let ’Em Eat Cake, Aida, and Sitcom)
MapAcademy of Music
Dates are April 2027.
| Sat, Apr 17 | 8:00 p.m. |
| Tue, Apr 20 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri, Apr 23 | 8:00 p.m. |
| Sun, Apr 25 | 2:00 p.m. |
Runtime is approximately 2 hours 45 minutes with one intermission
Cast & Creative Team
- Christopher Myers * Production Conceptual Artist
- Amy Rubin * Scenic Designer
- Charlese Antoinette * Costume Designer
- Pablo Santiago Lighting Designer
- Joshua Higgason * Projection & Video Designer
- Elizabeth Braden Chorus Master
- *Opera Philadelphia debut
The Composer
Giuseppe Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi was born on October 10, 1813 in the small village of Roncole in Italy. At this time, however, the country of Italy did not yet exist but, rather, the area was made up of several small states, most under the domination of foreign powers. When Verdi was born, the village of Roncole, and its surrounding province of Parma, was under the control of the French. In fact, Verdi’s original birth certificate is French with his name registered as Joseph Fortunin François. Read more >>