Pittsburgh Opera presents 'Curlew River'

December 4, 2025
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Pittsburgh Opera presents the Pittsburgh premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River, Jan. 24-Feb. 2 at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside

Pittsburgh Opera’s first production of 2026 is the Pittsburgh premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Curlew River, one of Britten’s three parables for church performance.

In Curlew River, a woman driven mad by the mystery of her lost son learns her boy’s unfortunate fate from a chance encounter with a Ferryman while crossing a river. A full synopsis is available at pittsburghopera.org/curlew.

Curlew River is based on the Japanese Noh play Sumidigawa River. Noh plays are a traditional form of highly-stylized Japanese theater that combine music, poetry, and dance.

Britten and his librettist William Plomer, in their quest to adapt the play, decided on the medieval ‘Miracle Play’ as their theatrical form. Miracle Plays are intended to be performed in churches, not traditional theaters. Pittsburgh Opera will be performing Curlew River at Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside. As Opera Now explains, “All the roles in the parable are sung by men, following both the Japanese and English medieval performing traditions.”

Performance Schedule

• Saturday, January 24, 2026 * 7:00 PM
• Tuesday, January 27, 2026 * 7:00 PM (audio commentary available for patrons with visual impairments)
• Friday, January 30, 2026 * 7:00 PM
• Sunday, February 1, 2026 * 4:00 PM

Other Details

• Location: Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside
• Run Time: Approximately 70 minutes
• Language: Sung in English
• Pittsburgh Opera is mounting a new production
• World premiere: June 1964 at St Bartholomew's Church, Orford, Suffolk, England

Synopsis, Cast, and Artistic Team

• View our Fellow Travelers webpage for a synopsis of the plot, and complete cast and artistic team listings 

Related Events

Pre-Opera Talks (free)

Ticketholders are invited to attend a Pre-Opera Talk one hour before each performance’s start time. Learn about the composer, the story, and some juicy details about the opera. These talks are free to all ticketholders.

Meet the Artists (free)

After the Tuesday, January 27^th performance of Curlew River, patrons are invited to join General Director Christopher Hahn as he interviews the stars of the production.

Curlew River Preview Show on WQED-FM 89.3 and wqed.org/fm

Saturday, January 17 at 12:30PM & Friday, January 23, at 7:00PM

This half-hour preview is broadcast twice before Curlew River opens, giving listeners an in-depth introduction to the opera’s singers, story, and music. Host Anna Singer of WQED interviews members of the cast and artistic team for their insights into the production.

Tickets

Single Tickets

Seating for Curlew River is general admission. Most single tickets are $65. Tickets for kids and teens ages 6–18 are half price. For tickets, call (412) 456-6666 or visit www.pittsburghopera.org.

Group Tickets

Pittsburgh Opera makes opera accessible to all groups in the Pittsburgh area by providing great discounts and special services to group ticketholders. A group at Pittsburgh Opera can be as few as 6 people! In addition, college and university students, faculty, and staff are eligible for our Cheap Seats program – see pittsburghopera.org/CheapSeats for details.

For more information about group ticket services and discounts, contact Álvaro Muñoz at (412) 281-0912, ext. 213 or groups@pittsburghopera.org.

Opus Pass

Pittsburgh Opera’s Opus Pass lets patrons see as many live opera performances as they want all season. For one low monthly price, passholders get a year’s worth of unlimited admission to every performance of every opera, subject to availability.

Subscriptions

Subscription packages range from $35.50 - $581.

Subscribers enjoy the benefits of:

• The best seats at the best prices
• Easy, flexible, free ticket exchanges
• Discounted reserved parking at Theater Square Garage
• 15% discount on additional single tickets to all operas
• Money-Back Guarantee – if subscribers are not satisfied with their first opera, Pittsburgh Opera will refund the balance of the subscription

SPONSORSHIPS

Pittsburgh Opera’s season is made possible, onstage and off, by support from all corners of the community. Pittsburgh Opera offers a range of flexible gift options and potential tax benefits for individuals, local businesses, and corporations. Sponsorship opportunities include:

• Production Sponsorships – Help bring a production to life while pulling back the curtain and entertaining clients or friends. Gifts begin at $10,000.
• Resident Artist Sponsorships – Support future opera stars while building personal relationships with artists. Gifts begin at $10,000.
• Family Day & Community Programs – Underwrite free or low-cost concerts, because everyone deserves access to opera. Gifts begin at $5,000.
• Parties & Events – Sponsor Galas, networking events, parties, and happy hours. Gifts begin at $500.

To learn more about becoming a sponsor, contact Pittsburgh Opera at 412-281-0912 x226 or via email.