Performances on October 30 and November 1, 2026
Tickets here
Synopsis
Prologue
At the palace of Vienna’s wealthiest man, preparations are underway for an evening’s entertainment. A young Composer has written a serious opera based on the myth of Ariadne, abandoned by Theseus on the island of Naxos. Unfortunately, the host has also engaged a troupe of comedians, led by the vivacious Zerbinetta, to perform a lighthearted farce. The Composer and his Music Teacher are horrified at the prospect of their important work sharing the evening with such frivolity. Matters become worse when the imperious Major-Domo announces that, to ensure the fireworks begin promptly at nine, both entertainments must be performed simultaneously.
The Composer is outraged, but the Music Teacher, mindful of their fee, insists they comply. Meanwhile, the Prima Donna and Tenor are preoccupied with their own importance, each demanding that the other’s role be reduced. The comedians are equally unimpressed by the serious opera. Zerbinetta, however, is intrigued by Ariadne’s predicament. When the Composer explains that his heroine, abandoned by her only love, longs for death, Zerbinetta suggests that another lover might be a simpler solution.
In a private conversation, Zerbinetta reveals that, despite her many affairs, she too longs for a love that will last. The Composer finds himself unexpectedly captivated by her. For a moment, he is inspired by the extraordinary power of music and art. But as the performance is about to begin, he is overwhelmed by the humiliation of the compromise and is in despair.
The Opera
The comedians arrive and attempt to lift Ariadne’s spirits. Harlequin sings of the pleasures of life, while Brighella, Scaramuccio and Truffaldino join in their efforts to distract her. Ariadne remains unmoved. Zerbinetta dismisses the others and tries a more personal approach. She understands the pain of betrayal but cannot comprehend Ariadne’s refusal to love again. In a dazzling confession, she describes her own romantic adventures: each new lover seems utterly unique, each inspires genuine passion, and each arrives like a god. For Zerbinetta, love is not diminished by repetition but endlessly renewed.
Ariadne withdraws into her cave, leaving Zerbinetta to return to her comedians, who compete for her affection: Harlekin pushes himself forward. Suddenly, the nymphs announce the arrival of a mysterious stranger. It is Bacchus, the young god who has escaped the enchantments of the sorceress Circe. Hearing his voice, Ariadne believes that the Messenger of Death himself has come to release her from suffering. Bacchus, in turn, is bewildered by the mysterious woman before him. Gradually, through a series of misunderstandings, each discovers something unexpected in the other.
Ariadne’s longing for death becomes a transformation through love, while Bacchus discovers a power greater than any enchantment he has encountered. Together, they embrace a new existence. As the lovers surrender to their extraordinary union, Zerbinetta quietly reappears to remind us of what she has maintained all along: every new lover arrives like a god.
Conductor’s Notes
Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s Ariadne auf Naxos is one of those rare masterpieces that manage to be both wonderfully funny and deeply moving.
The Prologue invites us to peek behind the curtain and witness the eccentric, passionate, and often highly strung personalities that emerge when different kinds of artists collide—not only with one another, but also with the staff and people responsible for making a performance happen. In this case, the setting is the home of a wealthy patron who has commissioned an evening of entertainment. At the heart of the comedy is the clash between two seemingly incompatible worlds: opera seria, the grand tradition of serious opera, and commedia dell’arte, with its playful characters, improvisation, and irreverent humor. Initially, neither side has much patience or respect for the other. But as the evening unfolds, these opposing artistic worlds begin to find common ground, and even a certain admiration for each other’s craft.
The Prologue captures the frantic energy of theatrical preparations with extraordinary wit and precision. The rapid-fire exchanges, mounting tensions, artistic insecurities, and occasionally ridiculous behavior are all reflected in Strauss’s music. It is also some of the most demanding music to perform, both on stage and in the orchestra pit. Much of the Prologue unfolds almost as one continuous recitative, with the music following the natural rhythms of speech and constantly shifting in tempo and character. Yet amid all this nervous energy, Strauss gives us moments of breathtaking beauty, particularly in the encounter between the Composer and Zerbinetta and in the Composer’s passionate declaration of faith in music.
When we finally arrive at the opera itself, the musical world opens up into something quite extraordinary: a combination of profound emotion, exquisite lyricism, sparkling comedy, and dazzling vocal virtuosity. In this opera, Strauss is at his most inventive. With a comparatively small orchestra, he creates an astonishing range of colors and textures, giving each character and dramatic world its own distinct musical identity. The score demands tremendous virtuosity not only from the singers but also from the instrumentalists, making it one of the most difficult but also most rewarding works I know.
Ultimately, Ariadne auf Naxos is a work about transformation. Through their encounter, Ariadne and Bacchus transform one another, just as the seemingly incompatible worlds of tragedy and comedy discover something essential in each other. And perhaps that is the greatest transformation of all: through Strauss’s extraordinary music, I believe we, too, are transported and transformed.
–Note by Christian Reif
Director’s Notes
I have spent much of my life in theatres, and if there is one thing I have learned, it is that the business of making art is frequently ridiculous. Which is perhaps why I have such affection for Strauss and Hofmannsthal’s Ariadne auf Naxos. Here is an opera that manages to celebrate the sublime possibilities of our profession while cheerfully exposing its vanities, pretensions and occasional complete absurdity. The premise is irresistible. A wealthy patron, having engaged both a serious opera company and a troupe of comedians, decides, for reasons of convenience, that they must perform simultaneously. Artistic integrity, apparently, is of little consequence when there are fireworks to be enjoyed.
I have some sympathy for the unfortunate artists. Many years ago, directing a production in a famous palace, I encountered a Major-Domo who might have stepped straight out of Hofmannsthal’s imagination. This formidable individual regarded the needs of singers, musicians and, most certainly, the director as irritating inconveniences. The palace had its rules, and heaven forbid that anything as trivial as a performance should interfere with them. I remember thinking that nobody would believe such a character if I put him on stage. Of course, that’s precisely the point. I adore comedy, particularly the comedy of human beings taking themselves terribly seriously. Nobody in Ariadne thinks they’re being funny. The Composer is defending the sacred dignity of Art, Zerbinetta simply wants to get on with entertaining people, and everyone else is fighting for their own little corner of theatrical immortality. All entirely recognisable to anyone who has survived a rehearsal room.
But staging Ariadne presents a delicious challenge. We are making theatre about people making theatre, and somehow the audience must be allowed to see both the artifice and the truth beneath it. The comedy must never undermine the tragedy, nor the tragedy suffocate the comedy. Strauss, whom I love for his astonishing combination of wit, humanity and musical extravagance, achieves this balancing act magnificently. And then comes the question that really interests me. What exactly is art? Who decides? What does it mean, and how on earth do we go about creating it? We directors spend an inordinate amount of time imagining, analysing, planning and attempting to control the uncontrollable. Yet some of the greatest moments I have witnessed in theatre have happened entirely by accident. Something unexpected occurs, a performer responds instinctively, and suddenly there is a moment of extraordinary truth that nobody could have planned.
So is art something we deliberately manufacture, or is it occasionally a glorious by-product of our efforts? Perhaps Ariadne suggests that we take ourselves rather too seriously. Out of compromise, collision and apparent catastrophe comes something unexpectedly beautiful. And isn’t that just like theatre? We spend weeks trying to make everything work, and sometimes the magic happens despite us.
–Note by Paul Curran
Cast (in order of vocal entrance)
Music Teacher – Lewei Wang
Major-Domo – Voice of Christian Reif
Lackey – Garrett Reider
Officer – Joshua Corey
Composer – Dana Mays
Bacchus/Tenor – Ryan Smith
Wigmaker – Tanner Engeseth
Zerbinetta – Carlee Elsner
Ariadne/Prima Donna – Jordan Twadell
Dancing Master – Timothy Anderson
Najade – Jisoo Choi
Dryade – Natalie Creel
Echo – Kathryn Peterson
Brighella – Brandon Flores
Harlekin – Heechang Daniel Byun
Scaramuccio – Alessandro Fanan
Truffaldin – Christopher Gray
Ensemble (alphabetical order)
Gabriel Banda, Michael Banda, Maria Fernandez, Jayden Greicius, Krish Muthukumar, Kate Ryan & Emma Vogelsang
Creative Team
Conductor – Christian Reif
Stage Director – Paul Curran
Assistant Director – Sophia Watt
Assistant Conductors – Kyle Haake, Clayton Hinton, Ana Spasovska
Scenic Designer – Steven Kemp
Lighting Designer – Renée Brode
Assistant Lighting Designer – Ian Evans
Costume Designer – Macy Lyne
Intimacy & Combat Director – Olivia Knight
Musical Preparation – Jenny Choo, Lyndsi Maus, Nino Sanikidze & Bethany Self
Production Staff
Stage Manager – Madison Elaine Sutton
Properties Supervisor & Scenic Charge Artist – Lauren Davis
Costume Supervisor – Barbara Dolney
Wig & Makeup Supervisor – Susie DeBlieck
Assistant Stage Manager – Vana Salois
Deck Crew – Sophia Orrico*, Joey Rittenhouse & Regine Gwyneth Templonuevo
Surtitle Operator – Elizabeth Kirkconnell
Spotlight Operators – Emily Kondrat*, Mary Margaret McNeil* & Stefan Vikingur*
Wig and Makeup Crew – Antoinette Pompe van Meerdovoort*
Costume Crew – Miles Dolney & Jessica Lyublinksy*
Set Construction – Clay Cooke & Jozef Winemiller
Recording Engineer – Francis Schmidt
Audio Specialist – JJ Ramos
The Shepherd School of Music thanks the following donors who supported this production of Ariadne auf Naxos:
Stage Director supported by the Adelaide Emily Lummis Fund for Opera Production
Scenic Designer supported by the Juliana Chyu and David Whitney Fund for Guest Artists in Opera Endowed Fund