Independent Arts News Reporting Opera Philadelphia Presents new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Reported on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
Pictured Above: Alison Moritz. Photo by Elizabeth Wiseman.
Mozart’s Don Giovanni will run April 25 to May 4 at the Academy of Music, 2025
Newsroom Post: PHILADELPHIA, PA
Philadelphia, PA – Opera Philadelphia closes its 2024-2025 Season at the historic Academy of Music with a new production of Mozart’s riveting masterpiece Don Giovanni. The story follows a charming predator who uses people without care for their hearts, or the consequences of his actions. When he murders the father of a woman he’s assaulted, the sleazy nobleman sets in motion events that could lead to his downfall. Will he get away with his crimes and unrepentant pursuit of selfish desire? Or will there be hell to pay?
The new production is led by American stage director Alison Moritz, who has quickly gained a reputation for her innovative interpretations of the classic repertoire and her equally incisive takes on contemporary music theater. Her work focuses on using music as a prism for human emotion – as such, her work has been praised for her “edgy, teeth-grinding style” by the New York Observer, and her recent projects have been lauded as “enchantingly cheeky” (Washington Post), “elegantly sexy,” and “raw, funny, surreal, and disarmingly human” (Opera News). The new production includes scenic designs by Jesse Wine and Cassandre Griffin, and costume design by Victoria Bek, all making their company debuts. Jack Mulroney Music Director Corrado Rovaris leads the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra, with Elizabeth Braden leading the Opera Philadelphia Chorus.
Pictured Above: Timothy Murray. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Working on this beautiful, terrifying, and unwieldy masterpiece is always a challenge and, in this case, we have really challenged ourselves to look at the opera with fresh eyes,” Moritz said. “Don Giovanni is an absolute jewel in the operatic repertoire and deserves to be examined from all angles, like a multi-faceted gem. We’re building a world onstage especially designed to respond to the architecture of the beautiful Academy of Music and create an arena for Mozart’s glorious music.”
Heralded for his “firm, flexible baritone” (New York Times) and “swaggering, rakish” stage presence (Opera News), Timothy Murray makes his Opera Philadelphia debut in the title role. The Academy of Vocal Arts graduate made his European debut in the 2023-2024 season in the same role in a new production at Opéra de Lille. A recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Canadian soprano Olivia Smith makes her company debut as Donna Anna.
Pictured Above: Olivia Smith. Photo Credit: Contributed.
Heralded for his “firm, flexible baritone” (New York Times) and “swaggering, rakish” stage presence (Opera News), Timothy Murray makes his Opera Philadelphia debut in the title role. The Academy of Vocal Arts graduate made his European debut in the 2023-2024 season in the same role in a new production at Opéra de Lille. A recent graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Canadian soprano Olivia Smith makes her company debut as Donna Anna.
Starring as Don Ottavio is South African tenor Khanyiso Gwenxane, who made a splash in his 2022 Opera Philadelphia debut in the title role of Rossini’s Otello, with the New York Times hailing his “bold and forthright” voice. Soprano Elizabeth Reiter, a Curtis Institute of Music alum who received international acclaim for her portrayal of Aphrodite in the 2011 American premiere of Henze’s Phaedra with Opera Philadelphia, returns as Donna Elvira. Bass-baritone Nicholas Newton makes his Opera Philadelphia debut in the role of Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant and sidekick. Newton performs the same role in a summer 2024 production at the Santa Fe Opera, where he also appeared in the world premiere of The Righteous by Gregory Spears and Tracy K. Smith. American soprano Amanda Sheriff performs the role of Zerlina, with baritone Kevin Godínez, an Academy of Vocal Arts resident artist seen in 2023 at Opera in the Park and Afternoons at AVA, as Masetto. American bass Raymond Aceto also makes his company debut as the Commendatore.
Pictured Above: Khanyiso Gwenxane. Photo Credit: Vivien Lacomme.
Don Giovanni
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte
New Production
April 25, 27, May 2, 4, 2025
Academy of Music
Performed in Italian with English Supertitles
Runtime is approximately 3 hours including one 20-minute intermission
About Opera Philadelphia
Opera Philadelphia is known as “the very model of a modern opera company” (Washington Post). Committed to developing opera for the 21st century, the company is recognized as “a hotbed of operatic innovation” (New York Times). For more information, visit operaphila.org.
