The Festival invites you to immerse yourself in myth, mystery, and adventure as the repertory for the 2024 season explores the connection between identity and illusion.

Festival Schedule:

1:00pm: La Calisto

The 2024 production of Cavalli’s La Calisto features Artistic & General Director Rob Ainsley’s 2013 realization of the score, expanding Cavalli’s continuo and strings with original parts for winds and brass. Comedy and pathos, gods and mortals, and a few rutting satyrs for good measure—this sparkling early opera, which weaves together two myths of transformation, has it all. Written at the midpoint of Cavalli’s career, La Calisto was conceived to deliver maximum entertainment to its discerning Venetian public, resulting in a hilarious caper full of mistaken identities, raunchy trysts, and celestial magic. This bold take will be conducted by Ainsley, directed by Mo Zhou, and choreographed by Eric Sean Fogel.

MUSIC | Francesco Cavalli
LIBRETTO | Giovanni Faustini
SUNG IN | Italian
PROJECTED TEXT | English
RUN TIME | 2 hours and 25 minutes

CONDUCTOR | Rob Ainsley
DIRECTOR | Mo Zhou
CHOREOGRAPHER | Eric Sean Fogel
SET DESIGNER | Charlie Corcoran
COSTUME DESIGNER | Carlos Soto
LIGHTING DESIGNER | Amith Chandrashaker
HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER | Tom Watson