BALTIMORE, MD— The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) brings its 2025–26 season to a powerful close with concert performances of Verdi’s Rigoletto, led by Music Director Jonathon Heyward. Performances take place Friday, June 12, at 7 PM at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Sunday, June 14, at 3 PM at The Music Center at Strathmore.
A cornerstone of the operatic repertoire, Rigoletto is a dramatic tale of love, betrayal, and vengeance. It marks the second installment of Heyward’s multi-year Verdi Initiative, following last June’s sold-out performances of Aida. As a central component of Heyward’s artistic vision, each performance is approached as a shared stage presentation, performed in Italian with English supertitles, bringing the Orchestra onstage alongside an internationally acclaimed cast and chorus with lighting effects and movement. Audiences can expect a powerful musical experience equally exciting for longstanding and new opera attendees.
Leading the Rigoletto cast is renowned baritone Quinn Kelsey in the title role. He is joined by soprano Raven McMillon as Gilda, tenor Andrew Owens as the Duke of Mantua, bass Peixin Chen as Sparafucile, mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges as Maddalena, and bass-baritone Christian Pursell as Count Monterone. The performances feature The Washington Chorus under the direction of Artistic Director Dr. Eugene Rogers. Director Ruth Knight makes her U.S. debut, bringing a keen eye and vision for production staging in two unique venues within the span of a single weekend.
“Closing the season with Rigoletto is both a celebration and a culmination,” said BSO Music Director Jonathon Heyward. “Verdi’s music captures the intricacies of human emotion with extraordinary power. This cast brings a level of unparalleled artistry, and our production approach is designed to amplify emotions onstage and in the audience. I can think of no better way to end a truly incredible 2025-26 season.”
“Opera occupies a unique place in the storytelling arts and in the BSO’s own 110-year history,” said BSO President and CEO Mark C. Hanson. “Our multi-year exploration of Verdi’s masterworks under Jonathon’s artistic leadership is creating new opportunities for both longtime patrons and new audiences to experience opera at the BSO in a way that feels welcoming, music-forward, and relevant.”
Premiered in 1851, Rigoletto remains one of opera’s most enduring works, exploring timeless themes of innocence, corruption, revenge, and sacrifice.
The BSO Presents Verdi’s Rigoletto
Friday, June 12, 7 PM, Meyerhoff
Sunday, June 14, 3 PM, Strathmore
Jonathon Heyward, conductor
Ruth Knight, director
Amith Chandrashaker, lighting designer
Michael Baitzer, répétiteur
Benjamin Makino, assistant conductor
Ashley Pollard, stage manager
Cast in order of vocal appearance:
Andrew Owens, Duke of Mantua
Hakeem Henderson, Borsa
Anneliese Klenetsky, Countess Ceprano
Quinn Kelsey, Rigoletto
Chandler Benn, Marullo
Samuel Weiser, Count Ceprano
Christian Pursell, Count Monterone
Peixin Chen, Sparafucile
Raven McMillon, Gilda
Deborah Nansteel, Giovanna
Lauren Carroll, A Page
Chandler Benn, A Court Usher
J’Nai Bridges, Maddalena
Zoe Cushman Walders, Daughter of Monterone
Chorus:
The Washington Chorus, chorus
Eugene Rogers, artistic director
Performed in Italian with English supertitles
Tickets and additional details can be found at BSOmusic.org. For complimentary press tickets, photos, and interview requests, please contact the BSO Press Office.
Content advisory warning: Verdi’s timeless opera, Rigoletto, delivers bitter insights into the darkest parts of human nature. This production contains a staged scene of physical violence with sexual undertones, further intimations of violence against women, and a single loud gunshot.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall |1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
The Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852
About The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives, including OrchKids.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 300,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.
In July 2022, the BSO made history with the announcement that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his inaugural season in September 2023.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.
More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.
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Media Contacts:
Allison Burr-Livingstone
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ablivingstone@BSOmusic.org
Sara Warfield
Sara@sarawarfieldcommunications.com
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