The Sarah and Ernest Butler Opera Center program provides performance training and background for singers, opera directors, opera coaches interested in professional and educational careers. The diverse Vocal Arts faculty brings to the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music the highest level of comprehensive teaching and performing experiences.
Handel’s Alcina Presented by the Butler Opera Center
Step into a world of enchantment and transformation with the Butler Opera Center’s daring new interpretation of Handel’s Alcina, part of the debut season of the Händel in Focus initiative. This studio-style performance breathes new life into the Baroque masterpiece, blending the elegance of 18th-century music with the immediacy of 21st-century voices.
The opera’s original Italian arias —featuring some of Handel’s most exquisite music—will be performed in full, while the recitatives take an unexpected and powerful turn: spoken in the singers’ native languages—Chinese, Korean, and English—with English transitions to guide the audience through the unfolding drama.
Each performer contributes more than just their voice—they shape the storytelling itself. Under faculty mentorship, cast members craft original, modern-language interpretations of their roles, transforming Alcina into a deeply personal, multilingual exploration of identity, power, and illusion.