Opera’s 2025/26 season celebrates AAPI and midwest talent

Art

May 16

Mo Zhou
Photo courtesy of Opera Grand Rapids

Opera Grand Rapids (OGR) announced its 2025-2026 season. Themed “East Meets Midwest: Celebrating Asian Brilliance and Artists from Michigan,” this season marks a significant chapter in the company’s evolution. Guided by Guest Artistic Director Mo Zhou, an internationally acclaimed stage director and faculty member at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, the season spotlights the intersection of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) artistry and Midwestern creativity.

“By undertaking this project, Opera Grand Rapids was able to elevate a story that needed to be told, in a medium that gave it poignancy and respect while uplifting emerging opera talent and fostering new works within the genre,” said Emilee Syrewicze, Executive Director, Opera Grand Rapids.

Opera Grand Rapids’ 25/26 Season lineup includes:

H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan: October 10 and 11, 2025 - Forest Hills Fine Arts Center

OGR kicks off the season with this beloved comic operetta classic, infused with clever satire, maritime mishaps, and infectious melodies. This fresh, theatrical reimagining will feature an all-Asian cast, offering a bold reinterpretation of the British classic through a modern, multicultural lens.

Stuck Elevator by Byron Au Yong, libretto by Aaron Jafferis: February 20 & 21, 2026 - The Betty Van Andel Opera Center

A Michigan premiere and landmark production, Stuck Elevator recounts the harrowing real-life story of an undocumented Chinese immigrant trapped in a Bronx elevator for 81 hours. Melding opera, hip-hop, and spoken word, this genre-defying piece will be brought to life by a 100% AAPI artistic team under Zhou’s visionary direction – marking a first for the work and a profound exploration of the immigrant experience and the invisible lives behind urban America

Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini: May 15 & 16, 2026 – DeVos Performance Hall

For the finale, OGR revisits its own legacy with a powerful new staging of Madame Butterfly, a work that helped put Grand Rapids on the national operatic map in 1907. More than a century later, the company reclaims and reimagines Puccini’s iconic opera through an AAPI-centered perspective. This landmark production will also be Opera Grand Rapids’ first-ever international co-production, in partnership with Calgary Opera (Canada) and Arizona Opera (U.S.), marking a monumental step for the company and a tribute to its growing national and international artistic reach.

For more information, visit www.operagr.org.