Past Performances
Rusalka (Dvorak)
Was held on October 19th, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Performed in Czech with English supertitles. Conducted by Jackson McKinnon.
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Dvorak’s “Rusalka” is a tragic lyrical fairy tale of a water nymph who longs to become human when she falls in love with a prince she finds bathing in her lake. In the opera’s most famous and poignant aria, “Song to the Moon,” she begs the glowing planet to tell the prince of her love.
Desperate, and against her father’s advice, Rusalka seeks out the witch Jezibaba to make her wish come true, but the reality is very different than her dreams.
Based on the book “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen, “Rusalka” is a dramatic retelling of the original 1836 story.
La Traviata (Verdi)
Was held on May 18, 2025 @ 2:00pm
Experience Verdi’s most treasured masterpiece La traviata, a tragic opera about a courtesan who falls in love and tries to leave her life behind. This New Jersey Opera Theater LLC production of La traviata is on Sunday, May 18 at 2 PM on UCPAC's Main Stage in Rahway, NJ.
Opera Gems: An evening of Opera’s Most treasured Masterpieces
Was held on September 21st, 2024 @ 7:00pm
NJ Opera Theater’s Opera Gems concert will be a treasure chest filled with soaring arias, duets, and ensembles by your favorite composers. Selections will include La Donna è Mobile from Rigoletto, The Queen of the Night’s aria from The Magic Flute, Vissi d’arte from Tosca, The Ride of the Valkyries, and much more. New Jersey Opera Theater’s cast includes artists from The Metropolitan Opera. We are rolling out the red carpet for you, so please dash the paparazzi in your finest evening attire! Private Meet & Greet VIP cocktail reception with the cast is available after the show.
Die Walküre by Wagner
Was held on July 27th, 2024 @ 5:00pm
COSPLAY INVITATION:Our production will take place during the 1920’s to pay tribute to the history of Union County Performing Arts Center’s Main Stage Theater, which was built in 1928. To keep the 1920’s atmosphere, we will also be using the theater’s original Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ with our New Jersey Opera Theater Orchestra. So please come dressed in your favorite 1920’s, Great Gatsby, Boardwalk Empire attire! We will have a 1920’s Jazz Band playing during the two intermissions with cocktails and appetizers. Come celebrate our incredible evening of Wagner and Jazz!Siegmund: Joseph Mayon, Sieglinde: Elisabeth Shoup, Hunding: Steven Fredericks, Wotan: Charles Schneider, Brünnhilde: Elizabeth Perryman, Fricka: Lorraine Helvick, Gerhilde: Tara Jamshidian, Ortlinde: Analía Corpas, Helmwige: Roseanne Ackerley, Waltraute: Ann Viemeister, Siegrune: Mary Hochgesang, Grimgerde: Lori Rohrs, Roßweise: Julianne Froehlich, Schwertleite: Brittany Walker, Stage Direction by Dennis Oliveira, and Conducted by Hugh Keelan.Before there was The Lord of the Rings, there was The Ring Cycle, a series of four operas by Richard Wagner, based loosely on Norse mythology.The story revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the dwarf Alberich from the gold he stole from mermaids in the River Rhine. Crushed by his loss, Alberich lays a curse on the ring: until it returns to him, it will inspire restless jealousy in those who won it and murderous envy in those who don't, thus condemning all the possessors of the ring.Several mythic figures struggle for possession of the ring, including Wotan (Odin), the chief of the gods. Wotan’s scheme spanning generations, to overcome his limitations, drives much of the action of the story. DIE WALKÜRE is where all of Wotan’s earthly and celestial children get caught up in his mess from the curse of the ring. During DIE WALKÜRE Act 1, we get to meet Wotan’s earthly love children and learn of their cursed past. Yes, Wotan had an affair with a mortal woman, which really upset his Goddess wife, Fricka, which we hear about in Act 2. Wotan’s other daughter, Brünnhilde, is forced by her father to do something to make Fricka happy, but she disobeys her father and stepmother. (BACKSTORY: Yes, Brünnhilde and her 8 sisters are the love children of Erde, not Fricka. Oh that Wotan!!!! So do you see where this family dynamic is going?!!!) Because of Brünnhilde’s betrayal, all hell breaks loose, which brings us to The Ride of the Valkyries in Act 3. To find out how Alberich’s curse has destroyed this celestial family, please come to the show!Did you know? Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music over the course of approximately 26 years, from 1848-1874, and although the individual operas (DAS RHEINGOLD, DIE WALKÜRE, SIEGFRIED AND GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG) are performed as standalone shows, Wagner wanted them to be performed as a series.
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Norma by Bellini
Was held on June 30th, 2024 @ 4:00pm
COSPLAY INVITATION: Please feel free to come dressed in your favorite Druid or Roman attire!!!! NORMA, by Bellini, is a poignant tale set as a mesmerizing opera that delves into the complexities of love and infidelity. The heart of the story lies in the tangled web of love and betrayal involving Norma, the high priestess, her wayward lover Pollione, and the innocent novice priestess, Adalgisa. Step into the magic of this opera, and be prepared to be swept away by the haunting melodies and emotional crescendos that bring this timeless tale to life. Join us on a journey where the human spirit grapples with the complexities of love, and where every note resonates with the universal themes that bind us all. Don't miss this unforgettable night of drama and music that transcends time and speaks to the soul. Staring Anita Lyons (Norma), Anna Viemeister (Adalgisa), Joseph Mayon (Pollione), Steven Fredericks (Oroveso), Jax Hassler (Flavio), Anita Lyons (Clotilde), conducted by Richard Nechamkin, and Stage Direction by Dennis Oliveira.
Norma Act 1
Was held on February 24th 2024
Norma is a tragedia lirica or opera in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini with libretto by Felice Romani after the play Norma, ou L'infanticide by Alexandre Soumet. It was first produced at La Scala in Milan on 26 December 1831.
Die Walküre Act 1
Was held on February 11th, 2024
Die Walküre, WWV 86B, is the second of the four music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. It was performed, as a single opera, at the National Theatre Munich on 26 June 1870, and received its first performance as part of the Ring cycle at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus on 14 August 1876.
Amahl and the Night Visitors
Was held on December 15th 2023
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Amahl and the Night Visitors is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.
Night of Opera by Richard Wagner
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Was held on September 30th, 2023 @ UCPAC 7:00
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