Eastman Opera Theatre Presents Rare Alternating Double Feature: Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2025
Presenting the World Premiere of “CLICK!” and Eastman Debut of “In a Grove”
Eastman Opera Theatre (EOT) will present two fully staged operas on alternating days from October 30 through November 2, 2025âan uncommon schedule in academic and professional opera. This ambitious program âshowcases Eastman’s commitment to innovative storytelling by giving audiences the opportunity to experience two distinct operas in the same weekend,â exclaims Timothy Long, artistic and music director of EOT. Both productions will be performed in Kilbourn Hall and sung in English with small chamber orchestras; shared set pieces serve as the only real connection between them. EOT will perform the world premiere of “CLICK!” (2025) on October 30 and November 1 at 7:30 p.m., and the Eastman debut of the contemporary chamber opera “In a Grove” (2021) on October 31 at 7:30 p.m. and November 2 at 2:30 p.m.
Eastman alum Steve Bramson â83E (MM), an Emmy Award-winning composer of hundreds of primetime television episodes and numerous feature films, teamed up with librettist Gayle Hudson to tell the story of Hungarian photographer AndrĂ© KertĂ©sz. CLICK! is a new opera based on the life and legacy of KertĂ©sz and his wife, Elizabeth, and it will make its world premiere at the Eastman School of Music under the direction of Pat Diamond, associate professor of opera, and conducted by Timothy Long. This performance is made possible in part by the generous support of the TulipĂĄn Foundation through its Art & Culture Award.
Set across the cities they called homeâBudapest, Paris, and New Yorkâthis story explores emigration, artistic identity, and loveâs enduring force through the shifting political and socioeconomic tides of the twentieth century. With a lyrical score suggesting impressionism, minimalism, and a hint of Hungarian folk music, the opera features a cast of three singers and one spoken role.
âI hope those who are unfamiliar with AndrĂ© KertĂ©sz walk away with an appreciation for a very relatable story: navigating a passionate but difficult relationship, pursuing oneâs aspirations in life, and contending with the obstacles that are sometimes thrown in our way,â shares Bramson. âThe triumph of the creative, human spirit in all of us.â
This production coincides with a related exhibition at the George Eastman Museum: American Born, Hungary: Kertész, Capa, and the Hungarian American Photographic Legacy. CLICK! is made possible in part by the generous support of the Tulipån Foundation through its Art & Culture Award.
In a Grove, inspired by Japanese author RyĆ«nosuke Akutagawaâs collection of short stories Murder in the Age of Enlightenment and Akira Kurosawaâs acclaimed film RashĆmon, unfolds as a haunting, nonlinear investigation into the disappearance of a young woman and the murder of her husband. The original staging of In a Grove is set in a burned Oregon forest in 1921, but EOT places it in the 1890s Klondike in the Yukon Territory of Canada. With music by Christopher Cerrone and a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, the story is told by a string of unreliable narratorsâwitnesses offering conflicting accounts of what happened to the girl.
âThe crux of this show is the fallibility of memory,â comments director Joelle Lachance â25E (DMA). âIt bends the truth until you believe that what you ârememberâ is what actually happened.â This is Lachanceâs second directorial project with EOT, and she is the first student to helm an opera presented in Kilbourn Hall. She works alongside conductor Timothy Long to bring the story to life. This production contains depictions of sexual violence, theatrical haze (fake smoke/fog), gunshot sound effects, and strobe lighting effects. It is not recommended for children.
Tickets to each production are $20 for general admission. Internally, students, faculty, and staff may present their URochester ID to receive one free ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the Eastman Theatre Box Office, 433 East Main St., or online at EastmanTheatre.org.
Visit Eastman’s online calendar for more information about these performances and other upcoming events.
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Associate Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Eastman Opera Theatre:
Eastman Opera Theatre offers a comprehensive program of training and performance opportunities for the modern singer-actor. Each year, productions feature a wide range of musical styles, unusual lyric forms, and both traditional and contemporary repertoire that prepare the motivated student for the professional lyric theater world of tomorrow.
Most productions have two complete principal casts (given an equal number of performances), are fully designed, performed in the original language, and depending on the venue, use full orchestral accompaniment. Studio productions, scenes programs, and outreach events are also offered to further enhance the variety of performance opportunities. Eastman Opera Theatre utilizes both undergraduate and graduate students in all roles for all productions.
Recent and past productions include Prestini and Vavrekâs Silent Light; Davisâ Lear on the 2nd Floor; Sondheimâs Into the Woods; Monteverdiâs Lâincoronazione di Poppea; Glassâ Hydrogen Jukebox and Les Enfants Terribles; Guettelâs The Light in the Piazza; Gordonâs The Tibetan Book of the Dead; Mozartâs Don Giovanni; and Putsâ Elizabeth Cree. EOT is committed to working with living composers and librettists. Recent production collaborators have included Paola Prestini, Anthony Davis, Adam Guettel, Jake Heggie, Gene Scheer, Ricky Ian Gordon, Kevin Puts, and Mark Campbell.
About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastmanâs dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Musicâabout 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprising more than 170 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, GRAMMY winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the worldâs greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastmanâs students, faculty members and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nationâs leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.