Eastman Opera Theatre Presents the Timelessly Effervescent “Die Fledermaus” in Kodak Hall
“Strauss meets sequins” in EOT’s flashy interpretation of a classic operetta.
Closing Eastman Opera Theatre’s (EOT) 2025-26 season is a lively take on Johann Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus—bringing the charm, wit, and champagne-fueled shenanigans of this timeless operetta to Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre for the first time in over 50 years. “This Die Fledermaus spins beneath the glitter ball of Studio 54, where Strauss meets sequins, and misperception dances to a disco beat,” exclaims director Octavio Cardenas, assistant professor of opera. Running from April 9-12, 2026, at the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music, this performance will be sung in German with English dialogue (translated from the original German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée). Timothy Long, artistic and music director of opera, conducts a full orchestra on Strauss’s delightful score.
A vibrant tale of Vienna’s elite, Die Fledermaus includes everything from mistaken identities and elaborate disguises to revenge schemes and late-night revelry. Cardenas describes EOT’s interpretation as “a collage…sexy,” and “an explosion of colors.” Scenes that traditionally feature the waltz and eveningwear are replaced with disco and platform shoes. Set design was inspired by the rapid technological advancement—and resulting optimism—of 1960s America. Incorporating set pieces that are as glamorous as they are futuristic reflects technology’s cultural impact, triggering shifts from dance halls to nightclubs, bands to DJs, and waltz to disco.
Going beyond the melodies known from this operetta, EOT will incorporate popular disco tunes such as Walter Murphy & The Big Apple Band’s “Fifth of Beethoven” (1976) and Tom Jones’ hit “It’s Not Unusual” (1965). Long expresses that “opera does not have to be intimidating” and hopes that the liberties being taken “make audiences curious to come.”
Eastman Opera Theatre’s performances of Die Fledermaus are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Thursday 4/9, Friday 4/10, and Saturday 4/11, with a matinee at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday 4/12. This production is double-cast and runs for approximately 2.5 hours including an intermission.
Tickets to Die Fledermaus are $20.00 for general admission. Internally, students, faculty, and staff may present their URochester ID to receive one free ticket. Tickets can be purchased online or in-person at the Eastman Theatre Box Office (433 East Main Street).
For a truly immersive experience, patrons are invited to attend a pop-up disco in Sproull Atrium featuring guest DJ Brian Buttlett immediately following the performance on Friday, April 10 from 10:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Wear your dancing shoes and join EOT for complimentary dessert and light refreshments from Max at Eastman Place, as well as access to a cash bar. Entry to the disco is $10.00 and must be purchased ahead of time via Eastman’s Box Office; tickets will not be sold at the door. Please note that admission to the disco is not included with the purchase of a ticket to the opera.
To learn more about Eastman Opera Theatre, please visit our website.
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Associate Director of Public Relations & 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: the world premiere of Steve Bramson’s CLICK!; Prestini and Vavrek’s Silent Light; Golijov’s Ainadamar; Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas; Davis’ Lear on the 2nd Floor; Sondheim’s Into the Woods; Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea; Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox and Les Enfants Terribles; Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza; Gordon’s The Tibetan Book of the Dead; Mozart’s Don Giovanni; and Puts’ Elizabeth Cree. EOT is committed to working with living composers and librettists. Recent production collaborators have included 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. Eastman’s 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 Music—about 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 world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members and guest artists present more than 1,000 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, over 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 nation’s 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.