Goldstar

Verdi's heart-rending story of a Parisian courtesan with a sordid past and no future features some of the composer's most ravishing and popular music. Two gifted artists share the role of Violetta Valery. Making her Company debut will be the rising young Russian soprano Marina Poplavskaya. In Italian with English supertitles. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera presents Walter Braunfels' The Birds. This rarely performed gem freely adapts Greek playwright Aristophanes' comedy of the same name; its's a light, endlessly imaginative opera in a late Romantic style reminiscent of Strauss and Wagner. Learn more...

The Los Angeles Opera presents Wagner's Die Walkure. Legendary tenor Placido Domingo stars as Siegmund, opposite soprano Anja Kampe. Wagner's heroic love story, part of his renowned Ring Cycle, will be conducted by James Conlon. Learn more...

Join Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater for their spectacular fiftieth anniversary tour at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Each program features an exciting array of works from the iconic dance troupe's history, including Ailey's legendary, inspirational Revelations. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera presents Wagner's Das Rheingold. The first part of Richard Wagner's legendary Ring Cycle tells an epic story of warring Norse gods. James Conlon conducts a cast of internationally renowned singers, including bass Vitalij Kowaljow as Wotan and mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as Fricka. Learn more...

The Magic Flute is both a fanciful fairy tale and an allegory hinting at deeper mysteries. This ever-popular work has enchanted young and old alike for over two centuries. L.A. Opera's production features sumptuous and dramatic costumes and sets from satirist and cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. Learn more...

Russia's legendary Kirov Ballet performs The Nutcracker at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. This holiday classic tells the tale of Clara, a girl who receives a magical nutcracker as a Christmas present and journeys through a magical world of sugar plum fairies and villainous mice. Learn more...

The Los Angeles Opera presents Bizet's classic Carmen, the tragic tale of a beautiful Gypsy woman and the Spanish soldier and bullfighter who compete for her love. This vivid and powerful production originated at Madrid's Teatro Real. Learn more...

The Miami City Ballet performs the West Coast debut of Twyla Tharp and Elvis Costello's Nightspot at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Tharp has created some of the most memorable dances in modern repertory, while Costello is one of the most revered musical artists of our time. Also on this program are Christopher Wheeldon's Liturgy and George Balanchine's Tarantella and Symphony in Three Movements, all with live orchestra. Learn more...

This heartbreaking drama of Puccini's most tragic heroine is illuminated in new ways in this minimalist production by Robert Wilson. Soprano Liping Zhang, who made an indelible impression when she debuted in the role at Covent Garden takes the part of the impressionable teenage geisha. The acclaimed Metropolitan Opera star Franco Farina appears as the callous Lieutenant Pinkerton and James Conlon conducts. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera presents the United States premiere of The Fly. Written by composer Howard Shore with libretto by David Henry Hwang, directed by master horror filmmaker David Cronenberg, and conducted by the legendary Placido Domingo, the opera tells the story of a scientist whose efforts to create a teleportation device result in a horrific accident in which his DNA is merged with a fly's. Learn more...

The Los Angeles Opera presents Il Trittico, an evening of three one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini. Two Academy Award-winning directors have joined forces to create this production; William Friedkin directs Il Tabarro and Suor Angelica, and Woody Allen makes his opera debut directing Gianni Schicchi. Learn more...

The Los Angeles Opera presents Puccini's La Rondine. It's the story of Magda, a worldly Parisian courtesan who runs off with the handsome young Ruggero, upsetting her wealthy suitor Rambaldo. This rarely-performed gem features some of Puccini's most beautiful melodies. Patricia Racette stars as Magda, with Marcus Haddock in the role of Ruggero. Learn more...

The Los Angeles Opera presents Puccini's Tosca. This famous opera is the tragic story of a love triangle between the fiery title character, a handsome painter, and a villainous police chief. The role of Tosca will be sung by Georgina Lukacs, the role of Cavaradossi will be sung by Gwyn Hughes-Jones, and the performances will be conducted by Placido Domingo. Learn more...

Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel performs a solo recital at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Terfel's combination of great voice, captivating charisma, immaculate diction and commanding stage presence has made him one of the hottest opera stars throughout the world. Learn more...

Conceived by Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson, Complexions Contemporary Ballet has always sought to distinguish itself by grounding their cutting-edge choreography and original music within the roots of classical dance. The power of their dancers and the electricity of their performances are showcased in two exciting programs at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Program varies each night; see full event description for schedule. Learn more...

The American Youth Symphony presents their 43rd Annual Gala Concert, with special guest conductor John Williams. One of the greatest film music composers of all time, Williams has received forty-five Academy Award nominations. The program will include Williams' own music, including pieces from Harry Potter, E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, and more. Guest soloist: Alexander Treger, AYS Music Director and LA Philharmonic Concertmaster. Learn more...

From the opening tempest scene to the spine-tingling finish, Verdi's transformation of the original Shakespeare play crackles with theatrical electricity. When the evil Iago cleverly exploits Otello's obsessive jealousy, the Moor's innocent wife Desdemona is blindsided in the explosive dramatic friction. This musical portrait of Otello's descent into a tortured heart of darkness is explicit in every chilling detail. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera continues its exploration of music by composers suppressed by the Nazis. This season, Music Director James Conlon's multi-year project Recovered Voices presents two exceptional one-act operas: Alexander Zemlinsky's The Dwarf, based on a tragedy by Oscar Wilde, and Viktor Ullmann's The Broken Jug, taken from a comedy by the Romantic German poet Heinrich von Kleist. Learn more...

LA Opera presents the return of Wagner's great ode to sexual ecstasy. David Hockney's stunning designs make his breathtaking, internationally acclaimed staging of Tristan und Isolde one of the Company's most exciting landmark productions. The bold and fancifully abstract Hockney sets provide a stunning visual counterpoint to Wagner's unfolding drama of fatal attraction and forbidden love. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera presents Mozart's Don Giovanni, one of the most acclaimed operas ever written, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The story of a legendary seducer whose misdeeds finally catch up with him, this show marks the return of a dazzling production that earned rave reviews for the company in 2003. Erwin Schrott returns in the title role, with Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello. Learn more...

Here's a special chance to see two productions from Los Angeles Opera for the price of one! In Puccini's La Bohème, set in 19th-century Paris on Christmas Eve, starving artists in the Latin Quarter engage in high jinks, high spirits and romance. Mozart's comic drama Don Giovanni not only catalogs the Don's many conquests, but also unfolds a series of calamities that ensue as the women he seduced and abandoned seek revenge. Learn more...

The Mark Morris Dance Group makes its Music Center debut with a critically-acclaimed presentation of Mozart Dances. Set to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart Dances offers a visually stimulating, elegant and often tender display of movement and technique. The piece blends folk dances, balletic lifts, pose and ensemble sculptures in a way in which each dancer exudes the beauty and emotion of Mozart's masterpieces and Morris' skillful and innovative choreography. Learn more...

If you think the Italians have a lock on operatic passion, this Czech masterpiece will change your mind. A drama of betrayal, revenge and an unspeakable crime committed in the name of morality, Leos Janácek's Jenufa demands a cast that acts as intensely as it sings. Learn more...

The Los Angeles Opera opens their season with a forceful production of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio. The story of a wrongfully imprisoned man and his faithful wife, who disguises herself as a jailer to rescue him, Fidelio carries a timely message about the triumph of love over tyranny. Learn more...

Take your pick from two dazzling shows from the American Ballet Theatre. Othello is a stunning full-length performance of Shakespeare's classic, featuring lavish sets and beautiful costumes--a tale of passion and jealousy, with a dramatic score by Oscar(r) award-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal. The Program of Mixed Repertory is composed of repertory works by master choreographers including Balanchine, Petipa, and de Mille, showcasing the grace and power of its world-renowned dancers. Learn more...

The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion welcomes icon of investigative journalism Bob Woodward for the Music Center's Speaker Series. He has won nearly every American journalism award. The Pulitzer Prize was given to The Washington Post in 1973 for the reporting of Woodward and Carl Bernstein on the Watergate scandal. More recently, Woodward was The Post's lead reporter on the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Learn more...

Norman Mailer, one of the most famous living American authors, appears in conversation with his son, author John Buffalo Mailer. The elder Mailer's book The Naked and the Dead was voted one of Modern Library's top 100 of the 20th century; he's won multiple Pulitzer Prizes, and was one of the founders of The Village Voice. Learn more...

High-spirited Anna was married to the wealthiest man in Pontevedro. She loves Prince Danilo, a charming playboy who's allergic to marriage. As sparks fly, a battle of the sexes is played out in Paris, where they dance, romance and take a chance on love. The opera features a delightful score of waltzes, Art Nouveau sets and opulent costumes. Learn more...

Gershwin's emotionally powerful story of love lost and found centers on Porgy's attempt to rescue the promiscuous Bess from the clutches of her murderous lover Crown and the conniving drug dealer Sportin' Life. The score blends blues, jazz, popular song, gospel, and spirituals, and includes such hits as "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "My Man's Gone Now" and "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'." Learn more...

The Music Center Speaker Series presents Fareed Zakaria , the editor of Newsweek International, PBS host of Foreign Exchange and analyst for ABC News. Zakaria is widely respected for his ability to spot economic and political trends around the world. He has received honors for his work including the Overseas Press Club Award, the National Press Clubs' Edwin Hood Award and the Deadline Club Award for best columnist. Learn more...

Considered one of the nation's foremost authors and novelists, Joan Didion is critically acclaimed as a cultural touchstone for her insightful and incisive depictions of Los Angeles and its people. She is a contributor to The New York Review of Books and The New Yorker. Throughout her career she has received many awards, and in 2005 received the Gold Medal for Belles Lettres. Learn more...

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and Newsweek essayist George Will is the country's foremost conservative voice. He writes a syndicated column for The Washington Post, is a political analyst on ABC's "This Week" and is a prolific author with books ranging from The Woven Figure: Conservatism and America's Fabric to his latest, With a Happy Eye, but...: America and the World, 1997-2002. Learn more...

The American Youth Symphony are proud to welcome featured soloist Andre Watts to their 42nd annual benefit gala. Under the direction of Alexander Treger, the orchestra will play Beethoven's Emperor Concerto, Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, and Rossini's Barber of Seville overture. Learn more...

The Joffrey Ballet returns to Los Angeles with an exciting program that includes the works of legendary choreographers Twyla Tharp and George Balanchine, a premiere by Donald Byrd, and more. Set to music by The Beach Boys, Prince and a variety of Motown talent, plus Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, this ballet is sure to provide enjoyment for all ages. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera offers an exclusive mini-subscription to three operas at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion: Wagner's voluptuous opera Tannhauser, Porgy and Bess set to Gershwin's score, and Lehár's Merry Widow, one of the most beloved operettas. See event description for show dates and details. Learn more...

Wagner's erotic and sensual opera, Tannhäuser, tells the tale of the epic poet Tannhäuser lost in lust with Venus, the pagan goddess of passion--the ultimate male fantasy. Venus's charms prove incapable of eternal enchantment, however, when Tannhäuser chooses earthly freedom, and the love of the very human Elisabeth, over the slavery of heavenly entrapment. Set to Wagner's soaring, thrilling music, this racy production is lushly beautiful--and definitely NC-17. Learn more...

Respected journalist Jim Lehrer comes to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion as part of the Music Center's Speaker Series in an evening of fascinating discussion on current events, the state of today's media, and more. Lehrer holds many journalistic honors including the 1999 National Humanities Medal. He has authored fifteen novels, two memoirs and three plays. Learn more...

The Music Center Speaker Series presents The Honorable Vicente Fox. As President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, Fox is credited with playing a vital role in Mexico's democratization and strengthening the country's economy. During his tenure he succeeded in controlling inflation and interest rates, and in achieving the lowest unemployment rate in all of Latin America. Learn more...

One of the most exciting artists of our time, soprano Deborah Voigt returns to Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for a one-night-only recital, joined by her frequent collaborator, pianist Brian Zeger. Widely admired for her lustrous voice, charismatic stage presence and wicked sense of humor, Deborah Voigt arrives in L.A. fresh from her recent success as Salome with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Learn more...

It's Engelbert Humperdinck's classic opera--presented in a new, visually captivating style. One of America's most celebrated visual artists, Douglas Fitch, has created 12-foot-tall creatures, fantastical sets, and elaborate stage effects. The opera's most beloved and memorable melodies include the beautiful "Evening Prayer," the adventurous "Witch's Ride," and the famous prelude. Conductor Alan Gilbert leads a world-class orchestra. Learn more...

The self indulgent Emperor Nero has grown tired of his wife and taken a mistress. But that ravishing and ruthless paramour Poppea will stop at nothing to snatch the crown for herself. How many will die or disappear before the final coronation scene? For this rarely heard Baroque masterpiece, LA Opera has assembled a peerless cast of international distinction, including Susan Graham, Frederica von Stade, David Daniels and Kurt Streit. Learn more...

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, one of the world's most compelling contemporary ballet companies, comes to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. They will perform Les Noces (The Wedding), a fast, energetic piece filled with fiery dancing by Belgian dance maker Stijn Celis and TooT by Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman, acclaimed for her quicksilver originality, humor and energetic dance theatre. Learn more...

Music Director James Conlon conducts and Ian Judge of the Royal Shakespeare Company (LA Opera's Romeo et Juliette, Le Nozze di Figaro, Tosca) directs Verdi's grand opera masterpiece, based on Friedrich Schiller's historic drama of morality, social revolution and the conflict between church and state. Starring tenor Salvatore Licitra in the title role, with Annalisa Raspagliosi, Dolora Zajick, Lado Ataneli, Ferruccio Furlanetto and Eric Halfvarson. Learn more...

Miami City Ballet celebrates its 20th anniversary with Edward Villella, Miami City Ballet's Founding Artistic Director and the first American-born male star of the New York City Ballet. One of America's most exciting ballet companies, Miami City Ballet blends an international mix of exceptional dancers with a distinctive Miami flare. See the renowned company in two vibrant programs featuring signature works of Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp, and classics by George Balanchine. Learn more...

Direct from Spain, Nuevo Ballet Espanol turns up the heat with Flamenco Directo led by the talented and charismatic duo, Angel Rojas and Carlos Rodriguez. This dazzling work blends the traditional inspiration of flamenco with a chic contemporary approach, incorporating jazz and modern dance, with a company of nine diversely trained dancers and a live musical ensemble. Don't miss their first Los Angeles appearance. Learn more...

Los Angeles Opera offers an exclusive mini-subscription of the season's final three operas to Goldstar members. Purchase the subscription package and enjoy three outstading operas: Le Nozze di Figaro celebrating the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, the World Premiere of Grendel directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King, Frida) and Verdi's beloved La Traviata directed by Marta Domingo. Tickets to Le Nozze di Figaro will only be available on Goldstar Events through this subscription package, and will not be sold separately. Learn more...

Internationally acclaimed dance company Momix brings the magic of the desert to life in a fanciful way with the use of gymnastics, pole vaulting, ballet and human puppetry. This special 45 minute performance of Opus Cactus, excerpted from the full-length show, is simply mesmerizing as a wonderland of flora and fauna unfolds. Learn more...

The American Youth Symphony presents its 41st annual benefit concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, in honor of classical music impresario Ernest Fleischmann, formerly of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The symphony, composed of some of the finest young musicians around, will play a program featuring selections from Verdi, Bruch and Dvorak. Learn more...