South Florida’s most prominent performing arts groups are setting the stage with audience favorites and new productions.
The Florida Grand Opera presents “Silent Night” for three nights beginning Nov. 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center at 1300 Biscayne Blvd. Composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera brings to life the true story of a spontaneous ceasefire on Christmas Eve during World War I when soldiers on opposite sides of the battlefield found humanity in each other through song.
Based on the 2005 film Joyeux Noël, this opera transports us to the trenches of 1914, where Scottish, French, and German soldiers are caught in the brutality of war. Mr. Puts’ score blends everything from simple folk tunes to cinematic orchestration, capturing the emotion of both battle and brotherhood.
This season also marks the launch of Voices of Wellness, a new Florida Grand Opera initiative that invites first responders, veterans, military personnel, and medical professionals to experience the magic of opera for free.
A new season begins Oct. 4 at the New World Symphony stage at 500 17th St. in Miami Beach with Artistic Director Stéphane Denève taking the podium for “Eroica,” Beethoven’s monumental symphony inspired by the French Revolution.
The West Wing’s Joshua Malina embodies the Great Emancipator, joining New World Symphony for Copland’s Lincoln Portrait.
On the weekend of Oct. 25, celebrated violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider joins the New World Symphony for Tchaikovsky’s beloved concerto. Stéphane Denève conducts Florence Price’s Third Symphony, a rediscovered modernist masterpiece commissioned by the WPA during the Great Depression.
For two days starting Nov. 15, it’s the New World Symphony performing the New World Symphony. Antonín Dvořák embraced the sounds of his new American home, adopting the country’s rich musical traditions to create one of the most famous symphonies of all time. Inspired by Dvořák, Glanert’s Cello Concerto heralds the return of virtuoso Johannes Moser.
On. Nov. 22, from Argentina and Venezuela to Mexico and New York City, the music of the Americas comes to life under the baton of conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto. Juan Pablo Contreras’ Grammy-nominated “Mariachitlán” fuses the infectious rhythms of mariachi with original melodies inspired by the Mexican state of Jalisco.
The Miami City Ballet’s “Peck: Miami in Motion” will hit the Arsht Center on Oct. 17, running through Nov. 2. This high-octane program celebrates the style of Tony Award-winning choreographer Justin Peck where ballet meets pop, pattern, and pulse. Set to Sufjan Stevens’ electrifying score. Chutes and Ladders, a playful duet created for Miami City Ballet, reveals the music’s inner rhythms through crisp choreography, along with Heatscape, Mr. Peck’s love letter to Miami’s Wynwood District, will burst with color, speed, and be set against a bold backdrop by artist Shepard Fairey.
From Dec. 12 to 28, Miami City Ballet’s “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” returns at the Arsht Center to transform the stage into a holiday adventure. The festive fun begins with an immersive pre-show experience to the “Land of Sweets,” setting the stage for an unforgettable journey. Over 100 dazzling dancers, a live orchestra, and stagecraft bring the magic of Tchaikovsky’s beloved score to life.
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