Madison Opera
María de Buenos Aires
by Astor Piazzolla
Friday, January 31 & Sunday, February 2
Capitol Theater
$30 - $140
Sung in Spanish with projected English translations
Runtime
90 minutes, no intermission
Age Recommendation
12 & up
Content Warning
Dark subject matter with mature themes, including sexual violence. Not suitable for all audiences. Contact info@madisonopera.org with any questions.
Death dances the tango.
Born in the slums of Buenos Aires “one day when God was drunk,” María turns to the city in a desperate quest for freedom, falling in love with its tango rhythms. A dark, surreal story told in song and dance, this “tango opera” by the legendary Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla has been widely acclaimed since its 1968 premiere.
Don’t miss this evening of theatrical exhilaration, stunning music and extraordinary dancing featuring Kanopy Dance.
Meet the Artists
María
Kelly Guerra
El Payador
Laureano Quant
El Duende
Kirstin Chávez
Kanopy Dance Company
Kanopy Dance Company, critically acclaimed as a premier modern dance company, is led by co-artistic directors, Robert E. Cleary, and Lisa Thurrell, who are award-winning dancers and choreographers. While the company “informs” its works through its roots in the Martha Graham tradition, Kanopy has cultivated its own brand, working to forward a new dimension and visual language to advance American Modern Dance. The Kanopy Dance Academy, integral to Kanopy’s mission, offers a comprehensive program of modern dance, choreography, and ballet for dancers of all ages and abilities to help train artists and art lovers. Kanopy 2, Kanopy’s “second” company, provides a rigorous pre-professional training program open to exceptional students of dance only by audition.
Conductor
Kamna Gupta
Stage Director
Frances Rabalais
Thank you sponsors
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Kay & Martin Barrett
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David Flanders & Susan Ecroyd
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John Lemke & Pamela Oliver
Upcoming Classical Music Events
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January 30
Friday
Classical Music, Music, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Masterworks II - Prokofiev Prowess
Capitol Theater
Join the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra for an electrifying evening showcasing the fiery virtuosity of guest pianist Ilya Yakushev in Prokofiev’s “Piano Concerto No. 3.”
7:30 PM -
January 31
Saturday
2025/26 Season, Classical Music, Film, Music, Overture Presents Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows™ Part 2 in Concert
Overture Hall
In the epic finale to the Harry Potter Film Concert Series the battle between good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war!
Multiple Showtimes -
February 13 - February 15
Classical Music, Madison Opera, Music, Theater Everlasting Faint
Capitol Theater
Based on the true story of the 1897 “Greenbrier Ghost,” “Everlasting Faint” is a ghost story, a maternal love story, a true crime drama and an all-American opera. Don’t miss this world premiere by Madison composer Scott Gendel and librettist Sandra Flores-Strand.
Multiple Showtimes -
February 20 - February 22
Classical Music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music Rachel Barton Pine Returns!
Overture Hall
“Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a decidedly playful overture by a very youthful Felix Mendelssohn. This sparkling work captures the magic of the fairy kingdom, the humor of the lovers’ entanglements and the grandeur of Theseus’ court.
Multiple Showtimes -
February 24
Tuesday
Classical Music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music Felix Hell, Organist
Overture Hall
Organist Felix Hell, who first performed in Madison in 2012, returns with a brilliant and unique program that he calls “Cathedral of Sound: The Organ as Orchestra.”
7:30 PM -
February 27
Friday
Classical Music, Kanopy Dance, Music, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Masterworks III - Regeneration with Kanopy Dance Company
Capitol Theater
Universal rhythms explored through music and movement—weaving together themes of transformation and the endless cycle of renewal.
7:30 PM -
March 20 - March 22
Classical Music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music Ax Plays Mozart
Overture Hall
Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” is a mischievous tone poem that follows the antics of a legendary trickster. From daring escapades to clever pranks, the music captures Till’s irreverent spirit with virtuosic orchestral writing and humor.
Multiple Showtimes -
March 21
Saturday
2025/26 Season, Classical Music, Cover Bands, Music, Overture Presents One Night of Queen performed by Gary Mullen and The Works
Capitol Theater
Get ready to rock! This high-energy, two-hour stage show brings the legendary music and iconic theatrics of Queen to life, featuring the incredible Gary Mullen & The Works.
7:30 PM -
March 27
Friday
Classical Music, Music, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Masterworks IV - Dueling Violins
Capitol Theater
Prepare to be mesmerized as two extraordinary violin masters, Gilles Apap and Eric Silberger, return to the stage for “Dueling Violins”—not as rivals, but as creative counterparts.
7:30 PM -
March 28 - March 29
Classical Music, Film, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark™ Live in Concert
Overture Hall
Madison Symphony Orchestra’s MSO at the Movies presents “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark™ Live in Concert,” featuring John Williams’ GRAMMY® Award-winning score performed live to the film led by conductor Kyle Knox at Overture Hall.
Multiple Showtimes -
March 31
Tuesday
Classical Music, Cyber Weekend, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music An Evening of Chamber Music and Organ
Overture Hall
As the Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates 100 years this season, it seemed only fitting to bring fellow colleagues on stage with MSO Principal Organist Greg Zelek to showcase their talent and unique pairing. Get a chance to hear many of the orchestra musicians perform works as soloists with the organ.
7:30 PM