Juilliard Opera Presents Verdi’s Falstaff

Conducted by Joseph Colaneri and Directed by Marcus Shields

Performances on April 22, 25, and 27

[NEW YORK, April 2026]––Juilliard Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff on April 22, 25, and 27 at Juilliard’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater. Director and generative artist Marcus Shields makes his Juilliard debut, setting Verdi’s iconic final opera in 1970s Great Britain. Conductor Joseph Colaneri returns to lead the Juilliard Orchestra in Verdi’s stunning through-composed score. The opera, sung in Italian with English supertitles, features students from all degree programs of Juilliard’s Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts.

“Falstaff should feel fast, alive, and a little dangerous. It’s a piece in constant motion. I hope audiences leave energized and elated, with the recognition that all of us are a little ridiculous, and that’s part of the joy of being alive,” said Shields. “I really think this opera is one of the best entry points into opera. It’s quick, funny, and incredibly human. It’s a piece that meets you immediately, and once you’re in, you start to feel how precise and sophisticated the music and storytelling really are.”

The company features students from undergraduate, graduate, and artist diploma programs. Artist diploma candidate Minki Hong brings a midcentury incarnation of Falstaff to life, while Titus Muzi and Page Michels play Ford and his wife, Alice. Two members of the principal cast were among the three Juilliard finalists in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2026 Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition; Shiyu Zhuo performs the role of Nannetta Ford, and Sophia Baete takes on the role of Meg Page. The principal cast also features Lauren Randolph as Meg’s and Alice’s confidante Mistress Quickly, Adam Catangui as Nanetta’s love interest Fenton, Chester SeungYup Han as Dr. Caius, and Nathan Romportl and Lin Fan as Falstaff’s renegade associates Bardolfo and Pistola. Along with a 24-singer chorus, the cast deftly presents a new imagining of Verdi’s celebrated work.  

Verdi composed Falstaff at the end of his prodigious career, working with librettist Arrigo Boito to create a comic work. Based on Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor as well as Henry IV, Part 1 and Part 2, the beloved opera follows the titular knight on his absurd quest to charm the wives of two wealthy men. As the deceived women collude to exact a playful revenge, a series of tricks give rise to an astute musing in Falstaff’s final fugue: “Tutto nel mondo è burla,” or “Everything in the world is a joke.” Although Falstaff had his own jokes thwarted, he joins the company in a last laugh.

Since its 1893 premiere at La Scala in Milan, Falstaff has become part of the standard repertory. Joyful and sophisticated, it offers Juilliard artists the chance to interpret this classic opera in an inventive way. Juilliard stages the work for the first time since 2009, employing a complex, sloping stage for this production. Scenic and lighting designer Frank Oliva realizes a bold vision for Falstaff’s world. Costume designer Avery Reed further crafts this story with costumes which, according to Shields, “sit inside a broader visual language that is graphic, alive, and in conversation with the speed and wit of the score.”

Performances take place on Wednesday, April 22 at 7:30pm, Saturday, April 25 at 2pm, and Monday, April 27 at 7:30pm. The April 25 performance will be livestreamed at juilliard.edu/calendar via Juilliard LIVE, a free digital platform which allows audiences around the world to access Juilliard performances.
Tickets are $50 ($25 for members) and are available at juilliard.edu or the Juilliard box office.
Please refer to juilliard.edu/calendar for the most up-to-date livestream schedule and performance details.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

Juilliard Opera Presents Verdi’s Falstaff
Juilliard’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater
60 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023

Wednesday, April 22 | 7:30pm
Saturday, April 25 | 2pm*
Monday, April 27 | 7:30pm

Juilliard Orchestra
Joseph Colaneri, Conductor  
Marcus Shields, Director

Frank Oliva, Scenic and Lighting Designer
Avery Reed, Costume Designer

Cast
Falstaff: Minki Hong
Ford: Titus Muzi
Alice Ford: Page Michels
Nannetta: Shiyu Zhuo
Meg Page: Sophia Baete
Mistress Quickly: Lauren Randolph
Fenton: Adam Catangui
Dr. Caius: Chester SeungYup Han
Bardolfo: Nathan Romportl
Pistola: Lin Fan

Chorus
Kimberly Alexandra Adam, Felix Aurelius, Antonia Cáceres, Bryan Corral, Joe DeGroote, Zhongjiancheng Deng, Albertina Ferrucci, Andrew Gellen, Scarlett Jones, Owen Kilgore, Giuliana Leto, Joe Murphy, Lucia Papikian, Benjamin Pedersen, Sophia Pelekasis, Samone, Boheng Shen, Adriana Stepien, Sean Tagariello, Tivoli Treloar, Valcharge, Fangzhen Wang, Minghang Wang, Tong Zhang

*The April 25 performance will be livestreamed at juilliard.edu/calendar. Juilliard LIVE is available on a web browser or on a TV, tablet, or smartphone through the Apple iOS, Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV apps.

Lead digital sponsor: Bloomberg Philanthropies

About The Juilliard School
Founded in 1905, The Juilliard School is a world leader in performing arts education. The school’s mission is to is to cultivate excellence through the highest caliber of education in music, dance, and drama for gifted students from around the world, so they may achieve their fullest potential, expanding the reach and elevating the impact of the arts. Juilliard is led by Damian Woetzel, seventh president of the school, who has prioritized affordability and access to the highest level of artistic education while championing Juilliard’s tradition of excellence.

Located at Lincoln Center in New York City, Juilliard offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, drama (acting and playwriting), and music (classical, jazz, historical performance, and vocal arts). More than 800 artists from 42 states and 50 countries and regions are enrolled in Juilliard’s College Division, where they appear in more than 800 annual performances in the school’s five theaters; at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully and David Geffen halls and at Carnegie Hall; as well as at other venues around New York City, the U.S., and the world. The continuum of learning at Juilliard also includes nearly 400 students from elementary through high school enrolled in the Preparatory Division—Pre-College and Music Advancement Program (MAP); MAP serves students from diverse backgrounds often underrepresented in the classical music field. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in Juilliard Extension, the flagship continuing education program taught both in person and remotely by a dedicated faculty of performers, creators, and scholars. Beyond its New York campus, Juilliard is defining new directions in performing arts education for a range of learners and enthusiasts through a global K–12 educational curricula and preparatory and graduate studies at The Tianjin Juilliard School in China. 

juilliard.edu @juilliardschool
 

CONTACTS:
Brendan Padgett
Madeleine Jennings
news@juilliard.edu

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