Rigoletto – Vancouver Opera 2025 🎭🎶

📍 Location: Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC
📅 Dates: October 25 – November 2, 2025
🕒 Showtimes:

• Thursday, October 30 | 7:30 PM

• Sunday, November 2 | 2:00 PM
  ⏱️ Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes (including one 25-minute intermission)
  🎟️ Tickets: Buy Tickets via Vancouver Opera

Event Overview

Experience one of opera’s most gripping tragedies as Vancouver Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto — a tale of love, betrayal, and revenge set against a world of decadence and moral corruption.

This new production, presented in partnership with Pacific Opera Victoria, launches Vancouver Opera’s 2025–2026 season with breathtaking performances, stunning staging, and timeless music that has captivated audiences for over a century.

About the Opera

Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Francesco Maria Piave
Premiere: 1851, Venice
Language: Sung in Italian with English projected titles

A story that explores the dangerous cost of vengeance and the tragic consequences of obsession, Rigoletto follows a jester whose mockery of others comes back to destroy the one he loves most. When his daughter Gilda becomes the target of the Duke of Mantua’s cruelty, Rigoletto’s plan for revenge spirals into heartbreaking tragedy.

With unforgettable arias such as “La donna è mobile” and “Caro nome”, Verdi’s masterpiece remains one of the most powerful works in the operatic repertoire.

Featured Cast & Creative Team

🎭 Principal Cast

• Michael Chioldi – Rigoletto (Company Debut)

• Sarah Dufresne – Gilda (Company Debut)

• Yongzhao Yu – Duke of Mantua (Company Debut)

• Nathan Berg – Sparafucile

• Emma Parkinson – Maddalena

• Neil Craighead – Count Monterone

• Mihnea Nitu – Marullo (Company Debut)

• Lyndon Ladeur – Matteo Borsa

• Jason Cook – Count Ceprano

• Julia Lorusso – Countess Ceprano (Company Debut)

• Marianne Bertrand – Giovanna (Company Debut)

🎨 Creative Team

• Conductor: Jacques Lacombe

• Director: Glynis Leyshon

• Set Designer: James Rotondo

• Costume Designer: Pam Johnson

• Lighting Designer: Gerald King

• Chorus Director & Associate Conductor: Leslie Dala

Synopsis

At a lavish court in Mantua, the Duke indulges his cruel pleasures while mocking the men he has wronged. His jester, Rigoletto, joins in, delighting in others’ humiliation — until the curse of a grieving father seals his fate.

When the Duke seduces Rigoletto’s sheltered daughter Gilda, the jester’s thirst for revenge takes a dark turn. But vengeance, as Verdi shows, is never without consequence.

What unfolds is a harrowing story of innocence betrayed, vengeance unleashed, and love lost, underscored by Verdi’s unforgettable score that blends soaring lyricism with raw emotion.

Production Highlights

• A bold new staging co-produced with Pacific Opera Victoria

• Conducted by Jacques Lacombe, Vancouver Opera Music Director

• Directed by Glynis Leyshon (Flight of the Hummingbird)

• Featuring Sarah Dufresne (Gilda) and Michael Chioldi (Rigoletto) in their Vancouver Opera debuts

• One of opera’s most famous choruses and arias, including La donna è mobile

Venue & Accessibility

Queen Elizabeth Theatre
630 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC
🚆 Accessible via Stadium–Chinatown SkyTrain Station
♿ Wheelchair-accessible seating available

Why You Should See It

This production of Rigoletto offers a modern yet faithful interpretation of Verdi’s classic — a dark, emotional masterpiece about the consequences of cruelty, the fragility of innocence, and the devastating power of love.

Under Jacques Lacombe’s masterful baton, this opera’s emotional force will leave audiences moved long after the final note fades.

Ticket Information

🎟️ Single Tickets Available Now:

• Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 7:30 PM

• Sunday, November 2, 2025 | 2:00 PM

Purchase through Vancouver Opera’s official website.

Discover More

Explore the world of Verdi, the legacy of Italian opera, and the artistry behind this grand production through Vancouver Opera’s Behind-the-Scenes features, available online.

🔗 Discover more local concerts, stage performances, and cultural events at Vancouver Page – Discover Local Events.