Cape Town Opera Will Host SHORTS: A Festival Of Short Operas

After a sold-out season of My Fair Lady at Artscape, Cape Town Opera (CTO), Africa's leading opera company, will host Shorts: A Festival of SHORT Operas!  at The Wave theatre on 44 Long Street from 7 to 16 March, 2025.  

Audiences can expect an offering of four thrilling one-act operas that include collaborations with Opera UCT and workshops on new South African libretti. Directors for Shorts are Fred Abrahamse, Marcel Meyer, Jackï Job, Christine Crouse and Victoria Stevens. With musical direction by Jan Hugo, Jeremy Silver and José Dias, Shorts presents bite-sized opera- all one hour or less -  in a fresh and accessible way and sees CTO performing for the first time at The Wave Theatre on Long Street. CTO singers and guest artists starring in the various productions include William Berger, Siphamandla Moyake, Nonhlanhla Yende, Alida Scheepers, Clara Hugo and Opera UCT.  production design throughout is by Allegra Bernacchioni, with video design by Kirsti Cumming and lighting design by Luke Ellenbogen.

 

Triptych, Women at War, directed by Fred Abrahamse and Marcel Meyer (Cinderella, Trial by Media, Sweeney Todd), brings together three distinct works into one powerful hour of operatic brilliance, where each piece, or ‘painting panel,' engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with the others. This trio of works is bound by the evocative theme of women in relation to war—sometimes literal, sometimes metaphorical. Each panel presents a dramatic and musical tour-de-force for the three remarkable sopranos bringing them to life. All three works take place over one hour, with José Dias as the musical director and pianist.  

Renowned composer John Kander, well known for scoring brilliant musicals like Cabaret and Chicago, composed A Letter from Sullivan Ballou in 1994 for American soprano Renée Fleming. Sung, in English, by Nonhlanhla Yende, A Letter from Sullivan Ballou is set to the poignant letter written by Major Sullivan Ballou to his wife, Sarah, in 1861, just before he was killed in the First Battle of Bull Run in the American civil War. Kander's setting brings to life the profound emotional weight of Ballou's final words. Based on the historical event of the Norwegian Invasion of England in 1066, King Harald's Saga, sung in English, chronicles the defeat of King Harald at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Weir, who was appointed to the 395 year old royal post of Master of the Queen's Music in 2014, scored the piece for solo soprano across three acts. The soprano, Alida Scheepers (Cinderella), performs eight distinct roles, including that of the entire Norwegian army, capturing the intensity and scale of this pivotal moment in history.  In Erwartung, also sung in English,  featuring Clara Hugo, an unnamed Woman ventures through a dark forest under the light of the moon, searching desperately for her lover. As she stumbles further into the unknown, the line between reality and madness blurs. The harrowing journey reaches a devastating climax when she discovers his lifeless body. In a final expression of grief, she drifts away, leaving the story unresolved, hauntingly suspended in the rawness of her emotional turmoil. 

Known for her inventive stagings, Berlin-based Victoria Stevens directs Béla Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle. The story revolves around Judith who leaves behind her peaceful life to become the bride of Duke Bluebeard, stepping into his dark, enigmatic castle—a place shrouded in ominous rumours that mirror its mysterious owner. Driven by love and a desire to brighten Bluebeard's shadowed world, Judith is determined to uncover his secrets. The castle holds seven locked rooms, and despite Bluebeard's reluctance, Judith insists on opening each door. With every door, the mystery intensifies, drawing her deeper into a darkness from which there may be no escape. At the final door, her fate is irrevocably sealed. Bluebeard is sung by baritone William Berger (The Sound of Music, Le nozze di Figaro) while Siphamandla Moyake (Master Class, Le Nozze di Figaro) takes the role of Judith. Musical director Jan Hugo will be at the piano.

Jackï Job directs Atlas of Remote Islands, a one-act opera inspired by Judith Schalansky's 2009 non-fiction book and adapted by acclaimed American librettist Alan Olejniczak. Through haunting, poetic descriptions, it explores real islands around the world—some uncharted, some lost and rediscovered, some uninhabited, and some purely scientific. With a rapidly shifting cast of characters, Atlas transports audiences across these remote landscapes, weaving a tale of longing, curiosity and wanderlust. It reminds us that while the destinations may not always meet our expectations, the true magic is in what lies beyond. Featuring Cape Town Opera's Judith Neilson Young Artists, as well as Marcelle Steinmetz, with musical direction by Jan Hugo and Nathan Lewis at the piano.

Opera UCT presents a double bill – Robert Schumann's Frauenliebe und Leben and Leoš Janáček's The Diary of One Who Vanished, directed by Christine Crouse with musical direction by Jeremy Silver. Frauenliebe und Leben, featuring Molly Dzangare, is a song cycle of eight German songs presenting an evolving perspective on love and life, all written for the female voice with piano accompaniment. The first song reveals a young woman in the first flush of love. As the songs progress, she gives her whole heart and revels in the feelings of mature love. The last song is one of grief and pain, reflecting on the death of the beloved. The Diary of One Who Vanished, featuring Vuyisa Xipu and Nica Reinke, is both a pocket-opera and a song-cycle and tells the story of a naive young farmer's son who falls desperately in love with a wild gypsy girl. Will he abandon his family, his community and his whole way of life to satisfy his fiery passions? 

Additional festival events include a workshop performance of extracts of The Summoning, a new opera by librettist Jaco Griessel and dramaturg Paul Griffiths, composed by Jonathan Blair. Featuring Clara Hugo, Conroy Scott, Lukhanyo Moyake and Alida Scheepers, the performance will be followed by an opportunity for the audience to engage in a discussion with the composer, musical director Jan Hugo and the librettists. 

Also in the line up is a Cape Town Opera presentation of newly written South African libretti followed by an audience Q&A hosted by Africa Melane and Alan Olejniczak (Atlas of Remote Islands). These newly written opera scripts will showcase the work of six emerging writers who have completed an intensive four-month series of opera-writing workshops, led by acclaimed librettists Olejniczak and Stephanie Fleischmann Each writer has created a ten-minute opera, to be presented in a public forum for the first time. This event also offers local composers a unique opportunity to connect with potential collaborators. 

There will be 3 screenings of award-winning digital operas during the festival, all under an hour long: A Pocket Magic Flute by Pocket Opera (San Francisco) on March 9, at 11am and perfect for families with small children; Sweet Land by The Industry in Los Angeles on March 13 at 11am and Hopscotch: The Making Of  by The Industry on March 16 at 2pm.

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