Vanessa
Music by Samuel Barber | Libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti
Conducted by Andris Nelsons
Presented by Boston Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Boston Lyric Opera
Symphony Hall
Thursday, January 8, 2026 | 7:30pm
Saturday, January 10, 2026 | 8:00pm
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Andris Nelsons, conductor
Jennifer Holloway, soprano (Vanessa)
Samantha Hankey, mezzo-soprano (Erika)
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano (The Old Baroness)
Pavel Černoch, tenor (Anatol)
Thomas Hampson, baritone (The Old Doctor)
Wei Wu, bass (Major Domo/Footman)
Alexandra Dietrich, staging coordinator
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Betsy Burleigh, guest choral conductor
Boston Lyric Opera Chorus
Brett Hodgdon, chorus director
Sung in English with supertitles
A house frozen in time. A love built on lies. Samuel Barber’s score burns through the illusions.
Andris Nelsons leads a brilliant ensemble of opera’s foremost stars in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa – the 1958 Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece that stands as a pinnacle of American opera. Presented in Symphony Hall’s legendary acoustics, with Gian Carlo Menotti’s poignant libretto and Barber’s achingly beautiful score, this mid-century masterpiece explores the illusions of love through music of extraordinary emotional power.
Presented in collaboration with Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Performed with the Boston Lyric Opera Chorus.
Ticket sales for this performance are managed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) as part of our partnership. Please note that both BLO and BSO will have access to customer information for this event. A portion of every ticket sold directly supports Boston Lyric Opera’s mission and future productions. Thank you for your patronage!
