Dido and Aeneas

The origin story of the intimate opera Dido and Aeneas is shrouded in mystery. Scholars have trawled history, concluding that it was likely premiered at Josias Priest’s boarding school for girls in London sometime before 1689, despite there being no score from that first performance. The plot is taken from Virgil’s Aeneid, when Aeneas flees the destruction of Troy and ends up in Carthage, leading to a tragic love affair with Dido.

Chad Kelly directs this highly emotional work, guiding the audience through the drama that culminates in Dido’s final showstopper lament “When I am laid in earth.”