CCM Opera presents gripping chamber opera 'Dark Sisters'

CCM Opera concludes its 2024-25 season with Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters, a harrowing journey of repression and self-discovery. Inspired by real events, the story follows one woman’s attempt to change the course of her life and escape the FLDS Church (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints), a polygamous sect that split from the mainstream Mormon Church more than a century ago. The opera runs April 3-5 in CCM's Cohen Family Studio Theater. Tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

In 2008, nearly 500 children were removed from an FLDS compound in Texas, and the media coverage that followed inspired Muhly and his librettist, Stephen Karam, to write Dark Sisters. The opera follows five sister-wives as they struggle to get their children back by appearing on a Larry King-style television show. One wife, Eliza, dreams of a better life beyond the restrictive confines of the Church, and away from her controlling husband, the Prophet. Content advisory: This production contains adult themes of misogyny, suicide, sexual coercion and spiritual abuse.

“The issues at the core of the story… are timeless and universal,” says director Brian Robertson, CCM Professor of Opera. “We often find ourselves examining the creation of culture, questioning the power dynamics and who is being served.” Dark Sisters examines how the different women view their own purpose and agency in a society that has largely hidden itself from public view.

In the face of controversial subject matter, the opera never loses its empathy for the central characters: women who have experienced a profound loss. “The other story here is the power of family as a source of identity, and what happens to us when the bonds of family are broken,” continues Robertson. “At the heart, the opera chooses to examine the helplessness and trauma induced when an entire community loses all of its children at once.” 

Requiring both intense dramatic commitment and musical virtuosity, the chamber opera is a tour de force for all eight singers onstage. Staging ripped-from-the-headlines drama on an intimate, human scale, Dark Sisters is a season finale not to be missed.

Composed by Nico Muhly 
Libretto by Stephen Karam

Content advisory: This production contains adult themes of misogyny, suicide, sexual coercion and spiritual abuse

• 8 p.m. Thursday, April 3 
• 8 p.m. Friday, April 4 
• 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5  
• 8 p.m. Saturday, April 5

Tickets: $25 adult, $15 student, $15 UC faculty/staff, $10 UC student, $5 CCM student; group discounts available.

Experiencing the magic of CCM OnStage has never been easier! Purchase your tickets:

• Online at ccmonstage.universitytickets.com
• Over the phone at 513-556-4183
• In person at the CCM Box Office in the Atrium of UC's Corbett Center for the Performing Arts

CCM’s Box Office hours are Tue-Fri from 1-5 p.m. and one hour prior to curtain for ticketed performances. Hours subject to change based on the University of Cincinnati calendar. Our Box Office staff is always ready to answer your questions by phone at 513-556-4183 or email at boxoff@uc.edu. 

CCM is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. For detailed driving directions, visit ccm.uc.edu/directions.

Parking is available in UC's CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Effective July 1, 2023, all University of Cincinnati Parking Services locations are cashless. Pay for parking securely with your credit/debit card. All major credit cards accepted.

CCM OnStage patrons can add pre-paid parking to their checkout carts when purchasing tickets. Pre-paid parking is date/performance specific. CCM Garage parking rates for a performance or special event is usually available for $10-15. Learn more about parking at UC's CCM Garage.

For additional information on parking at UC, please visit uc.edu/about/parking.

There's more to explore — view our full performance schedule by month or visit the CCM Box Office website to buy tickets. 

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