Cincinnati Opera and CCM present public preview of 'Claude & Marcel'

Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) invite the public to an exclusive preview of Claude & Marcel, a new opera commissioned by West Edge Opera, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, at Cincinnati Music Hall’s Wilks Studio (1241 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202). This special sneak peek will be presented through Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s dynamic creative partnership, Opera Fusion: New Works, which offers composers and librettists the opportunity to refine their works-in-progress through Cincinnati-based workshops.

With music by Alyssa Weinberg and libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, Claude & Marcel tells the story of Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, who formed one of the most daring creative partnerships of the avant-garde in the early 20th century. Romantic partners, collaborators and radical thinkers, the two women created surrealist photographs that challenged gender, identity and power decades before those conversations entered the mainstream. Living on the island of Jersey during World War II, the pair transformed their artistic imagination into acts of resistance against Nazi Germany. Disguised and working in secret, they produced subversive propaganda — poems, pamphlets and messages designed to demoralize German soldiers — slipping them into pockets, vehicles and public spaces. Arrested and sentenced to death for their actions, they ultimately survived the war, leaving behind a legacy of courage, defiance and boundary-breaking art. Their story is one of love, creativity and resistance — two artists who proved that imagination itself can be a powerful act of rebellion.

The OF:NW workshop of Claude & Marcel will be led by director Elkhanah Pulitzer and conductor Jonathan Khuner. The opera will receive its world premiere at West Edge Opera in August 2027.

Opera Fusion: New Works (OF:NW) is a partnership between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) dedicated to fostering the development of new American operas. OF:NW offers composers and librettists the opportunity to workshop an opera during a residency in Cincinnati utilizing the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists and culminate with a public presentation of excerpts. Opera Fusion: New Works is generously supported by an anonymous donor. For more information, visit ofnw.org.

West Edge Opera (WEO) is an opera company based in the East Bay Area, renowned for bold productions and an unwavering commitment to the development of new American opera. Through its annual Summer Festival at the Oakland Scottish Rite Center and its groundbreaking Snapshot and Aperture new works initiatives, WEO has established itself as an incubator of new opera. Since the launch of its New Works programs, WEO has generated four full opera commissions from emerging voices, with more in development. For more information, visit westedgeopera.org.

Cincinnati Opera’s mission is to enrich and connect our community through diverse opera experiences. Founded in 1920, it is the second-oldest opera company in the U.S. It presents a season of grand opera every summer at Cincinnati Music Hall, a National Historic Landmark, featuring world-renowned artists and the esteemed Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. The company also offers year-round education and community engagement programming throughout the Greater Cincinnati region.

The company’s repertoire spans beloved classics and bold new works, with a distinguished tradition of producing opera that resonates far beyond the stage. Select regional, national, and world premieres include Margaret Garner (2005), Fellow Travelers (2016), and Blind Injustice (2019), which have gone on to productions across the country. Cincinnati Opera is also the originating home of The Black Opera Project, a first-of-its-kind initiative creating three full-length operas from 2026 through 2028 celebrating the Black American experience. Through Opera Fusion: New Works, its long-running creative partnership with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the company shepherds new American operas from workshop to world premiere. Cincinnati Opera is a proud member of OPERA America. To learn more, visit cincinnatiopera.org.

Cincinnati Opera is supported by The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund as well as the generosity of tens of thousands of contributors to the ArtsWave Community Campaign. Programming is made possible in part by an investment of public funds from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC), a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally, and economically. Cincinnati Opera also receives support from the Harry T. Wilks Family Foundation Fund for Leading Artists, along with many other generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.

Nationally ranked and internationally renowned, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) is a preeminent institution for the performing and media arts. The school’s educational roots date back to 1867, and a solid, visionary instruction has been at its core since that time. CCM offers 10 degree types (BA, BFA, BM, MA, MFA, MM, MME, AD, DMA, PhD) in nearly 120 possible majors, along with a wide variety of pre-collegiate and post-graduate programs and workshops.

CCM provides students with professionally oriented immersive experiences to prepare them to enter directly into performing and media arts careers. CCM’s Opera and Voice Departments provide one of the most comprehensive training programs for opera singers, coaches, and directors in the United States. CCM offers an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated professionals in their own right, widely and currently active in their respective fields. Many of the college’s graduates have achieved notable success in the performing and media arts, and 94.1% of graduates are working in the field or continuing their education one year after graduation.

CCM Voice and Opera program support is provided by The Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund and the Patricia A. Corbett Estate. Additional support for CCM’s undergraduate opera productions is provided by Rafael and Kimberly de Acha. To learn more, visit ccm.uc.edu.

Featured image at the top: The logo for Cincinnati Opera and CCM's Opera Fusion: New Works partnership.