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Aida

October 16 at 7:30 pm & 18 at 2:00 pm

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Aida

October 16 at 7:30 pm & 18 at 2:00 pm

Epic Love. Impossible Choices.

Torn between love and duty, Aida stands at the center of a tempest of passion, loyalty, and impossible choices. Captive in ancient Egypt, the Ethiopian Princess must navigate her love for the heroic Radamès, her devotion to her homeland, and the schemes of the jealous Princess Amneris. Toledo Opera’s original production brings Verdi’s unforgettable arias, soaring duets, and breathtaking choruses to life, immersing audiences in a story of desire, sacrifice, and destiny. Returning to Toledo Opera for the first time in over a decade, Aida is a monumental opera experience not to be missed.

Aida stars soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams (company debut) as Aida, tenor Brendan Boyle (Toledo Opera’s Carmen, Tosca, and Ragtime) as Radamès, mezzo soprano Lauren Decker as Princess Amneris, and baritone Nmon Ford as Amonasro (company debut).

Sung in Italian with English Captions

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Artist Bios
Adam Turner

Conductor

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Adam Turner

Currently in his eighth season as Artistic Director & Chief Conductor of Virginia Opera (following four seasons as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor), Maestro Adam Turner garners critical acclaim for the breadth of his repertoire, artistic vision, and polished technique. Of his performance of Street Scene with Virginia Opera, Opera News hailed the “sensitive conducting” of Adam Turner “who demonstrated an affinity for a score as stylistically diverse as the characters in the plot” and of his conducting of Der Freischütz, Opera News hailed: “Conductor Adam Turner … ensured crackling rhythms as much as lyrical spaciousness, resulting in a performance that felt vital and spontaneous throughout.” In the 2025-2026 Season at Virginia Opera, Turner will be on the podium for productions of La Cenerentola, Aida, and the Commonwealth premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Intelligence. Additionally this season, Mo. Turner leads the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s program “Classical Christmas” and Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra’s The Nutcracker with Virginia Regional Ballet. In recent seasons at Virginia Opera, he has led productions of Carmen, Così fan tutte, Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Madama Butterfly, La Bohème, Three Decembers, Le Nozze di Figaro, The Pirates of Penzance, Fellow Travelers, and La Traviata, in addition to conducting the world premiere of Loving v. Virginia by Damien Geter and Jessica Murphy Moo. In the summer of 2025, Mo. Turner made his mainstage debut with Opera Saratoga conducting the Bock & Harnick musical She Loves Me, and he was also recently seen at the helm for Central City Opera’s productions of Street Scene, Kiss Me, Kate and The Light in the Piazza, as well as debuts with the Pacific Symphony for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Portland Symphony Orchestra’s concert “Classical Broadway.” Maestro Turner has conducted Il Trovatore and Roméo et Juliette for Toledo Opera.

Linda Brovsky

Stage Director

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Linda Brovsky

Linda Brovsky’s innovative productions are found on operatic stages throughout the United States and internationally including the Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Cincinnati Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Atlanta Opera, Florentine Opera and Pittsburgh Opera with repertoire ranging from standard classics to world premieres.  Recent credits include her debut with the Canadian Opera Company directing her critically acclaimed Seattle Opera production of Don Quichotte, Rigoletto for the Seattle Opera, La Bohéme for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Magic Flute for the Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, Il Barbiere Di Siviglia for the Pittsburgh Opera, Le Nozze Di Figaro for IVAI in Tel Aviv, Israel, L’elisir D’amore (Teatro Petrarca—Italy), La Cenerentola for Syracuse Opera, The Gypsy Baron for the Manhattan School of Music, Tosca for Intermountain Opera Bozeman, and La Traviata for Cincinnati Opera.  Upcoming engagements include Madama Butterfly for Pittsburg Opera,  L’elisir D’amore for Indiana University Opera Theater, and Countess Maritza for Pacific Opera Victoria. Ms. Brovsky’s passion for new works has led her to direct numerous world premieres including David Carlson’s The Midnight Angel (Opera Theatre of St. Louis and Glimmerglass Opera), Scott Eyerly’s The House Of The Sevengables (Manhattan School of Music), Thea Musgrave’s Echoes Through Time (Agnes Scott College) and Claude White’s opera Love, Death And High Notes (Opera Theatre of St. Louis). Ms. Brovsky’s talents extend to the world of musical theater as well where she directed the 50th Anniversary National Tour of Oklahoma!, Happy End (Chicago’s Court Theater), Carousel (Opera Grand Rapids) and Songs of a Dream (Chicago’s Auditorium Theater) as well as the development of a new musical, By Grace.

Matthew Steffens

Choreographer

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Matthew Steffens

Matthew Steffens is an international director and choreographer, Broadway performer, teacher, and film actor. He served as associate choreographer on the Broadway production and tour of the 6-time Tony nominated Into The Woods working alongside the likes of Sara Bareilles, Neil Patrick Harris, Gavin Creel, and Patina Miller to name a few.  He served as choreographer for last summer's production La Traviata at Santa Fe Opera and at The Dallas Opera. He served as the associate choreographer for Broadway's Once Upon A Mattress. He has toured the country with the Broadway musicals: Contact, Beauty and the Beast, and West Side Story (under the direction of Jerome Robbins’ assistant, Alan Johnson). After years of touring, Mr. Steffens took his talents to Broadway and appeared in the Broadway musicals; Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with Patti LuPone, and Promises, Promises opposite Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth. Matthew has also danced, fought, and flown his way through 23 operas at the Metropolitan Opera. He has been seen in such operas as The Tempest, Damnation of Faust and La Traviata on movies screens around the world in the Metropolitan Opera in HD productions. More recently, he moved behind the table and directed/choreographed productions across the country. Mr. Steffens’ critically acclaimed 2023 production of Cabaret went on to be one of Virginia Theatre Festival's most successful productions. He has served as the associate choreographer and resident director on the Off-Broadway immersive hit Queen of the Night, leading it to the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience.  He continued that work as associate choreographer for the Broadway musical Doctor Zhivago and has directed and choreographed shows with Playmakers Repertory Company, First Year Players, Revolucion Latina, The Public Theater Studio, and even in Xishuangbanna, China collaborating on Princess Butterfly, a new Chinese musical on ice.

Mary Elizabeth Williams

Aida

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Mary Elizabeth Williams

In the 2025/2026 season, Mary Elizabeth Willams made her baroque opera debut as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Opera Lafayette and originating the role of Athena in Iain Bell’s new opera Medusa with Theatre La Monnaie in Brussels, Belgium. Ms. Williams will also make her directorial debut with Opera Baltimore this season, leading their production of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia. In 2023/2024, Ms. Williams debuted at Santa Fe Opera as the Foreign Princess (Rusalka) and joined the cast of Un Ballo in Maschera at the Metropolitan Opera. Other recent engagements include Isolde (Tristan und Isolde) at Seattle Opera and in Peter Sellars’s production at Paris Opera. She collaborated again with Sellars in her debut with San Francisco Symphony in June 2024 with Schoenberg’s Erwartung. In the Summer of 2024, she sang Aïda at the Sordevolo Summer Festival with Teatro Coccia in Novara, Italy. Aïda is a role she has performed often and to great acclaim in cities across the globe, with theaters including Atlanta Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and Teatro Massimo di Palermo. Ms. Williams made her house debut at Theater an der Wien as Serena in Porgy and Bess, a role she has also sung at many theaters including Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Seattle Opera, and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg (live radio broadcast). Her distinguished and fruitful career has taken her to many important theaters in leading and title roles, including Norma, Tosca, Lady Macbeth, Elisabetta (Maria Stuarda), La Wally, Adriana Lecouvreur, and Chimène (Le Cid). A gifted writer, Ms. Williams’ poetry is the basis of a new song cycle by celebrated Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk. Her original translation of Schoenberg’s Erwartung was featured at last Summer’s Salzburger Festspeiele. In June 2025, Mary Elizabeth was appointed the Imasogie Executive Apprentice at Opera Baltimore for the 2025/2026 season in acknowledgement of her exemplary artistic vision and leadership potential.

Brendan Boyle

Radames

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Brendan Boyle

Hailing from Kansas, tenor Brendan Boyle is quickly gaining renown for his combination of heroic sound and imposing stage presence. Mr. Boyle's repertoire spans a diverse range of roles, from the romantic Rodolfo in Puccini's La Bohème to the commanding Father (Ragtime), garnering acclaim for his ability to embody characters with depth and authenticity. In his 2022-23 season, he served as the tenor Resident Artist for Toledo Opera where he enjoyed numerous formative experiences, including portraying St. Brioche (The Merry Widow) and covering the role of Turiddu in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana for internationally acclaimed tenor Bryan Cheney. Mr. Boyle concluded the season by performing Nessun dorma from Puccini's Turandot with the Toledo Opera Chorus and Orchestra as part of the company's season finale concert. In 2024, he returned to Toledo Opera to perform Father (Ragtime) and debut Cavaradossi (Tosca). For the 2025-26 season, Mr. Boyle returned again to Toledo Opera for his role debut of Don Jose (Carmen) and to Hawaii Opera Theatre as Alexander Simpson in Kamalehua: The Sheltering Tree. He also reprised the role of Don Jose at Gulfshore Opera in south Florida and debuted as Niklaus Sprink in Silent Night with Opera Orlando.

Lauren Decker

Amneris

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Lauren Decker

Rising star, Lauren Decker, possesses a booming contralto with “amber low notes” that is in a league of its own. She is lauded for “pouring out a dark, chocolatey sound with a plushness of tone and amplitude of voice rarely heard in a young singer.” Last season, Ms. Decker made her European debut with Deutsche Oper Berlin singing Erda, Schwertleite, and covering 1st Norn (Ring Cycle); Mary (Der fliegende Holländer); Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte); Mamma Lucia (Cavalleria Rusticana); La Badessa and La Zia Principessa (Suor Angelica); covering Frugola (Il Tabarro); and covering Zita (Gianni Schicchi). Ms. Decker’s 2022/23 season featured her in Toledo Opera’s Cavalleria Rusticana (Mamma Lucia)/Suor Angelica (Principessa), Madison Opera’s Salome (Herodias), Palm Beach Opera’s Falstaff (Quickly), Dayton Opera’s Das Rheingold (Erda),  and Haymarket Opera Company’s Marc’Antonio e Cleopatra (Marc’Antonio). Recent seasons brim with notable debuts at esteemed venues, including San Francisco Orchestra in Elgar’s Sea Pictures—a signature work for her, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Opera Philadelphia in Rigoletto (Giovanna), and Aspen Music Festival as a Renée Fleming Artist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Die Zauberflöte (Third Lady), and Rodelinda (Eduige). She has also performed with South Dakota Symphony as Maria Aegyptiaca in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, the Bozeman Symphony in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Frankly Music in Brahms’ Two Songs for Voice, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra in Verdi’s Requiem, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe. At the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms. Decker performed as the Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), she would go on to perform in Die Walküre (Schwertleite), Dead Man Walking (Jade Boucher), Elektra (First Maid), Il Trovatore (Inez), I Puritani (Enrichetta di Francia), and La Traviata (Annina).

Nmon Ford

Amonasro

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Nmon Ford

Panamanian-American baritone Nmon Ford begins a new artistic chapter as the composer, librettist, and title-role performer of House of Orfeus, which will be presented by Lincoln Center in an upcoming season, with further dates at the Young Vic to be announced. He has enjoyed success in increasingly challenging and dramatic repertoire, most recently appearing as Le Spectre in Thomas’ Hamlet with Cincinnati Symphony, debuted Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) at Cincinnati Opera and Detroit Opera, Jesus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Atlanta Symphony, and Hadyn’s Creation with the Ft. Worth Symphony. Mr. Ford made his role and company debut as Crown in the English National Opera/Metropolitan Opera co-production of Porgy and Bess, his role and festival debut at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival as The Celebrant in Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, Iago (Otello) with the Atlanta Symphony, Jochanaan (Salome) at Pittsburgh Opera, and the Celebrant (MASS) at Salzburg’s Grosses Festspielhaus. Mr. Ford’s Italian debut occurred at Ancona’s Teatro delle Muse in the title role of a new production of The Emperor Jones directed by Henning Brockhaus and conducted by Bruno Bartoletti (for which he received the Premio Franco Corelli for the outstanding debut of the season), his company debut with Cincinnati Opera as Riolobo in Francessca Zambello’s production of Florence en el Amazonas, and his role debut as The Traveler in a new production of Death in Venice at Hamburg State Opera. He appeared with Michigan Opera Theater as Zurga in Zandra Rhodes’ production of Les Pecheurs de Pêrles, Teatro Comunale di Bologna in the title role of Pier Luigi Pizzi’s production of Don Giovanni, and the Szeged Opern-Air Festival in Hungary as Escamillo (Carmen). He debuted the roles of di Luna (Il Trovatore) with Virginia Opera and Thoas (Iphigénie en Tauride) with Hamburg State Opera and bowed as Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Washington National Cathedral.

Andrew Potter

Ramfis

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Andrew Potter

Bass Andrew Potter has garnered increasing demand across the country for his larger-than-life stage presence with a voice to match. Last season, Mr. Potter made his Florida Grand Opera début as Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), returned to Seattle Opera as Panthée (Les Troyens), took his Angelotti (Tosca) to Richmond Symphony, joined Opera Omaha to sing the Commendatore (Don Giovanni), and joined the roster of The Metropolitan Opera to cover Sarastro in Simon McBurney's Die Zauberflöte. This season, he returns to The Metropolitan Opera to cover Timur (Turandot), and he débuts with Los Angeles Dream Orchestra to sing the same role in their semi-staged concert production of Turandot. In addition, he will return to Dallas Opera as the Hailer/Javelinot/Thierry (Dialogues of the Carmelites), début with New Orleans Opera as Baron Ochs (Der Rosenkavalier), sing Basilio (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) with Nashville Opera, and return to Opera Omaha for his role début as Blitch (Susannah). The 2023-2024 season established Mr. Potter as one of the premier basses in the opera world today, with major house débuts at Dallas Opera as Angelotti (Tosca), Seattle Opera as Abimelech (Samson et Dalila) and in their world premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Atlanta Opera as Quince (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Portland Opera as Vodnik (Rusalka), Detroit Opera as Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen), and Santa Fe Opera for both Der Rosenkavalier and the world premiere of The Righteous. Additionally, he joined the Fort Worth Symphony to cover Hunding in Act I of Die Walküre, Pacific Symphony as Colline (La Bohème), I Filarmonici Columbus as Méphistophélès (Faust), and Houston Symphony as Second Soldier (Salome). Previous engagements include Scarpia in Indianapolis Opera’s Tosca, Sarastro (The Magic Flute) for Eugene Opera, Ferrnado (Il Trovatore) for Opera Santa Barbara, Vodnik (Rusalka) for Wichita Grand Opera, Silva (Ernani) for Southern Illinois Music Festival, and Sparafucile (Rigoletto) for Opera Orlando.

Keith Phares

King of Egypt

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Keith Phares

For over 20 years, in repertoire from Baroque through present day, Keith Phares has appeared in leading roles with Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, the New York City Opera, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, São Paolo Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and elsewhere; in collaboration with Hal Prince, Francesca Zambello, Frank Corsaro, Richard Hickox, Marin Alsop, Sir Colin Davis, Sir Thomas Allen, among others. His 2024-2025 season was highlighted by a duet concert with mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht for Charlottesville and Tulsa Operas, critical reviews as Emile de Becque (South Pacific) at Toledo Opera, and Live In Concert's production of Gardens of Martyrs and The Scarlet Professor. In 2026, he reprises the role of Charlie (Three Decembers) with Sacramento Opera. Highlights from the 2023-2024 season include Paterson’s and Cote’s In Real Life with Mostly Modern Festival – The Netherlands, the premiere of Hilliard & Boresi’s monodrama Inbox Zero in a staged reading with UrbanArias, Sky Masterson (Guys and Dolls) with Charlottesville Opera, and a return to Toledo Opera as Dandini (La Cenerentola). In the summer of 2024, he reprised the role of Sky Masterson at Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. In recent seasons he sang Danilo (The Merry Widow) with Toledo Opera, Ty in the premiere of Kuster’s and Campbell’s A Thousand Acres with Des Moines Metro Opera marking the company’s 50th Anniversary season, Fredrik Egerman opposite Patricia Racette in Arizona Opera’s A Little Night Music, Robert Cohen’s Alzheimer’s Stories at Carnegie Hall, the premiere of Herschel Garfein’s King of the River with the American Modern Ensemble, and Daddy Lowell/Mr. Floyd in Borzoni’s and de los Santos’s The Copper Queen film (premiere) with Arizona Opera. Mr. Phares is an Associate Professor of Voice at BGSU.

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Production Details

Experience this all new production of one of opera's most beloved scores! Aida has something for everyone - love, betrayal, beautiful music, and pageantry.

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