Vancouver opera: Rigoletto
The tragic tale of a father’s desperate love for his daughter—and the dangerous double-edged sword of vengeance—set against a backdrop of decadence and dark intrigue
Date/Time: Nov 2 2025, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth Theatre | Event calendar650 Hamilton St
Tickets
Cost: $99.00
Find tickets: here
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Premiered 1851 in Venice
Sung in Italian with English Projected Titles
The jester Rigoletto had long enjoyed the privilege of mocking the Duke of Mantua’s adversaries, but when his beloved daughter becomes the target of the morally corrupt Duke’s abuse, Rigoletto sets in motion a revenge plot that careens with the propulsive energy of an edge-of-the-seat thriller while bringing themes of opulence and oppression into sharp focus.
Under director Glynis Leyshon (Flight of the Hummingbird) and the baton of Vancouver Opera Music Director Jacques Lacombe, unforgettable pieces like "La donna è mobile" and the heartwrenching "Caro nome" will soar to life, sung by extraordinary voices like the sought-after American baritone Michael Chioldi as Rigoletto, and, as Gilda, the award-winning UK-based Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne, who Opera Canada praised for her “tremendous dramatic presence,” and “astonishing vocal dexterity.”
In a new production built in partnership with Pacific Opera Victoria, our 2025–2026 season opener will push this tense tragedy’s boundaries while staying true to Verdi’s immortal story of love and revenge.
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