Turner-Fischer Center for Opera

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Turner-Fischer Center for Opera

Founded in 1931, the LSU Opera is one of the oldest and most recognized collegiate opera programs in the nation.

LSU Opera, one of the first major university programs in the United States, has produced exceptional singers who have performed on world opera stages such as The Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Houston Grand Opera and more. LSU opera annually produces four productions, including two productions that are fully staged, designed, costumed and accompanied by the LSU Symphony Orchestra.

09/01/2026

Today we celebrate the birth of German composer Engelbert Humperdink!

Born in Siegburg, Germany in 1854, Engelbert Humperdinck became one of the most influential German composers of his generation. A student of Ferdinand Hiller and later a pupil and assistant to Richard Wagner, Humperdinck was deeply influenced by the richness of Wagnerian opera, while developing a musical voice distinctly his own.

Although Humperdinck composed across many genres including orchestral music, chamber works, songs, and several operas, it was his 1893 opera Hänsel und Gretel that he would become most recognizable for. Premiering in Weimar under the baton of Richard Strauss, the opera combines folk-inspired melodies with lush Wagnerian orchestration to create a world that is both charming and playful, yet mysterious and dark.

More than a century later, Hänsel und Gretel remains one of the most beloved fairy-tale operas in the repertoire, enchanting audiences with its unforgettable music and timeless story.

And speaking of Hänsel und Gretel…

Let’s just say there may be a certain forest calling our name very soon.

Stay tuned… you won’t want to get lost along the way.

04/16/2026

Opera didn’t stop being written, it just kept evolving.

Contemporary opera brings new stories, new sounds, and new voices to the stage, reflecting the world we’re living in right now while pushing the art form forward.

Experience it for yourself with Before It All Goes Dark. Tickets are on sale now!! Don’t miss your chance to see opera happening right now!

📅 Date: April 17th at 7:30, and April 19th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

04/15/2026

Meet Gisselle Salinas singing the roles of Misha/Sally/Emil!!

Soprano Gisselle Salinas is a master’s student in voice performance at Louisiana State University, where she studies with Professor Lindsay Kate Brown. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of North Florida, where she won 1st place in UNF’s Annual Opera Aria Competition and was a frequent member of the UNF Opera Theater. Her performance credits include The Mikado; the Second Witch in Dido and Aeneas; Così fan tutte; the Mother in Hansel and Gretel; Héro in Béatrice et Bénédict; Mimì in an adaptation of La Bohème; and the title role in The Merry Widow. Gisselle’s summer engagements include covering Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking with the Miami Music Festival, attending the “Si Parla, Si Canta” Italian summer program, and performing Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Winter Harbor Music Festival. In the fall of 2025, she covered and performed the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with LSU Opera. She is thrilled to perform the roles of Misha/Sally/Emil in the collegiate premiere of Before It All Goes Dark with LSU Opera.

📅 Date: April 24th at 7:30, and April 26th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

04/14/2026

Good things come in 3s! Meet Kelly Nielsen singing the roles of Misha/Sally/Emil!!

Kelly Nielsen is an emerging soprano currently pursuing her Master of Music in Voice Performance at Louisiana State University, where she studies with Lindsay Kate Brown. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano and Voice Performance from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point in 2023, where she made her operatic debut as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. An active collaborative musician, Kelly has participated in the Collaborative Piano Institute both as a pianist and vocalist. She is excited to appear with LSU Opera in the collegiate premiere of Before It All Goes Dark as Misha/Sally/Emil.

📅 Date: April 17th at 7:30, and April 19th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

04/13/2026

We are so excited to present the collegiate premiere of Jake Heggie's "Before It All Goes Dark" THIS WEEKEND!! Swipe to learn more about our production.

You will not want to miss this. Seats are going fast so secure yours today!

📅 Date: April 17th at 7:30, and April 19th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

04/12/2026

Introducing Chase Côté singing the role of Gerald "Mac" McDonald!!

Chase Côté is an emerging baritone pursuing his Master of Music at Louisiana State University under the tutelage of Robert Grayson and Paul Groves. Chase’s upcoming engagements include, the role of Mercutio in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, and the lead role “Mac” in the collegiate premiere of Heggie’s opera Before it All Goes Dark both with the Turner-Fischer Opera Center at LSU. Additional credits include King Melchior in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Opéra Louisiane, Count Almaviva in LSU’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, the titular role of Gianni Schicchi for Art City Opera, Junius in The R**e of Lucretia with Temple Opera Theater, and Tommy Albright in Brigadoon and Masetto in Don Giovanni both at Seagle Festival. In 2025, Chase attended Castleton Festival as a vocal fellow. Chase graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Music in 2024.

📅 Date: April 17th at 7:30, and April 19th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

04/11/2026

Meet Nicholas Dieux singing the role of Gerald "Mac" McDonald!!

Baritone Nicholas Dieux is currently pursuing his Master of Music in Vocal Performance at LSU, studying under Dennis Jesse. A recent graduate of Stetson University, he studied under Dr. Craig Maddox and Dr. Chadley Ballantyne while performing principal roles in mainstage productions including the Forester in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, Lancelot du Lac in Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot, Dr. Falke in Strauss’s Die Fledermaus, and Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. During his final year at Stetson, Nicholas was a 2024-2025 Opera Orlando Apprentice Artist, appearing in Verdi’s Macbeth and Requiem. He has also performed internationally as Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. Most recently, he reprised Papageno with AVA coach Luke Housner’s Summer Opera Workshop and returned to Weimar to reprise Count Almaviva with Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. This season, he sings the title role in LSU Opera’s production of Le nozze di Figaro and Marullo in Vero Beach Opera’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto.

📅 Date: April 17th at 7:30, and April 19th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

04/10/2026

We are beyond excited to be presenting the collegiate premiere of Before It All Goes Dark by Jake Heggie!!

A powerful new work from one of today’s leading opera composers, this production brings contemporary opera to the LSU stage! Don’t miss the chance to experience this outstanding production.

📅 Date: April 17th at 7:30, and April 19th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

03/30/2026

That’s a wrap!!

Thank you to everyone who came to see LSU Opera’s production of Roméo et Juliette. Stay tuned to see what we have coming up next 👀!

03/29/2026

ONE MORE SHOW

Make sure to come see Roméo et Juliette TODAY for our last show. Tickets available at the box office and through the link in our bio. You do not want to miss this!!

📅 Date: March 27th at 7:30, and March 29th at 3:00.
📍Location: LSU Shaver Theatre
🎟 Tickets: Can be found at the link in our bio.

Address

102 School Of Music Building
Baton Rouge, LA
70803

Website

https://www.lsu.edu/cmda/music/programs/opera/index.php

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