Turandot

North Carolina Opera brings Turandot to the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium on Friday, February 5, 2027, at 7:30 PM and Sunday, February 7, at 2:00 PM. It's a company premiere, so this is the first time NC Opera has staged the Puccini classic. The production is part of their 2026-2027 season, which also includes Bizet's Carmen and Gluck's Orfeo & Euridice in concert.

If you're not familiar with the story, it's a high-stakes game of wit and will. An icy princess guards her freedom by rejecting every suitor who fails to solve her impossible riddles, until a courageous prince dares to challenge her. It's one of Puccini's most expansive works, and the company is leaning into that with a production they describe as monumental in scale and opulence. The opera is performed in Italian, with English translations projected above the stage, so you can follow the plot even if you don't speak the language. It runs about two hours and 30 minutes with one 20-minute intermission.

On stage, Jonny Kaufman takes on the title role of Princess Turandot, with Caitlin Gotimer as The Unknown Prince, Adam Lau as Liù, and Robbie Raso as Timur. Rebecca Nash directs and Antony Walker conducts. The opera itself premiered at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on April 25, 1926, with a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni based on Carlo Gozzi's play. It contains "Nessun dorma," often called the most popular tenor aria of all time. This particular production is sponsored by Rosemarie Sweeney in memory of C. Thomas Kunz.

Between the two dates, you've got a choice of a Friday night or a Sunday matinee at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, part of the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh. College student tickets are $15.