A didactic Decameron: The Seasons at Opera Philadelphia

Emi Ferguson, Kangmin Justin Kim (The Painter) and Anthony Roth Costanzo (The Poet)

Abigail Raiford (The Farmer) and Megan Moore (The Choreographer)

John Mburu (The Cosmic Weatherman)

Emi Ferguson

Megan Moore (The Choreographer) and dancers

By Cameron Kelsall, 21 December 2025

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“the production itself... demonstrates a level of self-awareness absent in Ruhl’s libretto”

Reviewed at Kimmel Center, Perelman Theater, Philadelphia on 20 December 2025

Vivaldi, The Seasons

Opera Philadelphia

Corrado Rovaris, Conductor

Zack Winokur, Director

Mimi Lien, Set Designer

Carlos J Soto, Costume Designer

John Torres, Lighting Designer

Opera Philadelphia Orchestra

Anthony Roth Costanzo, The Poet

Abigail Raiford, The Farmer

Kangmin Justin Kim, The Painter

Whitney Morrison, The Performance Artist

John Mburu, The Cosmic Weatherman

Megan Moore, The Choreographer

Pam Tanowitz, Choreography

Emi Ferguson, Flute

A sorta fairy tale: Sleepers Awake premieres at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 22nd April

A new opera by Gregory Spears subverts the Sleeping Beauty trope, with middling results.

**111

Opera by committee: Opera Philadelphia premieres Complications in Sue

Cameron Kelsall, 4th February

Opera Philadelphia commissions ten composers to tell the story of an ordinary woman's idiosyncratic march from cradle to tomb.

****1

A long, strange trip: Opera Philadelphia’s Il viaggio a Reims

Cameron Kelsall, 19th September

The intrepid company brings Damiano Michieletto’s well-traveled production of a Rossini rarity to the US for the first time.

***11

The Listeners: daring psychological thriller at Opera Philadelphia

Cameron Kelsall, 25th September

The new opera by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek draws on cult mindsets and conspiracy theories but smartly avoids sensationalism.

****1

Opera Philadelphia's Unholy Wars creates a dialogue with Monteverdi

Cameron Kelsall, 23rd September

Arab-American tenor Karim Sulayman devises a thoughtful pastiche that centers the perspective omitted from Early Modern depictions of the Middle East in music.

****1

Quinn Kelsey triumphs in Opera Philadelphia's Simon Boccanegra

Cameron Kelsall, 22nd September

In his role debut as the Genoan Doge, the American baritone continues to burnish his bona fides as the premier Verdi baritone of his generation.

****1

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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.