CURLEW RIVER

Spirit of the Boy:
Singer – Ava Chismar
Actors – Charlie Bedford+ and William Graybill+

Conductor:  Antony Walker 
Stage Director: Dana Kinney*
Stage Manager: Tess Naval
Assistant Stage Manager: Bee Anderson

+   Pittsburgh Opera debut
*     Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist
**   Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Alumnus

The scene is set in a church by a Fenland river in early medieval times. A group of monks, acolytes, and lay brethren process in with their Abbot, intoning the plain-chant “Te lucis ante terminum.” The lay brothers go to their instruments and the Abbot announces the performance of a mystery showing how a sign of God’s grace was given.

The monks who are to play the Madwoman, the Traveller, and the Ferryman are ceremonially costumed. The Madwoman and the Traveller leave the acting area. The Ferryman, whose duty it is to ferry pilgrims across the Curlew River, steps forward. Today is the day when they come to visit a grave on the other bank which is revered as a shrine. There was a burial there a year ago, and the folk believe it can heal the sick.

The Traveller approaches. He has been long on the road and he begs for a place on the ferry, which the Ferryman grants. The Madwoman’s cries are heard in the distance as she sings about curlews, lambs, and crows. When she appears, her confused singing includes the mention of her child, and the pilgrims listen to her in amazement. She tells how her son was seized by a stranger, and how she has lost her mind in despair. She begs to get into the boat, but the Ferryman refuses, alarmed by her strange story. Eventually the Traveller, the Abbot, and the pilgrims persuade the Ferryman to allow her on board, and a sail is hoisted.

As the ferry crosses to the other bank, the Ferryman tells how a year before a Heathen man came and left behind a boy who had been ill-treated and was very weak. The boy was able to say he had been stolen from his mother before dying with a prayer on his lips. He was buried nearby.

The ferry has reached the bank and the sail is lowered. All go ashore to visit the boy’s tomb except the Madwoman. The Ferryman impatiently tels the Madwoman to be on her way, until her questions reveal that she is his mother and this was the boy she lost. She leads the lamentation, in which all join, her prayers mingling with images of birds and flight. A child’s voice is heard and the Spirit of the Child appears above the tomb. He blesses his mother with the promise that they will meet in Heaven.

The Madwoman, the Ferryman, and the Traveller resume their monks’ habits and all recss chanting the “Te lucis.”

– Hugh Macdonald, Mark Morris Dance Group

Enjoy these videos below, and view our full set of video excerpts on our YouTube Playlist.

_{The Madwoman (Logan Wagner) explains what drove her mad – her only child was lost, seized as a slave by a stranger.}

A crowd of people (Pittsburgh Opera choristers) mock the Madwoman (Logan Wagner), who believes she's seen the figure of her lost son.

We want you to have the best experience possible at our performances!

Here are some details and resources to help. Also visit our Opera FAQs or our Accessibility page.

• Run time: approx. 70 minutes
• Understand Every Word: Curlew River is sung in English
• Pre-Opera Talks before each performance
• Download the Study Guide
• Listen to the Pittsburgh Opera Podcast (POP)
• Read the Libretto

CHILD POLICY:

• Children must be ages 6 and up. Suggestions and tips for bringing children to the opera may be found at pittsburghopera.org/FAQ.
• All children must have a ticket. There is a 50% discount for kids and teens ages 6-18.

In anticipation of this production of Curlew River, Pittsburgh Opera is hosting several free companion events to add depth and connection to this enduring classic: 

Noh Theater and Sumidagawa: The Japanese Roots of Britten’s Curlew River
Sunday, January 11
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
(via Zoom)
Presented by University of Pittsburgh Professor Elizabeth Oyler, Associate Professor of Premodern Japanese Literature, learn about the work that sparked Britten’s imagination and fascination with the genre of Noh drama, the oldest continuously performed theatrical genre in the world.

Madwoman, Sing: An Introduction to Curlew River
Sunday, January 18
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Calvary Episcopal Church
Presented by Carnegie Mellon's Ryan Prendergast, Assistant Teaching Professor of Musicology, and joined by Pittsburgh Opera General Director, Christopher Hahn, this free community lecture will be an insightful look into this powerful and compelling work by Benjamin Britten.   

• Review: onStage Pittsburgh – A Spiritual and Vulnerable Experience at Pittsburgh Opera’s ‘Curlew River’
• Review: KDKA-TV CBS Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh Today Live, Weekend Guide: Jan. 29, 2026
• Review: The Tartan – Standing ovation for Pittsburgh Opera’s production of ‘Curlew River’
• Entertainment Central Pittsburgh – Theater Guide January 2026
• Pittsburgh Owl Scribe blog – Pittsburgh Opera to Stage Benjamin Britten’s “Parable for Church Performance”
• onStage Pittsburgh – An Interview with Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist Matt Soibelman,  Who Sings the Role of Abbot in ‘Curfew River’
• WESA-FM – What to do this weekend: Freedom House play, Pittsburgh's Music on the Edge
• NEXTpittsburgh – 12+ things to do this weekend
• Pittsburgh Opera stages “Curlew River” for a regional premiere
  • Observer Reporter
  • Herald Standard
• Tribune Review – Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Jan. 23-25
• NEXTpittsburgh – 13+ things to do this weekend
• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Though ‘Curlew River’ isn’t your typical opera, it’s rooted in human experience
• WQED-FM Voice of the Arts podcast
  • Logan Wagner (The Madwoman)
  • Erik Nordstrom (The Ferryman)
  • Dana Kinney, Stage Director
  • Antony Walker, Conductor