WOMAN WITH EYES CLOSED

Music by Jennifer Higdon
Libretto by Jerre Dye • APRIL 26, 29, MAY 2, 4, 2025

A family portrait

When Mona finds a mysterious suitcase filled with stolen masterpieces, she must grapple with a choice to save these priceless paintings or save her son—the thief. Burning the paintings would destroy the evidence of her son’s crime, but one of the paintings—Lucien Freud’s “Woman With Eyes Closed”—looks just like her own mother, a painter who died when Mona was still young. The uncanny resemblance unlocks long-buried memories that fuel the fires of three different possible endings.

This world premiere opera from award-winning composer Jennifer Higdon (Cold Mountain) is inspired by a real-life art heist, and confronts the question “what is the true value of a work of art?” This is an opera that needs to be seen at least twice; each night of the production has the possibility of a completely new ending!

Labriola Winery is the official wine sponsor for Woman with Eyes Closed.

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The commissioning of Jennifer Higdon for Woman with Eyes Closed received funding from OPERA America's Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia. Funded in part by The Amphion Foundation, Inc.

These performances are sponsored in part by a generous gift from Diana Reid and Marc Chazaud in memory of Diana Jannetta – music lover, art collector, and dear friend.