THE CAST

Lauren Snouffer, Armida

Shannon Crowley, Zelmira

Fran Daniel Laucerica, Rinaldo

know before you go

Pricing
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Pre-performance talk
5:00 PM
Included in price of performance ticket
Takes place inside Lisner Auditorium
To be given by WCO co-founder Peter Russell

Cast Party
Meet the opera stars and enjoy cocktails & hors d'oeuvres after the performance!
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Opera Gems
FREE online lecture by Peter Russell
More information will be available closer to the performance date.

Approximate run time
2 hours 50 minutes (approx.), including one 20-minute intermission.

THE OPERA

Armida
Joseph Haydn

Haydn’s Armida was written in 1783 and, in the composer’s own words, was considered his finest operatic work. Armida was also a favorite at the Eszterháza Court Theatre, where it premiered in 1784 and received an astounding fifty-four performances over six years. Set during the era of the Crusades, this opera seria focuses on the psychological conflict between love and duty in a time of war. Armida retells the story of Torquato Tasso’s Renaissance poem “Jerusalem Delivered.” Rinaldo, a knight of the Crusades, is lured into temptation by the powerful sorceress Armida who falls in love with him.

Making her WCO debut, we are thrilled to welcome renowned soprano Lauren Snouffer in the title role of Armida. Joining her and returning to WCO following his stellar performance as Pylade in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, tenor Fran Daniel Laucerica plays the crusading knight Rinaldo. The 2026 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition Grand Finals Winner, soprano Shannon Crowley will make her WCO debut as Zelmira, Armida’s ally and accomplice.