With South Florida establishing itself as one of the premiere performing arts destinations in the world, it is befitting that an important work is having its world premiere in the Magic City.  An opera adapted from one of the great novels of the 20th century has awarded its debut to the world-renowned artist faculty and gifted students of the Frost Opera Theater and Frost Symphony Orchestra of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

With members of its faculty led by Metropolitan Opera baritone Kim Josephson in the title role and 9-time Emmy Winning internationally renowned Maestro Gerard Schwarz conducting the Frost Symphony Orchestra, the world premiere of the opera, THE LEOPARD will take place at 3pm on March 5 and 6, 2022 at the South Miami Dade Cultural Arts Center (SMDCAC)..  

 Set in Sicily in the year 1860, the opera is told through the eyes of Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina, also known as the Leopard. Known for his commanding personality, he is a member of an impoverished Sicilian aristocracy soon to be obsolete. Now facing a society in upheaval, he is forced to choose between decay and progress, and between the downfall of the nobility and the future of his family.

 This highly anticipated opera, THE LEOPARD is the third and last collaboration between Michael Dellaira and American poet, librettist, and literary critic J.D. McClatchy. Dellaira completed the score in February 2018, just two months before McClatchy’s death. He is also the first composer granted operatic rights to THE LEOPARD in over 50 years.