Much to the relief and joy of New Orleans's culture lovers, a new cultural season kicks off this fall after being dark for the past season and a half, due to the ongoing (and, hopefully, soon-to-be-eradicated) COVID-19 pandemic.
Following is a listing, by category, of some of New Orleans's premier presenting organizations offering three or more separate events for the 2021-22 cultural season. (NOTE: All venues listed are in New Orleans unless otherwise noted.)
OPERA
New Orleans Opera Association 504-529-3000, neworleansopera.org
Die Walküre, Act I (in German, with English translations above the stage)
Joint production with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Mahalia Jackson Theater, Louis Armstrong Park (entrance from Basin Street) November 12 and 14
An Homage to Josephine Baker (in English)
Marigny Opera House, 725 St. Ferdinand St., January 6-9
Gala Concert with Members of the New Orleans Opera Chorus
Mahalia Jackson Theater,
February 11 and 13
La Boheme (in Italian with English translations above the stage)
Mahalia Jackson Theater, April 1 and 3
Opera performances in the Mahalia Jackson Theater are at 8 p.m. on Fridays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.
OperaCreole, operacreole.com
Opera Creole's 2021-22 schedule was not fully confirmed by deadline. Below is what is known so far:
10th Anniversary Celebration
September 2021 (tentative - date and venue TBA if confirmed)
CONCERT
Marigny Opera House, marignyoperahouse.org
Holiday Concert: Ballad of the Brown King (tentative)
November/December (dates/venue TBA)
Performance with New Orleans Opera: From Ida B Wells to Kamala Harris
New Orleans Opera Women's Guild Home, 2504 Prytania St.
January/February (dates TBA)
Concert Spirituel aux Caraibes with the Historic New Orleans Collection and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Civic Theater, 510 O'Keefe Ave.,
February 5, 7:30 p.m.
Production: Either Le Spahi by Lucien Lambert or A Bayou Legend by William Grant Still
(details TBA), May 26-28
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Orpheum Theater, 129 Roosevelt Way, 504-523-6350, lpomusic.com
Here are some of the highlights of the upcoming season at the Orpheum Theater:
Season Opener: Beethoven, Brahms, and Copland
November 4
Beethoven Symphony No. 3 Eroica
November 18
Classical Christmas featuring excerpts from Handel's Messiah
December 16
Tank and the Bangas with the LPO
January 14
"Always Remember" featuring Courtney Bryan's "Yet Unheard"
January 20
Mozart, Haydn, and Reid featuring Anne Marie McDermott (piano)
February 2
Stravinsky's Firebird Suite
March 24
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 From the New World
April 7
Season Finale featuring LPO Musicians
May 4
All concerts are at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
New Orleans Friends of Music Dixon Hall, Tulane University, corner of Newcomb Place and Zimpel Street, friendsofmusic.org/index.htm
Dover String Quartet
October 18
Pacifica Quartet and Anthony McGill, clarinet
November 9
Michael Brown, piano, and Nicholas Canellakis, cello
December 7
Junction Trio
January 11
Stephen Hough, piano
February 8
Musicians from Marlboro with Tessa Lark, violin
March 28
American Brass Quintet
April 25
All concerts at 7:30 p.m.
Symphony Chorus of New Orleans 504-525-2111, symphonychorus.org
The SCNO's 2021-22 season schedule was not finalized by deadline but the known details are as follows:
Annual performance of Handel's Messiah
December 2021 (date and venue TBA)
Performance of Haydn's The Creation
late March 2022 (date and venue TBA)
(Other performances TBA)
Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, 646-241-0303, crescentcitychambermusicfestival.com
The annual Crescent City Chamber Music Festival presents a series of seven free public concerts at various venues in New Orleans between September 30 and October 10, 2021.
Free Public Concert No. 1
Jason Vieaux, guitar, and the Escher Quartet
Felicity Church, 1220 Felicity St.
September 30, 7:30 p.m.
Free Public Concert No. 2
The Escher Quartet and members of the Manhattan Chamber Players
Music by Strauss, Barber, and Messiaen
Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church, 3900 St. Charles Ave.
October 1, 7 p.m.
Free Public Concert No. 3
The Escher Quartet and Friends
Music by Dvorak, Bartok, George Walker and Andrea Casarrubios
St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1545 State St. (at St. Charles Avenue)
October 3, 4 p.m.
Free Public Concert No. 4
Music by Brahms, Schubert
and Wynton Marsalis
(All performers are New Orleans
classical musicians)
UNO Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall, 2000 Lakeshore Dr., October 5, 7:30 p.m.
Free Public Concert No. 5
Casual Classical Music with Beer Pairings
Urban South Brewery, 1645 Tchoupitoulas St.
October 7, 7 p.m.
Free Public Concert No. 6
Manhattan Chamber Players
Music by Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn
UNO Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall
October 8, 7:30 p.m.
Free Public Concert No. 7
Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Aaron Copland and Andrea Casarrubios
Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church
October 10, 4 p.m.
Most of the concerts are preceded by a 30-minute talk and Q&A session.
Musaica Chamber Ensemble , 504-304-8608 musaica.org
Special concert:
Deutsches Haus, 1700 Moss St.
January 18, 7 p.m.
Winter program:
Marigny Opera House
February 15, 7:30 p.m.
UNO Performing Arts Center Recital Hall
February 16, 7:30 p.m.
Spring program:
Munholland Methodist Church, 1201 Metairie Rd., Metairie
April 18, 7:30 p.m.
UNO Performing Arts Center Recital Hall
April 19, 7:30 p.m.
New Orleans Chamber Players neworleanschamberplayers.org
Concert at the Marigny Opera House
February 2022 (date TBA)
Concert at the Deutsches Haus
May 2022 (date TBA)
Details on these and other concerts will be announced as they are finalized.
Versipel New Music
versipel.org
Versipel Collective I
October 2021, 7:30 p.m.
(exact date and venue TBA)
Visiting Artist I
October 28, 2021, 7:30 p.m. (venue TBA)
Versipel Collective II
January 2022, 7:30 p.m. (
exact date and venue TBA)
Visiting Artist II
March 13, 2022, 7:30 p.m. (venue TBA)
Versipel Collective, "Coming Together"
Marigny Opera House
May 15, 7:30 p.m.
DANCE
New Orleans Ballet Association, nobadance.com
NOBA will announce its spring season of performances (January-May, 2022) on October 9, 2021, after which tickets and additional information will be made known. The information will be on the NOBA website.
For tickets and information, call 504-522-0996 or visit the website. Single tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 1-800-745-3000 or visiting ticketmaster.com. All NOBA performances will be at the Mahalia Jackson Theater.
Marigny Opera Ballet, 725 St. Ferdinand St. 504-948-9998 , marignyoperahouse.org
A New Orleans Jazz Nutcracker (World Premiere)
Choreography: Jarina Carvalho
Composer: Larry Sieberth
Music: 12-piece jazz Ensemble
December 3-12
Paul Taylor's Aureole/Gretchen Erickson's Silk and Smoke
Original Choreography: Paul Taylor and Gretchen Erickson
January 28-30
New Works performed by dancers from Marigny Opera Ballet
Music: Polymnia Quartet, March 18-20
All performances are at 8 p.m.
Melange Dance Company 847-651-3119, melangedanceofnola.com
RISE for Mother Earth (World Premiere)
Marigny Opera House
November 11, 12, and 14
Melange will be presenting at least two other dance performances during this cultural season; dates and venues to be announced later.
LIVE THEATRE
Saenger Theatre, Hancock Whitney "Broadway in New Orleans" at the Saenger Theatre 1111 Canal St., 1-800-218-SHOW (7469) saengernola.com/shows
Tootsie
November 9-14
Cats
December 14-19
Hadestown
December 28 to January 2
Disney's Frozen
February 10-20
Anastasia
April 5-10
Mean Girls
May 17-22
Hamilton
June 21 to July 10
Show times vary.
Le Petit Theatre, 616 St. Peter St. (corner Chartres St. in the French Quarter), 504-522-2081, lepetittheatre.com
Dear Mr. Williams
October 8-24
Choir Boy
January 14-30
The House That Will Not Stand
March 4-20
Tribes
April 8-24
A Night with Janis Joplin
May 13-29
Jefferson Performing Arts Society 504-885-2000, jpas.org
JPAS will be presenting four mainstage productions at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center (JPAC), 6600 Airline Dr., Metairie, and five shows at their Westbank venue, the Westwego Performing Arts Theater (WPAT) at 177 Sala Ave. in Westwego.
.God of Carnage
October 1-10, (WPAT)
The Addams Family
October 8-17, (JPAC)
Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
December 3-12, (JPAC)
The Nutcracker
December 18-19, (JPAC)
Fly: A Play Inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen
February 4-13, (JPAC)
Shrek: The Musical
March 11-20, (JPAC)
Murder on the Orient Express
April 22-May 8, (WPAT)
The Comedy Zone
October 22 & 23, November 19 & 20, January 21 & 22, February 18 & 19, March 25 & 26, May 20 & 21, June 17 & 18, (WPAT)
Cutting Edge Theater, 767 Robert Blvd, Slidell, 985-649-3727, cuttingedgetheater.com
Cabaret
September 24-October 16
Rocky Horror Voodoo
October 22-30
Ray
November 19-20
This Christmas
December 3-12
Pageant Play
January 7-22
I Want My MTV
February 11-19
Here We Go Again
April 1-9
Pre-sold tickets for canceled shows will be honored. Call the box office at 504-461-9475 or email BoxOffice@RivertownTheaters.com to get credit or order for new shows.
The NOLA Project 504-302-9117, nolaproject.com
This New Orleans-based ensemble has one production scheduled for 11 performances this fall, with all performances in the New Orleans Museum of Art's Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park (weather permitting). Other performances will be scheduled throughout the cultural season and will be announced on the group's website and social media platforms.
Tell it to Me Sweet
(An original work written by ensemble member Brittany N. Williams)
October 15, 17, 30, 31; November 2, 7, 9, 14
OTHER PERFORMING ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
There are other performing arts organizations in New Orleans (including those from the universities) whose full schedules were not finalized in time to be included in this listing. Here, listed alphabetically, is a handy list of some of those organizations, along with their websites, on which their schedules might now be posted.
30 by Ninety Theatre (Mandeville), 30byninety.com
Ashe Cultural Arts Center, ashecac.org
Birdfoot (chamber music) Festival: birdfootfestival.org
Contemporary Arts Center, cacno.org
Cutting Edge Theater (Slidell), cuttingedgetheater.com
Louis Moreau Institute, louismoreauinstitute.org
Loyola University Arts Series, cmm.loyno.edu or loyola-presents/all-list
Lyrica Baroque, lyricabaroque.com
Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, masno.org
New Orleans Ballet Theatre, neworleansballettheatre.com
New Orleans Chamber Orchestra, nolachamberorchestra.org
New Orleans Civic Symphony, neworleanscivicsymphony.org
New Orleans Vocal Arts (NOVA) Chorale, novachorale.org
New Orleans Volunteer Orchestra, novorchestra.com
Southern Rep Theatre, southernrep.com
Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans, twtheatrenola.com
Trinity Artist Series, trinityartistseries.com
University of New Orleans Musical Excursions, new.uno.edu/sota-performances/music
University of New Orleans Theatre, ew.uno.edu/sota-performances/theater
NOTE: Most of these arts organizations also have a presence on Facebook and/or other social media and information can be obtained from these sites as well.
