Yuval Sharon and the Detroit Opera are shaking up the opera scene in Detroit. Sharon has served as the Detroit Opera artistic director since 2020, finding ways to bring viewers unique performances throughout the pandemic and beyond. Sharon recently extended his contract with the Detroit Opera through the 2027- 2028 season. The Opera’s upcoming season will continue to push the boundaries of how opera is presented.

The season begins Oct. 19 with Verdi’s “La Traviata,” a love story updated with a 20th-century setting. George Frideric Handel’s “Rinaldo,” directed by Louisa Proske, will be front and center in late February and early March. “Rinaldo” will feature Detroit Opera’s conductor Roberto Kalb as he leads the orchestra in this production.

Sharon is back in the mix as director during the production of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” next April. It’s a new production where artificial intelligence takes the story into the future. In May, composer Anthony Davis returns to Detroit with “The Central Park Five” to wrap up the season. It tells the true story of five African American and Latino teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of assaulting a white female jogger in Central Park.

Beginning in 2025, each season will focus on a theme: America, Faith, and Sustainability. These themes will guide concert programming, educational offerings, community partnerships, and decisions made within the Detroit Opera.

One Detroit contributor Cecelia Sharpe of 90.9 WRCJ talks with Sharon about the 2024-2025 Detroit Opera season; taking opera into the community and making it more accessible to people like students, veterans and first responders; and his new book, “A New Philosophy of Opera,” which was released last month.