Curtis Opera Theatre: Candide (Photo Roundup)

Curtis Opera Theatre‘s 2024–25 centennial series concluded with Curtis alumnus Leonard Bernstein’s (Conducting ’41) timeless masterpiece, Candide, at the Forrest Theatre, Philadelphia’s premier Broadway touring theatre, built in 1927 by the Shubert Organization. Filled with sparkling wit, soaring melodies, and globe-trotting grandeur, this bitingly clever adaptation of Voltaire’s philosophical French novella is an absurdist romp across “the best of all possible worlds.”

Acclaimed theater and opera director Emma Griffin, managing artistic director of Mannes Opera at the New School’s College of Performing Arts, returned to Curtis for her ninth production. Under the baton of internationally distinguished conductor David Charles Abell, Candide featured the rising young stars of Curtis Opera Theatre and members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. This vibrant new production burst to the seams with energy, featuring dynamic dance sequences by Emmy Award-nominated director and choreographer Jeffrey L. Page—celebrated for his work with Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Jeanine Tesori, and Diane Paulus.

Read rave reviews for Candide at Broad Street Review and Parterre Box.

Check out photo highlights of Candide. All photos courtesy of Ashley Smith / Wide Eyed Studios. 

Banner image features Cunegonde (Emilie Kealani) singing “Glitter and Be Gay,” with Paquette (Emily Damasco; in green) and the women’s chorus of Candide. Second image features The Old Lady (Katie Trigg) reflecting on her tragic life.
  • Maya Mor Mitrani (Chorus) and Nathan Schludecker as Maximilian, Candide’s entitled brother-in-law.
  • Soprano Emilie Kealani as Cunegonde, Candide’s aristocratic love interest.
  • Robert Frazier as Vanderdendur in "Candide."
  • L–R: Paquette (Emily Damasco) and Candide (Landry Allen) lament the death of Maximilian and try to find the best of all possible reasons why.
  • Conductor David Charles Abell and members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Old Lady falls into the arms of Señores Jackson Allen and Yulin Yan, singing “I Am Easily Assimilated” in Cádiz, Spain.
  • Tenor Landry Allen as the idealistic title character, Candide.
  • Cunegonde (Emilie Kealani) is down and out in Paris, lamenting her lost innocence.
  • Chorus members Gabriel Feldt (guest artist), Maya Mor Mitrani, and Nikan Ingabire Kanate.
  • Baritone Emilio Vásquez as Pangloss in Curtis Opera Theatre’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s "Candide."
  • L–R: In Westphalia, Paquette (Emily Damasco), Candide (Landry Allen), Cunegonde (Emilie Kealani), and Maximilian (Nathan Schludecker) sing about “The Best of All Possible Worlds.”
  • L–R: Maya Mor Mitrani (Chorus), Nathan Schludecker (Maximilian), Juliette Tacchino (Chorus), and Emily Damasco (Paquette).
  • Curtain call after Candide's finale, "Make Our Garden Grow," featuring the entire cast and members of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra.
  • The Old Lady (Katie Trigg) and Cunegonde (Emilie Kealani).
  • Candide (Landry Allen) discovers paradise, singing “The Ballad of Eldorado,” but decides it is too boring.

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