Nashville Opera presents H.M.S. Pinafore at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. With all the topsy-turvy storytelling and wordplay you can handle, this high-seas operetta is all high-jinks and good times for the whole family. The opera will be performed on January 24 and 25 at 7:30 PM and Sunday, January 26 at 3:00 PM in Polk Theater.

H.M.S. Pinafore was the show that began it all for Gilbert & Sullivan. Sullivan’s beautiful music paired with the clever wordplay of Gilbert produced many classics of the music theatre stage, but none more audience pleasing than this early collaboration.  Nowadays, the very mention of the names Gilbert and Sullivan evoke the memory of such shows as The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and Iolanthe. But it all started here!

This production is directed by Emily Pulley and conducted by Dean Williamson, featuring the Nashville Opera Orchestra. Artists and their Roles include Eric McKeever as Sir Joseph Porter, KCB; Andrew Payne as Captain Corcoran; Zachary Taylor as Ralph Rackstraw; Luke Harnish as Dick Deadeye; Keaton Brown as Boatswain; Yeonjae Cho as Josephine Corcoran; Katherine Kincaid as Cousin Hebe; and Emily Pulley as Little Buttercup (Mrs. Cripps).

H.M.S. Pinafore will be sung in English with projected English lyrics. The Score is by Sir Arthur Sullivan and the Libretto is by Sir William S. Gilbert. It premiered in London, Opera Comique, May 25, 1878.

Friends of Nashville Opera welcome Emmy and Tony Award winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth as the Honorary Chair of the 2025 La Bella Notte gala, to be held February 8, 2025 at the 1Hotel Nashville.

Ms. Chenoweth will also be the recipient of the Nashville Opera Honors BRAVO! Award in recognition of her tireless commitment to youth music education.

Prior to skyrocketing to international fame on the Broadway stage, Chenoweth studied opera, earning a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from Oklahoma City University.

La Bella Notte 2025 is chaired by Jennifer Harris and Katie Marchetti.

Now in its 31st year, La Bella Notte supports Nashville Opera’s education and outreach programming, including: 

Nashville Opera ON TOUR; Nashville Opera On Wheels; The HBCU Fellowship, with Fisk and Tennessee State Universities; The Mary Ragland Emerging Artist Program; “When Marian Sang: A Celebration of the Life of Marian Anderson”, the story of the first Black female artist to perform at the Metropolitan Opera.  

Nashville Opera has been part of the cultural tapestry of Music City since 1981, creating beautiful experiences that make opera accessible to everyone, both in and out of the theater. With diverse repertoire and casting, they’re working to prove that opera can represent and be relevant to all audiences. By presenting world premieres, staging contemporary works, and sharing the beauty of classic operas, they’re opening new frontiers for this art form.

For tickets to the black-tie gala and more information, please visit LaBellaNotte.org