At the royal court of Carthage, Dido, the young widowed queen, struggles against her growing love for Aeneas, the Trojan prince who has landed on her shores after fleeing the fall of Troy. Encouraged by her confidante Belinda, Dido allows herself to yield to her feelings, and the court celebrates the union of the two with a royal hunt.

Unseen by the lovers, a Sorceress and her coven of witches plot Dido’s ruin, envious of Carthage’s happiness. During the hunt, the Sorceress conjures a storm and sends a spirit, disguised as the god Mercury, to command Aeneas to abandon Dido at once and set sail for Italy, where the gods have decreed he must found a new Troy — the city that will become Rome.

Torn but obedient to what he believes is the will of the gods, Aeneas prepares his fleet to leave. When Dido discovers his intention, she is devastated; even when Aeneas relents and offers to defy the gods and stay, Dido, heartbroken that he could have considered leaving her at all, rejects him and sends him away. Alone, abandoned, and with nothing left to live for, Dido bids Belinda farewell and dies, sung to Purcell’s celebrated lament “When I am laid in earth,” as the chorus calls on cupids to scatter roses over her tomb.

• Stage Director – Maria Todaro
• Music Director – Jared Peroune
• Costumes – Camilla Haith
• Assistant Stage Director – Kali Fong
• Lighting Design – Aneil Rampersad

• Violin I – TBD
• Violin II – TBD
• Viola – TBD
• Cello – TBD
• Double Bass – TBD
• Guitar – TBD
• Continuo – Jared Peroune