Aida at the Royal Opera House

by Gussie Nafziger

So far in London, we have enjoyed musicals, plays, and art galleries, but on Wednesday evening, we had the opportunity to experience yet another art form — opera! Our group attended the Royal Opera’s production of Verdi’s opera Aida, which was first performed in 1871 and is today considered to be a monumental work in the standard operatic canon. As a music major and a singer, I was very excited to have the chance to see this work live!

The Royal Opera House is located in Covent Garden, which is two tube stops away from our hotel. The exterior of the opera house is very beautiful — especially at night time, when it lights up!

Our seats were in the highest level of the opera house, but we had a great view of the stage and the stunning architecture of the theatre. Here are some pre-show selfies of students in the group:



Aida is set in ancient Egypt and tells the forbidden love story of an Ethiopian princess, Aida, and an Egyptian soldier, Radames. The Royal Opera’s production, however, was a reimagined version of the opera, set in a contemporary totalitarian state and featuring political drama and an ever-looming military presence. I thoroughly enjoyed this interpretation of a well-known and widely performed opera; it was a great example of how older works of art can be made new by placing them in more modern settings and considering how they fit into our world today.