Okay, this is a cute double bill. UNLV Opera is putting a young Jackie Kennedy and a very modern Cinderella on the same stage, on the same college campus, for two nights only.
Performances are Thursday, November 12 and Friday, November 13, 2026, at 7:30 p.m. Both one-act operas play in the Dr. Arturo Rando-Grillot Recital Hall at UNLV.
Two Heroines, One Campus
First up is Jackie at Vassar, with music by Allen Shearer and a libretto by Claudia Stevens. It follows future first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy during her sophomore year at Vassar College.
That is before the White House, before the legend. Just a college student, her friends, her parents, a dorm monitor, and a few imaginary suitors.
Nina Mutalifu and Valeria Dapena Torres alternate in the role of Jackie. Vassar alumna Linda Lister directs, which is a nice full-circle touch.
Cinderella, but Make It Sustainable
Then the fairy tale flips. Cinderemma and the Green Sneaker is a contemporary, environmentally conscious take on Cinderella, built as a pastiche opera getting its world premiere here.
Its Emma is Emerald Sage, an aspiring environmental studies major at Vassar. Yes, both heroines land at the same college, and that Vassar thread is the whole point of this season.
The score pulls musical excerpts from Rossini's La Cenerentola plus Cinderella-inspired operas by Jules Massenet and Pauline Viardot. Shania Carden and Kelsey Lee alternate as Emma.
- Directors: graduate students Valeria Dapena Torres and Kayla Winslow, with graduate student Ranon Pador as assistant director
- Design help: the all-student production team worked with UNLV Campus Sustainability Coordinator Tara Pike on environmentally responsible design practices
- Next life: UNLV plans for Cinderemma to also serve as an outreach opera performed at local elementary schools
How to Catch It in Two Nights
The hall is inside the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154. UNLV lists each performance from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
It is a small room, a 300-seat concert hall built in 2001 as part of the Beam Music Center. Two nights in a room that size means do not wait around thinking about it.
- Pick your night now: Thursday, November 12 or Friday, November 13, both at 7:30 p.m.
- Bring the student ID: admission is free for all Nevada students with a valid student ID.
- Know the voices change: the leads alternate between nights, so the Jackie and Emma you see Thursday may not be the pair you see Friday.
Maestro Dennis Doubin, UNLV's new opera music director and coach, conducts both productions. Spencer Baker serves as collaborative pianist for both.
Two short operas, one world premiere, one future first lady, and one green sneaker. Honestly, that is a perfect little Vegas culture night, no Strip required.
