Thaïs
by Austin Opera
Nov. 13 - Nov. 15
Friday, Sunday
Sarah and Ernest Butler Music Director Timothy Myers conducts Austin Opera’s first production of Massenet’s 1894 masterpiece, with soprano Nicole Heaston starring as Thaïs, an Egyptian courtesan and priestess of Venus, and baritone Troy Cook as Athanaël, the Christian monk determined to convert her.
Premiered at the Paris Opera in 1894, Thaïs is among Massenet’s most sensual and psychologically probing operas. Set in fourth-century Egypt, the story follows Athanaël as he attempts to rescue Thaïs from a life he considers sinful and lead her toward Christianity. But his mission takes an unexpected turn: as Thaïs embraces a new spiritual path, Athanaël becomes increasingly consumed by his own desire for her. What begins as an effort to save another person ultimately exposes the hypocrisy, longing, and obsession within the would-be hero.
The opera’s central question—whether spiritual transformation can truly be separated from earthly desire—unfolds through Massenet’s lush, seductive score, culminating in an emotional confrontation between faith, love and mortality.
“Thaïs is a remarkable opera because it refuses to make its characters—or its audience—comfortable,” Myers said. “It asks us to look at the complicated relationship between spirituality and sensuality, and to consider what happens when our ideals collide with our most human desires. Massenet gives us music of extraordinary beauty and intimacy, and I’m thrilled to bring this work to Austin with such an extraordinary cast and creative team.”
A reunion of an acclaimed creative team
Myers, Heaston and Cook reunite for Austin Opera’s Thaïs following their acclaimed collaboration on the opera’s 2025 production at Spoleto Festival USA. The Charleston City Paper praised Heaston as “mesmerizing,” noting that her “stunning soprano and magnetic stage presence makes it palpably clear why men of all stripes are fixated,” while Cook’s performance was praised for its poignancy as he portrayed Athanaël’s increasingly tortured soul.
For Austin Opera, the production brings together a creative team with a deep understanding of the opera’s complex emotional landscape. Crystal Manich, who earned acclaim for her 2026 Austin Opera staging of Fiddler on the Roof, returns to direct Thaïs. Her production is designed to explore the tension between the physical and spiritual worlds at the heart of Massenet’s opera, placing the characters’ inner conflicts at the center of the drama. Manich is joined by lighting designer Tláloc López-Watermann, costume designer Brandon McDonald, projection designer Greg Emetaz and movement designer Michael Pappalardo.
Together, the team creates a world in which religious devotion, physical beauty and human desire continually intersect, reflecting the opera’s central tension between the sacred and the sensual.
Opera Unleashed
Thaïs is the latest installment of Opera Unleashed: Epic Masterpieces with Timothy Myers, a series Austin Opera launched following Myers’ 2023 appointment as Sarah and Ernest Butler Music Director. The series features company premieres of some of the most historically significant works written for the operatic voice, expanding the company’s repertoire while giving Austin audiences opportunities to experience major works rarely presented in the city.
“Opera Unleashed is about giving audiences the chance to encounter masterpieces that can surprise us when we hear them with fresh eyes and ears,” said Annie Burridge, General Director of Austin Opera. “Thaïs is exactly that kind of work. It is gorgeous, provocative and psychologically complex, and the reunion of Timothy, Nicole and Troy makes this production especially exciting. With Crystal Manich and this extraordinary design team bringing the opera to life, Austin audiences are in for something truly special.”
With its combination of lush orchestral writing, virtuosic vocal roles and a story that challenges easy distinctions between holiness and desire, Thaïs offers a powerful showcase for the full scale of Austin Opera’s artistic ambitions.
Sung in French with projected English titles
Performance run time: 2 hours and 45 minutes with 1 intermission
Thaïs is a co-Prodction between Spoleto Festival USA and Austin Opera.
Thaïs
by Jules Massenet
Austin Opera
November 13 - November 15, 2026
November 13 and 15, 2026
Dell Hall, Long Center, Austin
