Rossini’s Ory in Italian

A rare opportunity to hear Rossini’s “Ory” in Italian. December 4 and 6, 2025

Ory in Italian? After the flurry of recent performances of Le Comte Ory in the original French one might be surprised that the opera was commonly performed in Italian in Italy for many years. There are some who prefer William Tell performed in Italian ( others feel this is scandalous) so why not give Il Conte Ory a listen? Rossini fans in the greater Cambridge MA area ( or even further afar) will have the oportunity to hear it, performed for a very select audience ( due to venue size) by a troupe of intrepid opera amateurs who in their professional lives work in fields such as biology, engineering and other non-musical fields. Its name? Pico Opera!

Pico Opera was founded in 2023 and is a company of young artists affiliated with MIT. They consist of both professional and amateur musicians, with special dedication to fostering inclusive opportunities for the MIT community. They welcome talented singers in the greater Boston area, as well as MIT affiliates, with MIT affiliates in particular coming from different levels of experience. Their performances have featured artists from a variety of local universities, including MIT, Harvard, the Boston Conservatory, Longy, Boston University and Wellesley.

One of their innovations is to provide opportunities for each member of the company, including their ensemble, to shine as soloists and to develop their skills in a positive environment. They do this by means of what is known as Pico Scenes where an aria not from the opera performed is incorporated at an appropriate musical and dramatic point into the opera. “Outside music” is nothing new in opera ( think “trunk arias”) but the way Pico did it with their recent performances of L’elisir D’amore was really elegant and seamless.

Please visit their website picoopera.org asap to secure tickets and learn more about this joyful enterprise.