The little OPERA theatre of ny (LOTNY) will present Carlisle Floyd’s Wuthering Heights from November 19–22, 2026, at the Loreto Theater in Manhattan’s Sheen Center for Thought & Culture. The production marks the opera’s first New York City staging since its 1959 presentation by New York City Opera and forms part of nationwide celebrations honoring the American composer’s centennial.
Wuthering Heights Opera Returns to New York After Decades
Based on Emily Brontë’s celebrated 1847 novel, Wuthering Heights explores the turbulent relationship between Cathy and Heathcliff, whose childhood connection develops into a passionate and ultimately destructive love.
Set against the rugged Yorkshire moors in England, the story examines social expectations, emotional conflict, and the consequences of attempting to suppress personal desires.
Floyd’s operatic adaptation combines lyrical melodies and rich harmonies with a distinctly American compositional style.
The opera premiered at Santa Fe Opera in 1958. Floyd revised its third act before New York City Opera presented the work in 1959.
The upcoming production will be LOTNY’s third exploration of Floyd’s operatic repertoire.
Performances Scheduled for November 19–22
The production will run for four performances at the Loreto Theater, Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, located at 18 Bleecker Street in New York City.
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Thursday, November 19, 2026 — 7:30 p.m.
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Friday, November 20, 2026 — 7:30 p.m.
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Saturday, November 21, 2026 — 7:30 p.m.
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Sunday, November 22, 2026 — 3 p.m.
General admission tickets range from $30 to $60. Student rush tickets are available for $15 on performance days with valid identification.
The box office can be reached at (212) 219-3132.
Cast Announced for Wuthering Heights Production
The production features alternating casts for several principal roles.
Sopranos Vanessa Isiguen and Sara Kennedy will share the role of Cathy, while baritones Markel Reed and Wayne Hu will portray Heathcliff.
Mezzo-sopranos Janara Kellerman and Margaret Lattimore will alternate as Nelly, with tenors Charles Styles and Ryan Allais performing Edgar.
Sopranos Elizabeth Novella and Teresa Castillo will share Isabella, while tenors Tom Walters and Spencer Hamlin will portray Hindley.
Additional performers include Bert K. Johnson as Earnshaw, David Gordon as Joseph, and Chad Kranak as Lockwood.
The Thrushcross Grange guests include Alexandra Wiebe, Brooke Larimer, Rachel Arky, Jonathan Lawlor, and Andrew Boisvert.
For double-cast roles, the first-listed performers will appear November 19 and 21, while the second-listed performers will appear November 20 and 22.
Creative Team Led by Richard Cordova and Philip Shneidman
Richard Cordova will conduct the production, with Philip Shneidman serving as director.
The creative team also includes choreographer Elizabeth Roxas-Dobrish, costume designer Lara de Bruijn, scenic designer Claire Karoff, projection designer Alex Basco Koch, and lighting designer Seth Reiser.
Catherine Miller serves as associate music director, Brad Lemons as fight director, Jamil Chokachi as production stage manager, and Zac Spitzer as production manager.
Production Celebrates Carlisle Floyd’s 100th Birth Anniversary
Carlisle Floyd (1926–2021) was a leading figure in American opera, recognized for works including Susannah, Of Mice and Men, and Prince of Players.
He gained national recognition following New York City Opera’s 1956 presentation of Susannah, which received the New York Music Critics’ Circle Award in 1957.
The opera subsequently represented the United States at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair.
Floyd received numerous honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1956, induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001, and the National Medal of Arts in 2004.
His final opera, Prince of Players, premiered at Houston Grand Opera in 2016. Its recording later received two Grammy Award nominations.
LOTNY Continues Its History With Floyd’s Music
The little OPERA theatre of ny previously presented Floyd’s Slow Dusk and Markheim in a 2014 double bill, followed by the New York City premiere of Prince of Players in 2017.
Floyd attended both productions and participated directly in the development of the latter staging.
The 2017 production received positive critical attention, with The New York Times describing its storytelling as vivid and compact.
Little OPERA Theatre Expands Its New York Presence
Founded in 2004, LOTNY has presented American and international operatic works, including New York stage premieres, U.S. premieres, and newly commissioned adaptations.
Recent productions include Zemlinskys Zimmer | Zemlinsky’s Room, Jupiter’s Journey to the Earth, and the 2023 double bill American One Acts, featuring music by William Grant Still and Kurt Weill.
The company has performed across four New York City boroughs. Wuthering Heights will mark its first production in Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood.
The production receives lead sponsorship from the Margo Leavin Foundation and partial public funding through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
Historic American Opera Returns to Manhattan
The November staging of Wuthering Heights brings a rarely performed work by one of America’s influential opera composers back to New York audiences.
By revisiting Floyd’s adaptation during his centennial year, the little OPERA theatre of ny aims to highlight his contribution to American opera while introducing a new generation of audiences to Brontë’s enduring story of love, class, and tragedy.
