Ludwig van Toronto

Opera: Tom Diamond’s new production of Xerxes streams online Friday and Saturday

Katelyn Lee and Amanda Russo in Tom Diamond's Xerxes at Indiana University in Bloomington.
A scene from  Tom Diamond’s production of Xerxes — designed by Robert Perdziola — at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington .

Toronto opera director Tom Diamond is raising the curtain on a stunningly beautiful new production of Handel’s Xerxes at Indiana University on Friday night — and the first two performances will be streamed online.

The cast is made up of students from the Jacobs School of Music’s excellent opera programme — but the staging is all professional. The music itself is gorgeous; Handel at his best. And judging from the photos from the tech rehearsal earlier this week, full of all sorts of eye candy.

You can find all the details here. Streaming will take place here at 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday and Saturday.

Here is the creative team introducing the production:

John Terauds