Classic Arts News
The Wealth of Nations, La Traviata, and More: What's Happening in Classic Arts This Week
Find out what’s happening in the opera, concert, and dance scene in NYC.
March 16, 2026 By Natan Zamansky
From violin to fiddler, the classic arts scene in New York is never quiet. Here is just a sampling of some of the classic arts events happening this week.
The New York Philharmonic will present the world premiere of David Lang's the wealth of nations, an oratorio based on Adam Smith's 1776 economic treatise. The work for orchestra, chorus, and soloists is inspired by the treatment of texts in Handel's Messiah, and incorporates text by Smith, as well as Franklin Roosevelt, Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edith Wharton, Eugene Debs, and Maria W. Stewart. Gustavo Dudamel will conduct the world premiere, with mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron and bass-baritone Davóne Tines as soloists.
Fiddler Martin Hayes will present a St. Patrick's Day celebration at Carnegie Hall March 17. The concert will include traditional sean-nós singing and dancing, and energetic modern takes on Irish traditions, with pianist Cormac McCarthy, cellist Kate Ellis, guitarist Kyle Sanna, vocalists Sam Amidon and Síle Denvir, percussive dancers Nic Gareiss and Sephanie Keane, and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon.
La Traviata returns to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera March 20. Soprano Lisette Oropesa stars as Violetta in Michael Mayer's production of the Verdi tragedy, with tenor Piotr Buszewski as Alfredo, and baritone Luca Salsi as Giorgio Germont. Meanwhile, Puccini's Madama Butterfly continues on the Met stage, as does Yuval Sharon's sold-out new production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, starring Lise Davidsen and Michael Spyres.
Ailey II will take up residence at the Joyce Theater March 17-22, performing two programs including new works and repertory favorites. The first program, dedicated to new works, will feature pieces by Chalvar Monteiro, My'Kal Stromile, Renée I. McDonald, and Rena Butler. The second program, titled Legacy / Future, will feature the same works by Stromile and Butler, as well as Alvin Ailey's Streams.
American Ballet Theatre's spring season at the David H. Koch Theatre concludes this week with three final performances of Lar Lubovitch's full-length ballet Othello, as well as programs of various shorter works in the company's repertory, including Alexei Ratmansky's Firebird, George Balanchine's Mozartiana, and Marius Petipa's Raymonda: Grand Pas Hongrois.
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