The creators of Coda Clash announce a three-part series on the operatic history of the Orpheus and Eurydice legend. Since the 17th Century, at least 75 operas, have been written about the demi-God Orpheus, his powerful musical skills, the cruel death of his wife Eurydice, his descent into the underworld, and his destruction at the hands of Maenads who tore him to pieces.

This is our initial announcement. We will develop each session and post the themes for each in the upcoming weeks. Participants are provided with reading materials in advance of each presentation.

Part II

Orphée aux enfers (1858), Jacques Offenbach

The Mask of Orpheus (1986), Harrison Birtwistle

Orphée (1993), Philip Glass

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2025

Times: 6:30PM Central, 7:30PM Eastern, 4:30PM Pacific. For those in Europe the time is 12:30AM in London on October 16.

Location: Zoom Video Conference

Cost: $10 for club members and $25 for nonmembers. All are welcome! One ticket allows unlimited viewing on your Zoom stream.

Register Here for Orpheus and Eurydice, PII

Due to the intensive nature of the research and preparation for this series, we ask our opera loving Columbia community to make a small contribution for the Coda Clash. Thank you for understanding.

Please Become A Member: We ask Columbia alumni, friends and family to become members of the club. The cost is $50 annually. You can join here. Membership brings reduced costs to our club events!

Young Alumni: We encourage the participation of all club members under 35 years of age at Coda Clash events. All young alumni who are actively paid club members may attend the presentations for free. Please email Chris at [email protected] for a Zoom link to the event.

Photo Credit: Gallica Digital Library, Public Domain, Poster for Jacques Offenbach's Orphée aux enfers, Jules Chéret, 1978, Reference: btv1b53167755q/f1