The Turn of the Screw

Directed by GRAMMY Award–nominated director and newly appointed Opera UCLA director James Darrah, this production showcases students from the voice program at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. The music will be performed under the direction of Rakefet Hak.

Opera UCLA, a collaboration between The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television launches its 2025-26 season with Benjamin Britten’s psychological thriller The Turn of the Screw.

Based on Henry James’s chilling novella, this spellbinding opera plunges audiences into a world where nothing is as it seems. A young governess arrives at a remote country estate to care for two seemingly angelic children—but soon finds herself ensnared in a battle for their souls. Are the children innocent victims, or instruments of a darker force? Britten’s razor-sharp score tightens its grip with every turn, driving the tension to a shattering, breathless climax.