Opera, perhaps the most disciplined and harrowing style of musical performance ever invented, has always had a hard time gripping American audiences for a pretty simple reason—most of them aren’t in English. Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, however, has been representing the language in opera for centuries. The story of a queen’s love affair with a Trojan warrior—and an evil sorcerer’s attempts to sabotage it all—is the English classic in the operatic tradition. Personally, if there’s an evil sorcerer involved, I’m in. In their 38th season, Opera San Jose brings three weeks of performances to the California Theater starting this Saturday.

Dido & Aeneas
Opens Sat, 7:30pm, $55+
California Theatre, San Jose