• Friday, January 23, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
• Saturday, January 24, 2026, 2:00 p.m., followed by a panel with the creative team
• Sunday, January 25, 2026, 2:00 p.m.

The award-winning opera, Computing Venus (2024), provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell (1818–1889), a groundbreaking historical figure who paved the way for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in America. Two years later, she became one of the first women to work for the federal government as an astronomer, when she was hired to calculate the positions of Venus in the heavens for the U.S. Nautical Almanac Office. From 1865 on, Mitchell focused on cultivating the next generation of women astronomers as the first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College. By the 1870s, however, Mitchell saw a growing backlash against women in science. Focusing on Mitchell’s struggles against shifting public opinion, Computing Venus highlights one woman’s efforts to ensure a lasting scientific legacy, even as movements outside her classroom threatened to close the world of science to women forever. 

Opera by Timothy C. Takach, composer, and Caitlin Vincent, librettist

Eden Bartholomew ’23, soprano; Marc Molomot, tenor; Michael Hofmann ’13, baritone

Directed by Christopher Grabowski & Drew Minter; Christine Howlett, conductor

This is open to the public, but reservations are required. To get free tickets, order tickets online or contact the box office for more information at boxoffice@vassar.edu

This is an in-person event that will also be streamed live.

MODfest 2026

Generous support comes from Kathy Zillweger Putnam ’75 and George Putnam III, the Dickinson-Kayden Fund, the Joan Kostick Andrews Fund for Musical Theater and Visiting Artists, and the Departments of Drama and Music.