Jack Heggie Brings Music, Wine, and Roman Mythology Together in Judgement of Paris

Dead Man Walking composer Jack Heggie premieres his latest opera, Judgement of Paris, this July 18, 2026. Commissioned by the Festival Napa Valley, the one-act opera depicts a rivalry between the gods Bacchus and Venus over matters of wine. The rivalry takes place during the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgement of Paris, from which the opera takes its name.

The events of the 1976 wine tasting competition in Paris stirred a commotion among the community as, through a series of blind tastings, wine from Napa County in California consistently outranked wines from other regions. Prior to this, French wine was commonly considered the best. 

Working with Heggie is librettist Gene Scheer with the cast singers soprano Danielle De Niese, baritone Quinn Kelsey, tenor Nicholas Phan, and mezzo-sopranos Simone McIntosh and Brenda Rae. They will be accompanied by the Festival Orchestra Napa with Kent Nagano as conductor.