‘Dies Irae, Desirée’: Opera coming to Hillsboro explores UFO cult, digital obsession
Published 4:00 am Friday, February 20, 2026
A fictional UFO doomsday cult will take center stage next month in the world premiere of a new chamber opera coming to downtown Hillsboro.
“Dies Irae, Desirée,” a production put on through Hillsboro’s Bag&Baggage Productions and Third Angle New Music, opens for a weekend-only run March 13 at The Vault Theater, 350 E. Main St.
Created by composer Maria Finkelmeier and librettist Brady Evan Walker, the opera examines how online spaces can foster isolation and reinforce fringe beliefs, using satire to explore questions of faith, belonging and influence in the digital age.
“Instead of therapy, I wrote a chamber opera,” Finkelmeier, who conducts and co-directs the production, said in a release. “I’m fascinated and frustrated with how the digital world continues to manipulate our physical existence. In the end, we’ll laugh at the cult’s obsession with the
ascension, but are we really that far removed?”
The 75-minute opera follows Desirée, an online personality who claims to communicate with a cosmic emissary and gathers a devoted circle of followers preparing for their promised ascension. As the group waits for deliverance, they confront questions of faith, doubt and public scrutiny.
“In broad comedy, someone else stubs their toe; in satire, it’s your toe,” co-director Walker adds. “As society follows influencers — even, perhaps especially, the Influencer in Chief — lemming-like off a cliff chasing money, abs and salvation, laughter may be our only hope of breaking rank before we reach the edge.”
Captioned performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14; and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15. Tickets range from $30 to $40.
For tickets and more information, visit thirdangle.org.