The College of Performing and Visual Arts' (PVA) fall chamber opera weekend presents two short American operas that examine criminal justice topics on Thursday, Nov.9 and Friday, Nov. 10, 7:30 p.m., in the Campus Commons Performance Hall. In Cabildo, gentleman pirate Pierre Lafitte’s last evening of imprisonment in the famous Cabildo town hall building in New Orleans during the War of 1812 is told through the lens of a newlyweds' dream, exploring love, wrong accusation and justice. In the Penal Colony follows a high-ranking visitor who experiences a penal colony on a remote island as a parable about the consequences of power abuse and corruption.

Also, as part of PVA's Digging Deeper Series, students, faculty and staff are invited to dig deeper into the arts by exploring three female artists who broke the mold of tradition in this series of thought-provoking pre-event talks! (Curated by Gillian McNally, dean’s faculty associate) In this talk, UNC's Logan Contreras, creator of the Kassia Database of art song by women composers, delves into the composer Amy Beach, whose one-act opera Cabildo is part of the Opera Meets Criminal Justice Reform weekend taking place on Friday, Nov. 10, 6 p.m., in the Campus Commons Prosperity Room.