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Press Releases
LA Opera announces its 2026/27 season
LA Opera announces its 2026/27 season
Domingo Hindoyan (credit: Cory Weaver)
The season will mark conductor Domingo Hindoyan’s first as the company's new Music Director
(Los Angeles) February 3, 2026 — Christopher Koelsch, the Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO of LA Opera, has announced details for the company's 2026/27 season, which will launch on October 17, 2026. In his first season with the company as its incoming Richard Seaver Music Director, Domingo Hindoyan will conduct two of the five mainstage productions. Additional productions at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion will be led by Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados, guest conductor Diego Matheuz, and James Conlon, the company's current Music Director, who will assume the title of Conductor Laureate in the 2026/27 season.
The season also includes several additional performances presented elsewhere through the company's Off Grand and Connects initiatives.
Mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion:
- Domingo Hindoyan begins his tenure as Music Director by conducting a brand-new, season-opening presentation of Carmen, Bizet's sensational classic. Directed and designed by Thaddeus Strassberger, the new production will star Rihab Chaieb in the title role opposite Joshua Guerrero.
- Leonard Bernstein’s Candide returns in Francesca Zambello's beloved production, conducted by Lina González-Granados and starring Duke Kim, Deanna Breiwick and Patti LuPone.
- Domingo Hindoyan returns to the podium to conduct Verdi's Nabucco, a revival of Thaddeus Strassberger's opulent production starring Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar and Angela Meade.
- Puccini's epic Turandot returns in a highly anticipated revival featuring David Hockney's iconic set designs, conducted by Diego Matheuz and starring Ewa Plonka in the title role, along with Arsen Soghomonyan and Juliana Grigoryan.
- Current Music Director James Conlon will return as Conductor Laureate to close the season with The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart's beloved comedy. The revival of James Gray's production features a cast led by Michael Sumuel and Sydney Mancasola.
LA Opera Off Grand performances:
- LA Opera’s annual Halloween residency at the United Theater on Broadway will feature the film/opera hybrid Hercules vs Vampires for the first time since its smash hit company premiere in 2015. As filmmaker Mario Bava's 1961 cult fantasy Hercules in the Haunted World plays out on the big screen, the LA Opera Orchestra and a cast of singers will perform composer Patrick Morganelli's operatic score, synced to the action onscreen.
- The company’s longstanding partnership with Beth Morrison Projects will feature The Old Man and the Sea by composer Paola Prestini and librettist Royce Vavrek, a retelling of Hemingway's classic story presented at The Wallis in Beverly Hills.
- The Wallis will also host recitals featuring Jamie Barton and Sondra Radvanovsky, as well as a duo recital with Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee.
- Led by founder/conductor Christophe Rousset, the acclaimed Baroque ensemble Les Talens Lyriques will present an evening of Monteverdi and Cavalli at The Colburn School’s intimate Zipper Hall.
LA Opera Connects performances:
- LA Opera Connects will present numerous performances throughout the season, highlighted by The Three Women of Jerusalem, a community opera by composer-librettist Carla Lucero, to be presented at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Additional information, with complete casting, schedules and additional details, will be available at LAOpera.org on February 3.
LA OPERA'S LEADERSHIP WEIGHS IN
Christopher Koelsch — Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO
“With the 2026/27 season, LA Opera affirms its position as one of the leading opera companies in the world—championing the masterworks that define the art form while advancing new perspectives that expand it. This season reflects our commitment to musical excellence, dramatic integrity, and bold artistic inquiry. It also marks a significant milestone for the company as we welcome Domingo Hindoyan as our new Music Director. His rapport with our orchestra and chorus, his musical intelligence, and his unwavering belief in the power of opera to move audiences and shape culture signal an exciting new chapter for LA Opera. We look forward to the artistic depth and creative momentum he brings to the company.”
Domingo Hindoyan — incoming Richard Seaver Music Director
“With the 2026/27 season, LA Opera affirms its position as one of the leading opera companies in the world—championing the masterworks that define the art form while advancing new perspectives that expand it. This season reflects our commitment to musical excellence, dramatic integrity, and bold artistic inquiry. It also marks a significant milestone for the company as we welcome Domingo Hindoyan as our new Music Director. His rapport with our orchestra and chorus, his musical intelligence, and his unwavering belief in the power of opera to move audiences and shape culture signal an exciting new chapter for LA Opera. We look forward to the artistic depth and creative momentum he brings to the company.”
Domingo Hindoyan — incoming Richard Seaver Music Director
“My LA Opera debut conducting Roméo et Juliette in 2024 was a joyous experience. I sensed a strong spirit of collaboration with the artists, the orchestra, the chorus, and the staff. This was deeply gratifying and has stayed with me. Los Angeles is a dynamic city that truly embraces new artistic perspectives, and I feel a strong connection to its creative energy. I also feel welcomed, not only as an artist, but as a person. That sense of welcome gives an artist the freedom to explore the full range of his artistic expression. I look forward to becoming part of the greater Los Angeles community—not only the opera company, but the city itself, as we begin this new chapter together.”
Keith R. Leonard, Jr. — chairman of the LA Opera board of directors
“Our audiences are at the heart of everything we do, and our new season has been designed first and foremost with their experience in mind. I look forward to working alongside Christopher Koelsch and Domingo Hindoyan as we shape LA Opera’s artistic future together. I am proud to serve alongside a board of directors whose stewardship and generosity sustain this shared vision. With their collective dedication, as well as the support of our generous donors and loyal audience members, I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead.”
MAINSTAGE PERFORMANCES AT THE DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION
(135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012)
Domingo Hindoyan conducts a new production of Carmen
October 17, 25m, 29; November 1m, 4, 7, 2026 (m = matinee)
Composer: Georges Bizet
Librettists: Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
World premiere: March 3, 1875 (Opéra-Comique, Paris)
Bizet’s thrilling masterpiece returns in a brand-new production drenched in Spanish Gothic splendor. Domingo Hindoyan opens his inaugural season as Music Director with one of opera’s most iconic scores, starring Rihab Chaieb (memorable for her LAO performances as Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro and Dorabella in Così fan tutte) as opera's favorite femme fatale.
Carmen: Rihab Chaieb
Don José: Joshua Guerrero ° ‡
Micaëla: Kathleen O'Mara ‡
Escamillo: Liam James Karai *
Conductor: Domingo Hindoyan
Director and Scenic Designer: Thaddeus Strassberger
Choreographer: Antonio Najarro
Costume Designer: Mattie Ullrich
Lighting Designer: Pablo Santiago
Chorus Director: Jeremy Frank
Projections Director: Greg Emetaz
* LA Opera debut
° Recipient of the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award
‡ Former member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program
New production.
Co-production of LA Opera and Houston Grand Opera
Sung in French with English subtitles
Bernstein's around-the-world romp, Candide
November 21, 29m; December 2, 5, 10, 13m, 2026
Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Book: Hugh Wheeler, in a new version by John Caird
Lyrics: Richard Wilbur; additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John La Touche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein
World premiere: December 1, 1956 (Martin Beck Theatre, New York City)
Voltaire’s signature satire, Bernstein’s stunning score, and several helpings of slapstick comedy make Candide the best of all possible worlds. Follow a young optimist as he faces romantic rejection, natural disasters, the Inquisition—you know, life's minor inconveniences. Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads this celebrated opera-meets-Broadway hybrid.
Candide: Duke Kim
Cunegonde: Deanna Breiwick
Old Lady: Patti LuPone
Conductor: Lina González-Granados °
Director: Francesca Zambello
Choreographer: Eric Sean Fogel
Scenic Designer: James Noone
Costume Designer: Jennifer Moeller
Original Lighting Designer: Mark McCullough
Chorus Director: Jeremy Frank
° Recipient of the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award
Co-production of the Glimmerglass Festival, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse
Performed in English with English subtitles
Nabucco, the opera that made Verdi famous
February 27; March 7m, 10, 13, 18, 21m, 2027
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi
Librettist: Temistocle Solera
World premiere: March 9, 1842 (Teatro alla Scala, Milan)
While King Nebuchadnezzar goes on a rampage against Jerusalem, his daughter Abigaille seizes an opportunity to take the crown for herself, unleashing an onslaught of betrayal, blasphemy and divine wrath. Thaddeus Strassberger returns to stage his opulent original production, first seen at LA Opera in 2017, that transports the hanging gardens of Babylon to the gilded theaters of Milan. Domingo Hindoyan conducts a brilliant cast, led by powerhouse baritone Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar (in his U.S. debut) as the mad king and the sensational Angela Meade as the scheming usurper, in the groundbreaking opera that made Verdi famous.
Nabucco: Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar *
Abigaille: Angela Meade
Zaccaria: Stephano Park *
Fenena: Meridian Prall
Ismaele: Nathan Bowles ‡
Conductor: Domingo Hindoyan
Director and Scenery Designer: Thaddeus Strassberger
Costume Designer: Mattie Ullrich
Original Lighting Designer: Mark McCullough
Chorus Director: Jeremy Frank
* LA Opera debut
‡ Former member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program
Co-production of Washington National Opera, Minnesota Opera and Opera Philadelphia
Sung in Italian with English subtitles
Back by popular demand: Turandot
April 17, 24, 29; May 2m, 5, 9m, 2027
Composer: Giacomo Puccini
Librettists: Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
World premiere: April 25, 1926 (Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy)
Princess Turandot is famous for her beauty and infamous for sending aspiring suitors to the executioner. When Calaf puts his life on the line for a chance to win her heart, he must confront three impossible riddles—while keeping his own identity as an exiled prince a secret.
It’s a sensory delight, as Puccini’s grandest opera makes a highly anticipated return with jaw-dropping maximalist sets by legendary artist David Hockney and a star turn by Ewa Plonka in the title role.
Turandot: Ewa Plonka *
Calaf: Arsen Soghomonyan *
Liù: Juliana Grigoryan *
Timur: Peixin Chen
Conductor: Diego Matheuz *
Director: Garnett Bruce
Scenic Designer: David Hockney
Costume Designer: Ian Falconer
Original Lighting Designer: Thomas J. Munn
Chorus Director: Jeremy Frank
* LA Opera debut
Co-production of San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago
Sung in Italian with English subtitles
James Conlon conducts The Marriage of Figaro
May 29; June 6m, 9, 12, 14m, 17, 20m, 2027
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Librettist: Lorenzo Da Ponte
World premiere: May 1, 1786 (Burgtheater, Vienna)
After years of loyal service to a nobleman, Figaro is finally about to get his own happily ever after. But when his bride-to-be Susanna reveals the Count’s lecherous advances behind Figaro’s back, wedding plans take a back seat to sweet, sweet revenge. Secret schemes, mistaken identities and nonstop laughs take center stage in a revival of James Gray's luxurious period production, featuring haute couture costumes by Christian Lacroix, all under the baton of beloved Conductor Laureate James Conlon.
Figaro: Michael Sumuel
Susanna: Sydney Mancasola
Count: Lucas Meachem (May 29 - June 14) / Jarrett Ott * (June 17-20)
Countess: Erica Petrocelli ° ‡
Cherubino: Kayleigh Decker *
Dr. Bartolo: Maurizio Muraro *
Marcellina: Hyona Kim
Conductor: James Conlon
Director: James Gray
Scenic Designer: Santo Loquasto
Costume Designer: Christian Lacroix
Lighting: York Kennedy
Chorus Director: Jeremy Frank
Choreographer: Kitty McNamee
* LA Opera debut
° Recipient of the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award
‡ Former member of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program
Co-production of LA Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Opéra National de Lorraine, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg and Opéra de Lausanne
Sung in Italian with English subtitles
LA OPERA OFF GRAND PRESENTATIONS
(various locations)
Each season, the company explores a range of musical expression and unusual repertoire through the Off Grand initiative, presented in different venues across the city, both large and small. The goal is to expand the definition of what an opera company is, and who it’s for. Off Grand highlights of the 2026/27 season include:
Campy, vampy Halloween fun—Hercules vs. Vampires
October 30, 31, 2026
Composer: Patrick Morganelli
Film Director: Mario Bava
Film premiere: November 16, 1961
Premiere of Morganelli's score: May 14, 2010 (Opera Theater Oregon, Hollywood Theatre, Portland)
Our smash hit from 2015 storms back just in time for Halloween. Muscle-bound heroics, supernatural mayhem, and cinematic excess abound as Reg Park’s Hercules faces off against the iconic Christopher Lee in Mario Bava’s cult fantasy Hercules in the Haunted World. While the deliriously stylish film blazes across the big screen, the LA Opera Orchestra and a fearless cast of singers unleash Patrick Morganelli’s operatic score live, synced to the action. Think sword-and-sandal spectacle, gothic fantasy, and Halloween chaos—all rolled into one gloriously unhinged night at the opera.
Presented at the United Theater on Broadway (929 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015)
Les Talens Lyriques: Two Venetians in Naples
March 2, 2027
Conductor/harpsichord/organ: Christophe Rousset
Soprano soloist: Apolline Raï-Westphal *
Soprano soloist: Thaïs Raï-Westphal *
Travel back in time with the famed Baroque ensemble for a celebration of musical delights by Venetian composers Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli created for 17th-century Naples, a vibrant musical hub. The program is enriched by instrumental pieces by Andrea Falconieri, for a native Neapolitan touch.
Presented at The Colburn School's Zipper Hall (200 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012)
Jamie Barton in Recital
November 15, 2026
The trailblazing, trendsetting diva made headlines as the first woman to win both first place and the song prize at the Cardiff Singer of the World Competition and has only soared higher since. Now, the celebrated mezzo-soprano comes back to LA Opera for the first time since her sensational 2015 debut in Norma.
Presented at The Wallis (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210)
Erin Morley and Lawrence Brownlee in Recital
April 22, 2027
Fresh from their “terrifically enjoyable” (Gramophone) duet album Golden Age, soprano Erin Morley and tenor Lawrence Brownlee make their long-awaited returns to the company. The duo will celebrate the timeless beauty of 19th-century opera through the music of Donizetti, Rossini, Bizet, Delibes and Verdi.
Presented at The Wallis (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210)
Sondra Radvanovsky in Recital
May 8, 2027
It’s a highly anticipated chance to experience “opera royalty” (New York Times) in a one-night-only recital. One of LA Opera’s most beloved artists, the queen of bel canto, returns to remind us—gloriously—what a true operatic diva can do, offering audiences an intimate evening shaped by vocal mastery, expression, and presence.
Presented at The Wallis (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210)
The Old Man and the Sea
May 20, 21, 22, 23m, 2027
Composer: Paola Prestini
Librettist: Royce Vavrek
Conductor: Mila Henry *
Director: Karmina Šilec *
World premiere: November 4, 2023 (ASU Gammage, Tempe, Arizona)
Breathtakingly staged with eight pools of water enhanced with dynamic lighting, costumes and sound, our latest collaboration with the groundbreaking Beth Morrison Projects transforms Ernest Hemingway's Pulitzer-winning novella into a rumination on age, loss, nature, and what it means to be beautifully, stubbornly human.
* LA Opera debut
Presented at The Wallis (9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210)
For more information about LA Opera’s Off Grand initiative, visit LAOpera.org/OffGrand.
LA OPERA CONNECTS: COMMUNITY AND EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS
(various locations)
Many thousands of Angelenos experience the magic of opera throughout the year thanks to hundreds of performances offered each season through LA Opera Connects, with an astonishing variety of programs that share the wonder and promise of the art form with all ages, neighborhoods and communities. Here are just two highlights of these initiatives:
Live Simulcast
One of LA Opera’s most anticipated annual events, the live simulcast brings the thrill of grand opera beyond the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and into communities across Los Angeles County. Presented free of charge in partnership with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the performance is transmitted live in high-definition from nine cameras inside the theater to large LED screens in open-air venues throughout the county. The excitement begins well before curtain, as each site comes alive with a relaxed, family-friendly festival atmosphere featuring performances by local artists, activities and games for kids and families, food available for purchase, and opportunities to learn more about LA Opera and its community programs. Thousands of Angelenos gather each year—many experiencing opera for the first time—making the simulcast a joyful celebration of music, community, and shared live performance.
(Date and locations to be announced.)
Community Opera at the Cathedral:
The Three Women of Jerusalem (Las tres mujeres de Jerusalén)
May 1, 2027 (two performances that day)
Composer and Librettist: Carla Lucero
Conductor: Lina González-Granados
Director: Eli Villanueva
World premiere: March 19, 2022 (Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles)
In one of LA Opera’s best-loved traditions, hundreds of musicians and stage performers of all ages, along with professional singers and instrumentalists from LA Opera, will come together to perform a family-friendly community opera, presented free of charge at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. This season's offering will be a revival of a powerful retelling of the narrative of the Eighth Station of the Cross, depicting the experiences of ordinary people showing compassion when confronted with evil. Sung in Spanish.
Presented at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012).
For more information about LA Opera Connects programming, visit LAOpera.org/Connects.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Season tickets for the 2026/27 season are now available, starting at $164 for all five mainstage opera productions. Tickets for individual events will go on sale in June. For more information, please visit LA Opera’s website at LAOpera.org or call LA Opera’s box office at 213.972.8001.
Unless otherwise specified, performances take place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 90012).
Visit LAOpera.org for continually updated casting information and performance dates.
Artist headshots and production photographs will be available here on February 3: LAOpera.org/about-us/press-
All programs, artists and dates are subject to change.
About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.
In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.
LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554
8VA Music Consultancy
Allison Van Etten
Vice President
allison@8vamusicconsultancy.
323.449.5030
LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554
8VA Music Consultancy
Allison Van Etten
Vice President
allison@8vamusicconsultancy.
323.449.5030
LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by
Terri and Jerry Kohl
Lumen is the Official White Wine Sponsor of LA Opera
Acre is the Official Red Wine Sponsor of LA Opera
Yamaha is the Official Piano of LA Opera.
LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated
to serving the greater Los Angeles community
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