Opera Australia announces 2026 70th anniversary season

Opera Australia today unveiled its 70th anniversary season for 2026, featuring visionary works by some of the greatest opera directors of our generation alongside bold new productions by Australia’s rising stars and international talent.

Acting CEO Simon Militano:

Opera Australia’s 70th anniversary season honours the talented creators, performers, loyal supporters and audiences who have shaped the company’s legacy across seven decades.

We’re proud to present a season of extraordinary productions that revive some operatic masterpieces and crowd favourites and invest in new productions that shine a light on emerging talent and stories that reflect the diversity of Australian communities.

The unwavering support of our generous supporters, among them donors, corporate partners and government investors allows us to bring these exceptional experiences of music and song to our stages.

Militano:

The 2026 season will showcase some of the significant creative talents in OA’s history, including revered directors Elijah Moshinsky, Moffat Oxenbould, Neil Armfield and Graeme Murphy and our more recent collaborators including Leah Purcell, Sarah Giles, Ann Yee and Constantine Costi.

In Melbourne, the entire season is made up of premiere productions and performances including grand opera, gala concerts, contemporary works and musical celebrations.

 

 

In Sydney a newly commissioned opera, in partnership with the Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Leah Purcell’s poignant adaptation of The Drover’s Wife will see grand opera traditions intersect with powerful First Nations storytelling. Starring Nina Korbe and Marcus Corowa and featuring a score by George Palmer, this new opera will be a standout production of the 2026 season.

2026 also marks the 100th birthday of the late Dame Joan Sutherland. OA will present La Stupenda: A Joan Sutherland Celebration, in the theatre that bears her name at the Sydney Opera House. Paying homage to the legendary soprano and honouring her pivotal role in elevating the company’s global profile will be one of Australia’s most exceptional sopranos, Jessica Pratt who has famously followed in Sutherland’s footsteps as only the third Australian to sing Lucia di Lammermoor at La Scala.

New productions of perennial crowd favourites Turandot, by international director and choreographer Ann Yee at the Sydney Opera House, and La Bohème by Constantine Costi at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne are among the most eagerly anticipated highlights of the season.

 

 

Keeping the anniversary celebrations rolling, OA welcomes the return of two of the world’s most iconic musicals. The Phantom of the Opera – staged at Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour – marking 40 years since its West End debut and, in a double celebration with OA, My Fair Lady celebrates its platinum 70th anniversary to open at the Sydney Opera House next September.

The 2026 season will open in Sydney with one of the most beloved productions in OA’s repertoire, Moffatt Oxenbould’s magical Madama Butterfly, closely followed by Elijah Moshinsky’s enchanting production of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel – a fitting follow-up to the success of last summer’s Cinderella. Moshinsky’s brilliance is further recognised with his acclaimed production of Rigoletto programmed for the Sydney winter season.

Continuing to celebrate the visionary directors who have helped shape the company, Neil Armfield’s confronting and affecting Watershed will premiere in Melbourne and Graeme Murphy’s delightful The Merry Widow returns to the Sydney Opera House.

 

 

OA will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a gala concert at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre directed by Stuart Maunder and featuring the full forces of the OA Chorus and Orchestra Victoria along with a star-studded line up of Australia’s favourite singers conducted by Giampaolo Bisanti alongside dynamic orchestral conductor Sam Weller, to bring to life a spectacular program of thrilling operatic highlights.

OA will continue its proud tradition of nurturing Australian talent, particularly through its Young Artist Program that in 2026 will see each of the program’s current participants – four singers, one repetiteur and one director, all involved in mainstage productions.

 

As part of the Opera Conference, OA will hit the road with a production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni by renowned director Michael Gow. Also celebrating a milestone, now its 30th year, the National Tour continues to deliver extraordinary operatic experiences to regional communities taking one of opera’s most fascinating characters to Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales where Regional Children’s Choruses join OA performers on stage.

With its 2026 season, Opera Australia continues its tradition of artistic excellence, community engagement and innovative programming, reaffirming its place as a cultural leader shaping the future of opera in Australia and beyond.

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