English National Opera announces 2026-2027 Season
A daring nine-opera season (for more details click here), including six new productions, in London and Greater Manchester, exploring stories of resistance and freedom.
First UK performance in 15 years of Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s Einstein on the Beach directed by Phelim McDermott in a major international co production with ENO, Factory International, Park Avenue Armory and Improbable.
Lars von Trier’s cult classic Breaking the Waves (13-25 February 2027) receives London operatic premiere in a new production by Tinuke Craig.
New productions of Tosca (30 October – 11 December 2026) and Adriana Mater (28 November – 12 December 2026), directed by Annilese Miskimmon, following her Olivier Award-winning Dead Man Walking.
Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride (6-14 November 2026) enters ENO’s repertoire with a new production by Lyndsey Turner.
Conductor Néstor Bayona announced as André de Ridder’s first Mackerras Fellow.
Opera and football unite for Perfect Pitch’s finale the week before World Cup.
5,000 free tickets are available for Under 21s at the London Coliseum and at partnering venues in Greater Manchester.
English National Opera (ENO) announces its 2026 – 2027 Season across London and Greater Manchester, featuring nine operas, with six new productions, four operas by contemporary female composers and exciting opportunities for the next generation of opera makers.
With a dynamic mix of traditional and contemporary repertoire – from Tosca and Adriana Mater to Breaking the Waves and Einstein on the Beach – the season asserts the power of art to speak truth, with voices that refuse to be silenced and artists who dare to imagine differently.
Featuring four operas by contemporary female composers, its dynamic mix of classic and contemporary work puts female voices centre stage: in the repertoire, on stage, and as creatives.
Following her Olivier Award-winning production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon directs two new powerful, thematically connected productions of Puccini’s Tosca and Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater, the latter of which will be conducted by ENO’s Music Director Designate, André de Ridder who describes it as an ‘opera whose relevance and power will feel more urgent than ever right now’.
ENO’s five‑star (The Stage) staging of Verdi’s La traviata returns, alongside a new production of Gluck’s rarely performed Iphigénie en Tauride.
Contemporary operas including Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone and Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves bring raw emotional intensity, while a new experiential production of Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s Einstein on the Beach premieres at Aviva Studios, Manchester in June 2027.
The riotous double bill of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Trial by Jury & Arthur Sullivan’s The Zoo (by librettist Bolton Rowe), and the UK premiere of Guest Opera To Die For [A Comedy], composed by Elena Langer, complete a programme Annilese Miskimmon calls ‘a daring and provocative operatic season that celebrates our shared humanity and reminds us of why art is vital’.
In the 2026/27 Season, relaxed performances are available for Tosca and Trial by Jury & The Zoo, with audiences free to make noise and move around.
For one day only, on Saturday 5 December 2026, audiences can embark on a unique operatic journey: a matinee performance of Tosca followed by an evening performance of Adriana Mater. This rare pairing offers the chance to experience both productions consecutively, creating a richly layered and unforgettable day of music and storytelling.
Jenny Mollica, Chief Executive, English National Opera, said: ‘Our 2026/27 Season sees ENO further embrace its role as a national opera company, with two centres. Through pioneering creative partnerships and collaborations across London, Greater Manchester and nationally, we continue to enable more opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to experience the power of opera. Whether through our accessible ticket schemes, our award-winning national learning and healthcare programmes or through our skills and artists development opportunities – now, more than ever, ENO’s social and artistic impact can be felt at both a local and national level. This is a season that speaks profoundly to the essential and the extraordinary, opening up new and vital possibilities for opera in people’s lives right across the UK.’
Annilese Miskimmon, Artistic Director, English National Opera, comments on the announcement: ‘At a time of global uncertainty, this season celebrates the power of art and artists, with a programme that explores resistance, resilience and what it means to be free. It also shines a light on contemporary voices in opera, with four works by female composers.
‘As we approach 100 years in London and expand our presence in Greater Manchester and nationally, we invite everyone, whether they are new to opera or lifelong fans, to join us for a daring and provocative operatic season that celebrates our shared humanity and reminds us of why art is vital.’
André de Ridder, Music Director Designate, English National Opera, said: ‘This season celebrates once again the emotional depth and richness of the extraordinary operatic artform, across nine productions, including groundbreaking contemporary works and timeless classics seen and heard in a new light. I am delighted to work with ENO’s wonderful Chorus and Orchestra again – this time for a new production of Kaija Saariaho’s Adriana Mater – the composer’s second opera whose relevance and power will feel more urgent than ever right now.
‘I’m also pleased to announce our new Mackerras Fellow, Néstor Bayona, my first appointment after an extensive international search and final auditions with the Orchestra of ENO.’
As a dual-centre opera company, ENO presents work in both London and Greater Manchester as part of its pioneering partnership with the city-region. Across the country, ENO runs a wide-ranging programme of learning, participation, creative health and community engagement that supports emerging artists and opens opera up to people of all ages and backgrounds.
ENO continues its commitment to making opera accessible to all. Free tickets for Under 21s will be available in Greater Manchester through partner venues, and at the London Coliseum for every performance and at every level of the theatre. Substantial discounts are available for Under 35s, with ticket prices for everyone starting from £25 (including fees).
Beyond the stage, ENO continue to create new opportunities for the next generation of opera makers, alongside our national learning programmes, creative health work and partnership‑led activity in Greater Manchester.
As part of our artist and skills development work, we have announced two new Harewood Artists for 2026/27, soprano Olivia Rose Tringham and baritone Steffan Lloyd Owen, as well as naming Spanish conductor Néstor Bayona as its 2026-28 Mackerras Fellow – the first to be mentored by André de Ridder.
Also in 2026/27, ENO will introduce The Artists’ Table – a new North West-based panel shaping ENO’s work in Greater Manchester – and, in partnership with Factory International, expand Factory Academy into opera by offering paid technical and backstage placements on Angel’s Bone (2026) and Einstein on the Beach (2027), creating new pathways into opera production for people in Greater Manchester.
ENO Engage projects for the 2026/27 Season include the Greater Manchester Youth Opera Company, for young people aged 11-14, Pitch Perfect, in which opera and football unite the week before World Cup, and a new Creative Incubator initiative in partnership with the Royal Northern College of Music. We will also continue our ongoing national work with schools through Finish This…, as well as our pioneering and award-winning ENO Breathe programme, created with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to support people experiencing breathlessness and anxiety associated with long COVID. In 2026/27, ENO Breathe will pilot an expanded version of the programme in both London and Greater Manchester, supporting people living with chronic respiratory conditions, including COPD and asthma.
Public booking for ENO’s 2026/27 Season opens on Wednesday 6 May at 12.00.
Tickets from £25. ENO Friends and supporters have priority access ahead of public booking.
REVIVALS: Following its UK premiere at Aviva Studios, Manchester in May 2026, ENO’s production of Du Yun and Royce Vavrek’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Angel’s Bone transfers to the London Coliseum (16-31 October 2026). The opera follows a financially struggling couple who discover two injured angels in their garden and, after taking them in, descend from apparent compassion into greed and exploitation. Directed by visionary theatre-maker Kip Williams, with design by Marg Horwell, and Baldur Brönnimann conducts. Reprising their roles are Allison Cook as Mrs X.E., Rodney Earl Clarke as Mr X.E., Mariam Wallentin as Girl Angel, Matthew McKinney as Boy Angel, and Keith Pun as Male Soprano. Joining the award-winning Orchestra of ENO is Kantos Chamber Choir, a specialist guest choir who bring a distinctive sound to the production.
Peter Konwitschny’s much-loved production of La traviata returns to the London Coliseum (3 February – 13 March 2027). Romantic and tragic in equal measure, Verdi’s most famous opera tells the story of Violetta’s beautiful yet doomed love for Alfredo. With minimalist, contemporary staging as the backdrop to exceptional drama, this production earned an Olivier Award nomination following its 2013 premiere. Conducted by Kevin John Edusei, the cast is led by Heidi Stober as Violetta, alongside Egor Zhuravskii as Alfredo and David Stout as Giorgio Germont.
UK PREMIERE OF A GUEST OPERA: For one night only on 29 November 2026, ENO presents guest opera To Die For [A Comedy] by Nederlandse Reisopera and Phion Symphony Orchestra. This UK premiere at the London Coliseum follows the world premiere and Dutch tour throughout April 2026.