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Season Previews from around the world
Longborough Festival Opera 2026 programme presents three new productions and a celebrated revival
The world-class opera festival in the Cotswolds presents new productions of Handel’s Orlando, Verdi’s Macbeth and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel alongside a revival of its acclaimed 2017 Tristan und Isolde.
UPDATE: Waterperry Opera Festival announces thrilling 2026 programme and casting
Another vibrant season of high-quality opera in English at the stunning Waterperry House & Gardens, championing young artists, welcoming new audiences, and featuring a guest recital from Roderick Williams OBE.
Waterperry Opera Festival is delighted to announce its full programme for the 2026 Festival, a richly varied summer of opera building on the festival’s record-breaking growth and reaffirming its mission to nurture the next generation of artists while widening access to the art form. The festival returns this summer from 7-16 August, under the new leadership of Artistic Director and CEO John Savournin.
Priority Booking opens from 3rd March, with General Booking opening 31st March 2026.
Ellen Kent’s Farewell Opera Tour brings Madama Butterfly and Carmen to Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion
Award-winning producer Ellen Kent returns to the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend in Spring 2026 with Opera International Kyiv, Ukraine presenting stunning classical productions of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Tuesday 3 March and Bizet’s Carmen on Saturday 18 April. For this 2026 tour, Ellen Kent celebrates the Farewell Opera Tour, seeing the opera company embark on its last UK tour.
Bampton Classical Opera 2026
André Grétry Zemira e Azor (‘Beauty and the Beast’) (1771/1776)
Performances:
Cokethorpe School, Witney, Oxfordshire: Friday 17, Saturday 18 July
Westonbirt School, Gloucestershire: Monday 31 August
Smith Square Hall, London: Friday 18 September
Leeds Song Festival announces 2026 programme
Leeds Song Festival returns from Saturday 11 April to Saturday 18 April 2026, bringing together some of the world’s most captivating voices, inspiring musicians, cutting-edge creators, and rising stars for a packed week-long celebration of art song.
English Touring Opera present debut production of Gilbert And Sullivan’s The Gondoliers alongside Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci for Spring 2026
New opera for children – Ada and the Code Crusaders – to reach thousands of students across the country
Visiting: Sheffield, Cheltenham, London, Buxton, Norwich, Chester, Canterbury, Cambridge, Truro, and Durham from 20 March – 21 May 2026
Garsington Opera 2026 – 27 May- 25 July 2026
La traviata, Der Rosenkavalier, Il ritorno d’ulisse & The Importance Of Being Earnest
Bristol Beacon 2025/26 Orchestral Season
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Mark Wigglesworth (conductor) – Sir Stephen Hough (piano) – 2 October
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – Vasily Petrenko (conductor) – 16 October
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Mark Wigglesworth (conductor) – Jess Gillam (saxophone) – 6 November
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra – Osmo Vänskä (conductor) – Helena Juntunen (soprano) – 20 November
Manchester Collective & The Marian Consort – 5 December
London Symphony Orchestra – Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor) – Antoine Tamestit (viola) – 13 December
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra – Mark Wigglesworth (conductor) – Elizabeth Watts (soprano) – 3 January