The Royal Opera announces its 2024-2025 Season (2024)

The Royal Opera Season 2024-2025

The Main Stage and Linbury Theatres will host eight new productions spanning three centuries, including the world premiere ofFesten.Based on Academy Award-winning filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg's 1998 cult film of the same name,Festeniscomposed byMark-Anthony Turnage (Greek, Anna Nicole,Coraline) with a libretto by Lee Hall(Billy Elliot)and will be directed by Richard Jones. Previously a hit West End play, this darkest of comedy-dramas delves into the disturbing subject of abuse and generational trauma, with a cast including Allan Clayton, Stéphane Degout, Gerald Finley, Eva-Maria Westbroek, and Natalya Romaniw and more, with Edward Gardner conducting. 

In a year that has seen Leonard Bernstein celebrated in mainstream cinema with the success of film biopicMaestro, his two major opera works will be staged at Covent Garden for the first time. The Linbury Theatre opera season opens with two of his semi-autobiographical operatic masterpieces,Trouble in TahitiandA Quiet Place, directed by Oliver Mears and conducted by Nicholas Chalmers.

In the autumn, Ted Huffman (4.48: Psychosis) will make his Main Stage debut directing a new staging ofEugene Onegin,Tchaikovsky's opera based on Pushkin's classic tale.Henrik Nánási conducts Gordon Bintner (Eugene Onegin), with Kristina Mkhitaryan (Tatyana), Liparit Avetisyan (Lensky), and Avery Amereau (Olga). After the success ofCavalleria rusticana/PagliacciandCarmen, Damiano Michieletto returns to Covent Garden to direct a new production of Offenbach's last and greatest work,The Tales of Hoffmann.Conducted by Antonello Manacorda, with Juan Diego Flórez and Leonardo Caimi sharing the title role, the cast includes Alex Esposito and Julie Boulianne with Olga Pudova, Marina Costa-Jackson and Ermonela Jaho in the three soprano roles.

Following the triumph ofDas Rheingold, Barrie Kosky delves back into Wagner's mythic universe with the second instalment of theRing cycle:Die Walküre.With Antonio Pappano leading from the podium, Christopher Maltman reprises the role of Wotan, alongside Elisabet Strid (Brünnhilde), Lise Davidsen (Sieglinde) and Stanislas de Barbeyrac (Siegmund).

First performed at the ROH 250 years ago,Semeleis the latest in our series of Handel's operas and oratorios that were written for Covent Garden.Oliver Mears directs this new production with Handel specialist Christian Curnyn conducting Pretty Yende in the title role, and Ben Bliss making his Royal Opera debut as Jupiter.

JakubHruša conducts Corinne Winters, Karita Mattila, Thomas Atkins and Nicky Spence in a revival of Claus Guth's Olivier Award-winning production ofJenůfa.Otherreturning favourites include the first revivals of Tobias Kratzer'sFidelioconducted by Alexander Soddy and Adele Thomas'Il trovatoreconducted byGiacomo Sagripanti and Carlo Rizzi. Aigul Akhmetshina reprises the role ofCarmenalongside Freddie de Tommaso – two casts are conducted by Mark Elder and Ariane Matiakh.

Commemorating the centenary ofPuccini's death, Speranza Scappucci, Principal Guest Conductor Designate, leads her first Covent Garden Main Stage production, Richard Jones'La bohème. Also returning is Jonathan Kent'sToscastarring Sonya Yoncheva, SeokJong Baek and Bryn Terfel, and conducted by Eun Sun Kim in her Royal Opera debut.Andrei Șerban'sTurandotalso returns, conducted by Rafael Payare and Francesco Ivan Ciampa with Sondra Radvanovsky and Ewa Płonka in the title role.

The Season opens with revivals of Richard Eyre'sLa traviataand David McVicar'sThe Marriage of Figarowhich seesJulia Jonesconducting rising stars Ying Fang and Huw Montague Rendall alongside Jacquelyn Stucker and Luca Micheletti. Completing the Season are David McVicar'sFaustwith Stefan Pop, Erwin Schrott and Lisette Oropesa in the main roles andRobert Carsen'sAida.For Christmas, families can enjoy Antony McDonald's story-book production ofHansel and Gretel,conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė in her Royal Opera debut.

In the autumn, the Linbury Theatre will presentThe Sound Voice Project.With music by Hannah Conway, thisinternationally award-winning opera-video installation features a libretto by Hazel Gould and performances by Roderick Williams and Lucy Crowe, raising questions about how we make ourselves heard, how we listen, and which voices are invited to the stage.

Impassioned opera meets dreamlike dance in a Royal Ballet and Opera double production ofPhaedraandMinotaur, a collaboration between award-winning director Deborah Warner and choreographer Kim Brandstrup. Last performed as part of4/4(2020),Phaedrasees Christine Rice reprise her Olivier award-nominated role. The Jette Parker Artists programme welcomes seven talented newcomers who will perform throughout the year. They bring their talents to a lively new production of Telemann'sPimpinonein the Linbury Theatre. In the summer,Catch a Sea Star–the award-winning, interactive, multi-sensory opera for toddlers and babies – will be staged in the Clore Studio. With music from J.S. Bach, children can step into an enchanting underworld realm of mermaids and sea monsters.

TheRoyal Ballet and Operatoday announces its 2024/25 Season. Opening on 2 September 2024 under a combinedorganisationalname, the Seasonfeatures a programme of bold new productions, alongside returning audiencefavourites, thrilling debuts, and bright new voices.

Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Ballet and Opera, said:

Today we announce a Season of extraordinary breadth and ambition – to audiences old and new, in schools and cinemas across the UK, and through streaming and digital media, right across the world. Bringing ballet into our name is long overdue – The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera have performed under the same roof since 1946 – and both companies now enjoy the prominence that they rightfully deserve. The whole of the Royal Ballet and Opera is far more than the sum of our parts. We may perform at the Royal Opera House, but three quarters of what we do is experienced by people outside this building, and as we mark 40 years of our Learning programme – the impact and influence of the Royal Ballet and Opera can be felt in every corner of the country.

THE ROYAL OPERA 2024/25 SEASON OVERVIEW

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
2 – 15 September 2024

Music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Conductor Julia Jones
Director David McVicar
Designer Tanya McCallin
Lighting Designer Paule Constable
Movement Director Leah Hausman

Figaro Luca Micheletti
Susanna Ying Fang
Count Almaviva Huw Montague Rendall
Countess Almaviva Jacquelyn Stucker
Cherubino Ginger Costa-Jackson
Bartolo Peter Kálmán
Marcellina Rebecca Evans
Don Basilio Adrian Thompson
Antonio Jeremy White
Don Curzio Alasdair Elliott
Barbarina Isabela Díaz

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing

A Count with his eye on the bride. A teenage boy with a crush. And a scandalous secret. You're invited to join the Almaviva household for an uproarious day of revelation and scandal.

Mozart's comic opera is packed with plot twists, forbidden desires and unforgettable melodies, while David McVicar's witty staging combines laugh-out-loud comedy with moments of breathtaking beauty.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
7 – 21 September 2024

Music Giuseppe Verdi
Conductors Alexander Joel / Richard Hetherington
Director Richard Eyre
Designer Bob Crowley
Lighting Designer Jean Kalman
Director of Movement Jane Gibson

Violetta Valéry Aida Garifullina / Hrachuhí Bassénz
Alfredo Germont Francesco Demuro / Ismael Jordi
Giorgio Germont George Petean / Simon Keenlyside
Doctor Grenvil Barnaby Rea
Annina Veena Akama-Makia
Flora Bervoix Jingwen Cai
Baron Douphol Grisha Martirosyan
Gastone de Letorières Ryan Vaughan Davies
Marquis d'Obigny Ossian Huskinson

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing

Position of Head of Music Richard Hetherington generously supported by Bertrand and Elisabeth Meunier

Parisian courtesan Violetta revels in her life of high society glamour. Until she captures the heart of Alfredo. Together, they move to the countryside, but when Alfredo's father pays a surprise visit, Violetta is forced to make an agonising choice.

Heart-rending arias meet harsh realities in this captivating opera, brought to life in Richard Eyre's extravagant production. Feel the devastating beauty of Verdi's music, with some of opera's most famous tunes, including the Brindisi chorus.

New production
The Royal Opera

Main Stage
24 September – 14 October 2024

Music Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Conductor Henrik Nánási
Director Ted Huffman
Set Designer Hyemi Shin
Costume Designer Astrid Klein
Lighting Designer D.M. Wood

Eugene Onegin Gordon Bintner
Tatyana Kristina Mkhitaryan
Lensky Liparit Avetisyan
Olga Avery Amereau
Prince Gremin Dmitry Belosselskiy
Madame Larina Alison Kettlewell
Filipyevna Rhonda Browne
Monsieur Triquet Christophe Mortagne
A Captain Siphe Kwani
Zaretsky Jamie Woollard

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing
Generous philanthropic support from Fondation Socindec and Huo Family Foundation

Tatyana spends her days lost in the world of books. When she meets the brooding Onegin, she falls for him instantly. To her sister, Olga, love is just a game: but one that will transform all of their lives forever.

With lush, romantic music, Tchaikovsky's opera builds to a climactic reckoning between past and present. In his debut for the Main Stage, director Ted Huffman (4.48: Psychosis) brings his unique vision to Pushkin's bittersweet tale, in a new production that blurs the boundaries between memory, longing and desire.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
9 – 26 October 2024

Music Ludwig van Beethoven
Conductor Alexander Soddy
Director Tobias Kratzer
Designer Rainer Sellmaier
Lighting Designer Michael Bauer
Video Designer Manuel Braun
Dramaturg Bettina Bartz

Leonore Jennifer Davis
Florestan Eric Cutler
Rocco Dmitry Belosselskiy
Marzelline Christina Gansch
Jaquino Michael Gibson
Don Pizarro Jochen Schmeckenbecher
Don Fernando Phillip Rhodes
First Prisoner Siphie Kwani
Second Prisoner Jamie Woollard

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in German with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing

Disguised as ‘Fidelio', a young woman embarks on a life-or-death mission to free her husband, who has been wrongly imprisoned. But as time begins to run out – and the jailer's daughter falls in love with her – Fidelio's hidden identity and her husband's fate are put in sudden peril.

In Beethoven's only opera, we witness the composer's most dramatic music. What begins as a domestic drama turns into a bold exploration of freedom, gender and the power of love. Tobias Kratzer's production combines revolutionary flair with a sharp, contemporary edge, asking the question: when does political inaction turn into complicity?

New Production The Royal Opera

Linbury Theatre
10 – 24 October 2024

Conductor Nicholas Chalmers
Director Oliver Mears
Designer Anne-Marie Woods
Lighting Designer Fabiana Piccioli
Movement Director Sarah Fahie

Music and libretto Leonard Bernstein
Reduced orchestration Garth Edwin Sunderland
Young Sam Henry Neill
Dinah Wallis Giunta

Music Leonard Bernstein
Libretto Stephen Wadsworth
Libretto and orchestration adapted by Garth Edwin Sunderland

Sam Grant Doyle
Junior Henry Neill
Dede Rowan Pierce

Sung in English with English titles

Trouble in Tahiti depicts a day in the life of Sam and Dinah, a married couple at odds with one another and the happy suburban life they crave. A Quiet Place picks up the story 30 years later, after a family tragedy brings their children home, prompting a series of uncomfortable revelations. From the emptiness of consumerism to grief and trauma, one family's fate becomes a microcosm for the troubled soul of America.

With autobiographical elements in both works, Leonard Bernstein's musical theatre credentials (West Side Story, On the Town) shine throughout Tahiti, while A Quiet Place, composed three decades later, marks a radical, daring departure.

The Royal Opera

Linbury Theatre
13 October 2024

Sopranos Isabela Díaz, Marianna Hovanisyan, Valentina Puskás
Mezzo-sopranos Veena Akama-Makia, Jingwen Cai
Tenor Ryan Vaughan Davies
Baritones Grisha Martirosyan, Siphe Kwani
Bass-baritone Ossian Huskinson
Bass Jamie Woollard

Generous support from Oak Foundation

Make your own voice count in two interactive concerts by the home-grown and international talents of the Jette Parker Programme. In the afternoon performance, the audience curates the programme for the evening recital, choosing from opera arias to musical theatre numbers, folk tunes and traditional song.

Meet all the new recruits from the Jette Parker Artists Programme and reconnect with singers returning for a second year as Royal Opera Company artists.

New Production The Royal Opera

Main Stage
7 November – 1 December 2024
Co-production with Opera Australia, Teatro La Fenice, and Opéra de Lyon

Music Jacques Offenbach
Conductor Antonello Manacorda
Director Damiano Michieletto
Set Designer Paolo Fantin
Costume Designer Carla Teti
Lighting Designer Alessandro Carletti
Choreographer Chiara Vecchi

Hoffmann Juan Diego Flórez / Leonardo Caimi
Lindorf/Coppélius/Dapertutto/Dr Miracle Alex Esposito
Nicklausse Julie Boulianne
Olympia Olga Pudova
Giulietta Marina Costa-Jackson
Antonia Ermonela Jaho
Andrès/Cochenille/Pitichinacchio/Frantz Christophe Mortagne
Spalanzani Vincent Ordonneau
Crespel Alastair Miles
Muse of Poetry/Spirit of Antonia's Mother Christine Rice
Luther Jeremy White
Schlemil/Hermann Grisha Martirosyan
Nathanael Ryan Vaughan Davies

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in French with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Season Principal Aline Foriel-Destezet
Generous philanthropic support from Phillipp Freise, Charles Holloway, Huo Family Foundation and Royal Ballet and Opera Friends

Through the haze of the years, a poet remembers the women he loved. But when it comes to matters of the heart, nothing is as it seems. Particularly when the devil himself is involved.

Four women: four curious love stories. With familiar tunes including the popular ‘Barcarolle', Offenbach's opera is a dreamlike journey through the realm of the imagination. In this new production, Olivier award-winning director Damiano Michieletto (Carmen, Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci), conjures a surreal world, where fantasy and reality collide.

The Royal Opera

Linbury Theatre
14 – 20 November 2024 Production by Sound Voice

Music Hannah Conway
Libretto Hazel Gould
Video Designer Luke Halls
Sound Designer David Sheppard

Paul Jameson Roderick Williams Rakhi Singh Hannah Conway
Shout at Cancer Choir Pug Halliday
Nick Trygstad Tanja Bage
Lucy Crowe Marianne Haynes

Sung in English

What does it mean to have a voice? In this uplighting and emotional digital work, performers living with voice loss tell their stories, joining forces with opera singers and cutting-edge digital voices. Expect a radically different kind of opera experience in this powerful 25-minute installation, designed for the Linbury Theatre. Unfolding across three projection screens, and combining music, documentary and immersive sound design, The Sound Voice Project explodes the idea of what opera can be.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
26 November – 13 December 2024

Music Giacomo Puccini
Conductor Eun Sun Kim
Director Jonathan Kent
Designer Paul Brown
Lighting Designer Mark Henderson

Floria Tosca Sonya Yoncheva
Mario Cavaradossi Seokjong Baek
Baron Scarpia Bryn Terfel
Spoletta Aled Hall
Cesare Angelotti Ossian Huskinson
Sacristan Maurizio Murano
Sciarrone Jamie Woollard

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Hans Rausing
Season Principal Aline Foriel-Destezet
Generous philanthropic support from Alan and Caroline Howard
Principal Partner, The Royal Opera: Rolex

As Tosca prepares for her evening performance, her lover Cavaradossi is adding the final touches to his latest work of art. A normal day – until an encounter with an escaped prisoner thrusts them into the path of Baron Scarpia: a man whose power, ambition and desire have no limits.

Combining romance, revolution and intrigue, Puccini's opera is a full-blooded drama that builds to a thrilling climax. Jonathan Kent's magnificent production will transport you to the glory and terror of 19^th-century Rome: a city where the political is always personal.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
16 December 2024 – 17 January 2025
Co-production with Teatro Real, Madrid and Lyric Opera of Chicago

Music Giacomo Puccini
Conductor Speranza Scappucci
Director Richard Jones
Designer Stewart Laing
Lighting Designer Mimi Jordan Sherin
Movement Director Sarah Fahie

Mimì Olga Kulchynska
Rodolfo Pene Pati / Stefan Pop
Marcello Mikhail Timoshenko
Musetta Amina Edris / Simona Mihai
Schaunard Jolyon Loy
Colline Aleksei Kulagin
Benoît Eddie Wade
Alcindoro Wyn Pencarreg

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Season Principal Aline Foriel-Destezet
Young RB&O is generously made possible by Sir Lloyd and Lady Dorfman OBE, The Bunting Family, Sir Simon Robey, The John Browne Charitable Trust and The Laidlaw Opera Trust
Additional kind support from Josh Harris and Layla Nemazee Harris

It's Christmas Eve and a dusting of snow settles on the streets of Paris, Mimì and Rodolfo meet by chance and as a candle is lit, a spark of love kindles between them.

With soaring arias and romantic duets, Puccini's passionate music captures the joy and pain of love, experienced by an energetic group of bohemians. Richard Jones' visionary staging evokes

a city on the cusp of monumental change, from Rodolfo's freezing garret to dazzling Parisian arcades.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
22 December 2024 – 7 January 2025
Co-production with San Francisco Opera

Music Engelbert Humperdinck
Conductor Giedrė Šlekytė
Director and Designer Antony McDonald
Lighting Designer Lucy Carter
Movement Director Lucy Burge

Hansel Kate Lindsey
Gretel Heidi Stober
Witch Carole Wilson
Peter Thomas Lehman
Gertrud Catherine Carby
Sandman Sarah Brady
Dew Fairy Valentina Puskás

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in English with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing

Sent out into the woods to look for strawberries, the hungry Hansel and Gretel are about to embark on a fantastic adventure. As they fall asleep, a fairy-tale world comes to life around them. But the mysterious forest is not always safe for children and little do they know, something darkly delicious awaits them when they wake…

Antony McDonald's mischievous production adds a special sprinkling of Grimm tales magic to Engelbert Humperdinck's opera – a delicious treat for all the family this Christmas.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
15 January – 1 February 2025

Music Leoš Janáček
Conductor Jakub Hrůsa
Director Claus Guth
Set Designer Michael Levine
Costume Designer Gesine Völlm
Lighting Designer James Farncombe
Choreographer Teresa Rotemberg
Video Rocafilm
Dramaturg Yvonne Gebauer

Jenůfa Corinne Winters
Kostelnička Karita Mattila
Števa Buryja Thomas Atkins
Laca Klemeň Nicky Spence
Grandmother Buryjovka Hanna Schwarz
Foreman James Cleverton
Mayor Jonathan Lemalu
Mayor's Wife Marie McLaughlin
Karolka Valentina Puskás
Jana Isabela Díaz
Herdswoman Veena Akama-Makia
Barena Jingwen Cai

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Czech with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Generous philanthropic support from John McGinn and Cary Davis, Royal Ballet and Opera Patrons and The American Friends of Covent Garden

When a young unmarried woman discovers she is pregnant, she prepares to endure the judgement of her community. But her stepmother wants a different life for Jenůfa – and will pursue it at any cost.

Claus Guth's Olivier award-winning evocative production seeks the humanity and hope at the heart of Janáček's opera of shame, redemption and betrayal.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
28 January – 12 February 2025

Music Giuseppe Verdi
Conductor Daniel Oren
Director Robert Carsen
Set Designer Miriam Buether
Costume Designer AnneMarie Woods
Lighting Designers Robert Carsen, Peter Van Praet
Choreographer Rebecca Howell
Video Designer Duncan McLean

Aida Anna Pirozzi
Radames Riccardo Massi
Amneris Ekaterina sem*nchuk
Amonasro Amartuvshin Enkhbat
Ramfis Alexander Kӧpeczi
King of Egypt George Andguladze
High Priestess Khayakazi Madlala
Messenger Andrés Presno

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing

As Egypt prepares to launch an attach on Ethiopia, the ambitious soldier Radames readies to serve his country. But his secret love for Aida, an Ethiopian prisoner concealing her true identity, has grave consequences. As the conflict deepens, the lovers' truths threaten to emerge, forcing a terrible choice between loyalty to home – and to each other.

Robert Carsen's ‘transformative' (Financial Times) production situtates the story in a brutal state, where warfare is religion. Against triumphal military parades, Verdi's powerful and seductive music illuminates the tender love story at the opera's heart.

The Royal Opera + The Royal Ballet

Linbury Theatre
6 – 11 February 2025
Presented with Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath

Music Benjamin Britten
Director Deborah Warner
Designer Antony McDonald
Lighting Designer Christ Wilkinson after designs by Adam Silverman and Jean Kalman

Phaedra Christine Rice

Music Designer Richard Hetherington

Composer and Sound Designer Eilon Morris
Choreographer Kim Brandstrup
Designer Antony McDonald
Lighting Designer Chris Wilkinson after designs by Adam Silverman and Jean Kalman Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in English with English titles

Generous philanthropic support from Dame Tina Taylor DBE
Position of Head of Music Richard Hetherington generously supported by Bertrand and Elisabeth Meunier

Consumed with an uncontrollable lust for her stepson, Phaedra determines her only way out is death. Benjamin Britten's uncompromising cantata powers the intensity of Phaedra's passion, which soars and plummets to astonishing heights and punishing depths. In Kim Brandstrup's Minotaur, Ariadne has betrayed home and country to help her lover slay the Minotaur – only for him to abandon her, while Dionysus watches on from above.

Impassioned singing meets dreamlike dance in this compelling double bill of Greek myth from The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet, in joint collaboration. In an intimate piano arrangement of Phaedra, Christine Rice, under the direction of Deborah Warner, expertly harnesses Phaedra's eroticism and despair. And in Minotaur, Brandstrup's delicately devastating choreography evokes Ariadne's emotional turmoil.

World Premiere The Royal Opera

Main Stage
11 – 27 February 2025

Music Mark-Anthony Turnage
Libretto Lee Hall
Conductor Edward Gardner
Director Richard Jones
Set Designer Miriam Buether
Costume Designer Nicky Gillibrand
Lighting Designer Lucy Carter
Movement Director Lucy Burge

Christian Allan Clayton
Michael Stéphane Degout
Helge Gerald Finley
Else Eva-Maria Westbroek
Helena Natalya Romaniw
Helmut Thomas Oliemans
Mette Sophie Bevam
Grandma Susan Bickley
Gbatokai Peter Brathwaite
Linda Marta Fontanals-Simmons
Chef Aled Hall
Lars Julian Hubbard
Pia Clare Presland
Grandpa John Tomlinson
Christine Ailish Tynan
Michelle Kitty Whately
Poul Jeremy White

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in English with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Season Principal Aline Foriel-Destezet
Generous philanthropic support from The RB&O Young Philanthropists and the Royal Opera House Endowment Fund
Supported by The London Community Foundation and co*ckayne-Grants for the Arts

When a wealthy hotel owner gathers friends and loved ones to celebrate his 60^th birthday, his children must confront the pain of their past – and the man responsible.

Decorum descends into chaos in this piercing new opera of trauma and complicity. Acclaimed contemporary composer Mark-Anthony Turnage (Anna Nicole, Coraline) and librettist Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) adapt Oscar-winning filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg's (The Hunt, Another Round) 1998 film. For his much-anticipated return to The Royal Opera, Turnage is joined by Olivier Award-winning director Richard Jones, whose production invites you to a world of generational hurt and bitter humour for a celebration unlike any other.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
26 February – 22 March 2025
8 – 19 July 2025
Co-production with Opernhaus Zürich

Music Giuseppe Verdi
Conductors Giacomo Sagripanti / Carlo Rizzi
Director Adele Thomas
Designer AnneMarie Woods
Lighting Designer Franck Evin
Choreographer Emma Woods

Manrico Michael Fabiano / Riccardo Massi / Gwyn Hughes Jones
Leonora Rachel Willis-Sørensen / Elena Stikhina / Eleonora Buratto
Count Di Luna Aleksei Isae / Etienne Dupuis / Igor Golovatenko
Azucena Agnieszka Rehlis / Anita Rachvelishvilli / Yulia Matochkina
Ferrando Riccardo Fassi / Blaise Malaba / Roberto Tagliavini
Ines Valetina Puskás / Veena Akama-Makia
Ruiz Ryan Vaughan Davies

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Generous philanthropic support from Sir Mick and Lady Barbara Davis

Troubadour Manrico and the jealous Count di Luna fervently vie for Leonora's heart. Manrico's mother Azucena, haunted by a gruesome past, reveals a truth that will soon devastate all.

Director Adele Thomas' production lights up the stage with its ‘anarchic imagination' (Guardian) vividly employing Hieronymus Bosch-inspired mayhem and medieval lore to thread a rich story of desire and an all-consuming curse.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
19 March – 19 April 2025

Music Giacomo Puccini
Conductors Rafael Payare / Francesco Ivan Ciampa
Director Andrei Şerban
Designer Sally Jacobs
Lighting Designer F. Mitchell Dana Choreographer Kate Flatt Choreologist Tatiana Novaes Coelho

Princess Turandot Sondra Radvanovsky / Ewa Płonka
Calaf Seokjong Baek / Gwyn Hughes Jones
Liù Anna Princeva / Gemma Summerfield
Timur Adam Palka / Jerzy Butryn
Ping Hansung Yoo
Pang Aled Hall
Pong Michael Gibson
Emperor Altoum Paul Hopwood / Alasdair Elliott
Mandarin Ossian Huskinson

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in Italian with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Generous philanthropic support from Alan and Caroline Howard

The beautiful but icy Princess Turandot will only marry a man who can correctly answer three riddles. Those who fails are brutally beheaded. But when an unknown prince arrives, the balance of power in Turandot's court is forever shaken, as the mysterious stranger does what no other has been able to. Drawing on Chinese and Italian theatrical tradition to evoke a richly imagined mythical Peking, Andrei Şerban's dazzling production breathes colourful life into Puccini's opera of love and revenge.

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
9 – 26 April 2025
16 June – 3 July 2025
Co-production with Teatro Real, Madrid and La Scala, Milan

Music Georges Bizet
Conductors Mark Elder / Christopher Willis / Ariane Matiakh
Director Damiano Michieletto
Set Designer Paolo Fantin
Costume Designer Carla Teti
Lighting Designer Alessandro Carletti

Carmen Aigul Akhmetshina / Anna Goryachova
Don José Freddie de Tommaso / Charles Castronovo
Micaëla Yaritza Véliz / Mané Galoyan / Valentina Puskás
Escamillo Łukasz Goliński / Christian van Horn
Zuniga Jamie Woollard
Frasquita Marianna Hovanisyan / Alison Langer
Mercédès Jingwen Cai / Veena Akama-Makia
Dancaïro Siphe Kwani
Remendado Seumas Begg / Ryan Vaughan Davies
Moralès Thomas Mole / Grisha Martirosyan

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in French with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Generous philanthropic support from Royal Ballet and Opera Friends
Production generously sponsored by Veuve Clicquot

Under the oppressive heat of the sun, the restless Carmen takes pleasure in desire. Attracting the attention of Don José, she warns him not to fall in love with her. But José is willing to risk everything for Carmen, at whatever cost. Damiano Michieletto's searing production returns, casting scorching light on the lust, violence and passion of Bizet's ever-popular opera.

New Production

Main Stage
1 – 17 May 2025

Music Richard Wagner
Conductor Antonio Pappano
Director Barrie Kosky
Set Designer Rufus Didwiszus
Costume Designer Victoria Behr
Lighting Designer Alessandro Carletti

Wotan Christopher Maltman
Brünnhilde Elisabet Strid
Sieglinde Lise Davidsen
Siegmund Stanislas de Barbeyrac
Hunding Soloman Howard
Fricka Marina Prudenskaya
Helmwige Maida Hundeling
Ortlinde Katie Lowe
Gerhilde Lee Bisset
Waltraute Claire Barnett-Jones
Siegrune Catherine Carby
Rossweisse Alison Kettlewell
Grimgerde Monika-Evelin Liiv
Schwertleite Rhonda Browne

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in German with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic commitments for the Ring cycle from Ring Season Principals Alex and Elena Gerko and Julia and Haus Rausing
Ring Principal Benefactors Charles Holloway
Ring Benefactors: Ingemo and Karl Otto Bonnier, The Goldhammer Foundation, Malcolm Herring, Christopher and Sarah Smith, John G. Turner and Jerry G Fischer and an anonymous donor
Generous philanthropic support from Mercedes T. Bass, Philipp Freise, Simon and Virginia Robertson, The Die Walküre Production Syndicate and The American Friends of Covent Garden

On a stormy night, fate brings two strangers together, unleashing a love with the power to end worlds. Meanwhile, in the realm of the golds, an epic battle ensues between their Ruler Wotan and his rebellious daughter, Brünnhilde.

Love and death, gods and mortals, heroes and villains: it's all here, in the thunderous second chapter of the Ring cycle. Following the glittering triumph of Das Rheingold in 2023, Barrie Kosky plunges back into Wagner's mythic universe. Prepare for a wild ride.

The Royal Opera + Jette Parker Artists

Linbury Theatre
2 – 16 May 2025
The Jette Parker Artists bring Telemann's Pimpione to life on the Linbury Stage. With generous support from Oak Foundation

The Royal Opera

Main Stage
23 May – 10 June 2025
Co-production with Opéra de Monte Carlo, Opéra de Lille and Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Trieste

Music Charles-François Gounod
Conductor Maurizio Benini
Director David McVicar
Set Designer Charles Edwards
Costume Designer Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Lighting Designer Paule Constable
Choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan

Faust Stefan Pop
Méphistophélès Erwin Schrott
Marguerite Lisette Oropesa
Valentin Boris Pinkhasovich
Siébel Hongni Wu / Jingwen Cai
Marthe Schwertlein Rosie Aldridge
Wagner Ossian Huskinson

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in French with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Royal Opera House Principals Julia and Haus Rausing
Season Principal Aline Foriel-Destezet
Generous philanthropic support from Mrs Trevor Swete and Royal Ballet and Opera Patrons

Disillusioned with old age, Faust calls on the devil in despair. The wily Méphistophélès makes him an offer he cannot refuse: youth, wealth and the beautiful Marguerite. But before long,

Faust's newfound happiness starts to unravel, and the dream of love turns into a nightmare…

Inspired by Goethe's fantastical drama, Faust is as seductive as it is damning. David McVicar's spectular production luxuriates in vivid Parisian detail, from the organ loft of Notre-Dame to wild and sordid underworld of 1870s cabaret.

Seaglass Arts

Clore Studio
3 – 7 June 2025

A Seaglass Arts production originally commissioned by Spitalfields Music in 2016
Director Freya Wynn-Jones
Musical Director/Arranger Sam Glazer
Libretto Zoe Palmer
Designer Sophia Lovell-Smith

Deep under the sea lies a colourful kingdom full of beautiful music and mysterious creatures. But the king has lost his sea star and his ocean garden is sad and dull. Can Lyra and her dog find the missing star, and restore the sparkle to the underwater world?

With live music by JS Bach, this interactive multi-sensory opera offers babies and toddlers a chance to explore a fantasy world of music and playful possibilities. For children aged 0-2.5 years.

New Production The Royal Opera

SEMELE

Main Stage
30 June – 18 July 2025
Co-production with Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

Music George Frideric Handel
Conductor Christian Curnyn
Director Oliver Mears
Designer AnneMarie Woods
Lighting Designer Fabiana Piccioli
Choreographer Sarah Fahie

Semele Pretty Yende
Jupiter Ben Bliss
Cadmus / Somnus Brindley Sherratt
Athamas Carlo Vistoli
Juno Alice Coote
Ino Niamh O'Sullivan
Iris Marianna Hovanisyan

Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House

Sung in English with English titles

Exceptional philanthropic support from Charles Holloway, The Estate of Mrs Gertrude Mary Looi, Dame Tina Taylor DBE and The Royal Opera House Endowment Fund

In the decadent art-deco world of the wealthy and powerful, hedonism rules supreme. Enter Semele, whose love for Jupiter introduces her to luxury – and total destruction.

Uncanny, strange and darkly satirical, this new production from Oliver Mears considers powerlessness, privilege and degradation. First performed in Covent Garden in 1744, Semele marks the latest instalment in our Handel series.

The Royal Opera + Jette Parker Artists

Main Stage
20 July 2025

Sopranos Isabela Díaz, Marianna Hovanisyan, Valentina Puskás
Mezzo-sopranos Veena Akama-Makia, Jingwen Cai
Tenor Ryan Vaughan Davies
Baritones Grisha Martirosyan, Siphe Kwani
Bass-baritone Ossian Huskinson
Bass Jamie Woollard

With generous support from Oak Foundation

Join the Jette Parker Artists as they celebrate the end of the Season in style. On the Main Stage they perform a selection of opera excerpts, accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Led by the Programme's director and conductors, this annual event promises an evening full of musical surprises, as we introduce the future stars of opera.

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