New production of The Flying Dutchman leads Welsh National Opera Spring 2026 Season

• Bass-baritone Simon Bailey returns to sing lead role in new production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman.
• New bilingual song commissioned for WNO Youth Opera with themes from The Flying Dutchman.
• Welsh male voice choirs return to perform as part of Blaze of Glory! 
• Play Opera LIVE! returns with new Shipwrecked theme.
• The Seligman WNO Youth Opera Performance of Odyssey.

The Flying Dutchman 

Welsh director Jack Furness makes his WNO debut to direct a contemporary reimagining of Wagner’s early masterpiece, which will be conducted by WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus.

From the opening notes of the thunderous overture to the haunting arias, Wagner’s music evokes the power of the ocean, perfectly setting the scene for a story that explores the deeply human emotions of loneliness and longing for connection. Inspired by the beauty of the Welsh coast, Welsh designer Elin Steele’s sleek pared-back designs allow the focus on the storytelling and performance.

Bass-baritone Simon Bailey returns to WNO in the role as The Dutchman with soprano Emma Bell making her role debut as Senta. After performing in WNO’s Summer 2024 production of Il tabarro, tenor Leonardo Caimi returns in the role of Erik. Also returning is Welsh tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths in the role of The Steersman, completing the cast are bass James Creswell as Daland and Monika Sawa as Mary.

Director of The Flying Dutchman Jack Furness said:

‘Growing up in Cardiff, WNO was the Company that first introduced me to opera. I have too many wonderful artistic memories to share, but I vividly remember being transfixed watching Yannis Kokkos’ production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde in 2006, it cut 18-year-old me to pieces. Richard Jones’ Die Meistersinger a few years later was a similarly formative experience. So, it’s hard to put into words what it means to be returning twenty years later to make my directing debut for my home company with another aching beautiful and existential Wagner opera, The Flying Dutchman.

I’m so excited to be working with Emma Bell playing the role of Senta. Just after I left University, I got the opportunity to observe a revival of Graham Vick’s Die Meistersinger at the Royal Opera. The whole experience blew my mind, and Emma was amazing in the role of Eva. Now here we are, collaborating, along with a fantastic cast.

‘I’m also particularly happy to be working with such a brilliant team of creative artists. Elin Steele, Lizzie Powell, Rebecca Meltzer and I hope to make a show which gives a stripped-back focus on the deep human drama of Wagner’s opera and allows its transcendent music to do its work on the audience.

The exceptional work of WNO has been a constant presence in my musical and dramatic life, and to play a part in the next chapter of the company, with its amazing Chorus and Orchestra, is a bucket list moment.’

As principal funder of The Flying Dutchman, WNO is grateful for the continued support from The Colwinston Trust, Mathew Prichard CBE, Chair, The Colwinston Trust said:

‘The Colwinston Trust is delighted to celebrate 30 years of working with many high-quality arts organisations across the UK by awarding a special Anniversary Grant to Welsh National Opera to support their production of The Flying Dutchman during their 80th Anniversary year, which will open at the Wales Millennium Centre in April 2026’

The Flying Dutchman will open in Cardiff on Thursday 16 April before touring to Plymouth, Birmingham and Milton Keynes.

Blaze of Glory! 

Welsh National Opera’s Spring Season opens with the return of the critically acclaimed production Blaze of Glory! The story follows a group of Welsh miners as they embark on a musical journey to reform their male voice choir after a local mining disaster. The show is a fitting opening to Welsh National Opera’s 80th anniversary season.

Welsh National Opera emerged from the post-war spirit of democracy and was founded by a group of amateur singers and conductors form across South Wales. These founding members, some miners, some teachers, some doctors, set the tone for the company that pervades today: rooted in the community and born of the Welsh passion for the voice in song.

Composed by David Hackbridge Johnson, and with a libretto by Emma Jenkins, this uplifting show combines traditional Welsh harmonies with the a capella sounds of the 1950s, with operetta, gospel and big band added into the mix.

Caroline Clegg returns to direct, with James Southall conducting. Many of the original cast will return, including Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts as the Chorus Master Dafydd Pugh, Rebecca Evans as Nerys Price, Mark Llewelyn Evans as Caradog Probert, Themba Mvula as Anthony, Adam Gilbert as Emlyn and Feargal Mostyn-Williams as Bryn Bevan. Joining the cast as Blodwen is Lea Shaw who will sing alongside Angharad Morgan as Bronwen and Angharad Lyddon as Branwen.

Blaze of Glory! will open in Cardiff on Wednesday 1 April before touring to Plymouth, Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Swansea.

Play Opera LIVE! 

Welsh National Opera’s family show Play Opera LIVE! returns to our stages with a new theme, Shipwrecked! Brought to life by WNO Orchestra and Chorus, with presenter Tom Redmond returning to steer the ship, this interactive and educational show introduces families to the world of classical music and opera.

Featuring swashbuckling music from Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, and many more, this show will take audiences through a journey of music, drama and wild, uncharted seas. Caroline Clegg returns as director with Tom Fetherstonhaugh conducting. In Cardiff, Julie Doyle will provide integrated BSL interpretation in collaboration with innovative, accessible theatre specialists Taking Flight Theatre, who recently worked with WNO Youth Opera’s on their 20th anniversary production Panig! Attack!!.

Before each show there will be free pre-performance activities at each venue including lighting and sound stations, prop making, exploring WNO’s costumes and a treasure hunt, alongside new interactive workshops and performances.

The workshops will showcase local talent and youth arts groups in each touring venue. For Cardiff, there will be performances from WNO’s Youth Opera, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama students and local sea shanty band Bois y Bryn.

Play Opera LIVE! will open in Cardiff on Saturday 18 April before touring to Plymouth, Birmingham, Swansea and Southampton.

Engagement Activity 

Our season opener, Blaze of Glory!, features live performance from some of Wales’s finest male voice choirs, who will also perform pre-show at each performance. In Cardiff, Dowlais Male Choir return to the production as well as Ynysowen Male Voice Choir from Aberfan – the hometown of WNO’s founder Idloes Owen. Blokes Who Sing join the cast in Plymouth and City of Birmingham Male Voice Choir will sing before the show at Birmingham Hippodrome.

WNO Youth Opera’s Music Director Dan Perkin, librettist Juliette Manon, director Hannah Noone and designer Tamsin Robinson join forces to bring a semi-staged performance pre-performance event before The Flying Dutchman, titled Cragen Becan. This new commission has been developed with the Youth Opera Company and draws upon core themes from Wagner’s opera: a yearning for home and the wildness and power of the sea. Participants contributed to the creation of the text and musical ideas through explorative workshops with the writer and composer. The piece will be performed trilingually in Welsh, English and British sign language.

Cragen Becan will be performed on the Glanfa Stage, Wales Millennium Centre before The Flying Dutchman premiere performance on Thursday 16 as well as Sunday 19 April.

The Seligman WNO Youth Opera Performance 

Welsh National Youth Opera will perform a production of Ben Moore and Kelley Rouke’s Odyssey as this year’s The Seligman Youth Opera Performance. This 50-minute opera will be performed at Wales Millennium Centre’s Weston Studio on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May. Previously performed by the New York Met Youth Opera, this piece is a musical adaptation of the classic Greek story of Odysseus’ journey home from the Trojan War. WNO Youth Opera, made up of up to 70 young people aged between 8-18 years will perform alongside two Youth Opera alumni soloists. BSL stage interpretation will also be performed by Stage Interpreter Cathryn McShane-Kouyate and all will be accompanied by five instrumentalists. WNO Youth Opera Music Director Dan Perkin will conduct, with Sian Cameron as Vocal Director and Hannah Noone returns to direct.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Welsh National Opera is the national opera company for Wales, funded by the Arts Councils of Wales and England to provide large-scale opera, concerts and outreach across Wales and to major cities in the English regions. We endeavour to provide transformative experiences through our education and outreach programme and our award-winning digital projects. We work with our partners to discover and nurture young operatic talent, and we aim to show future generations that opera is a rewarding, relevant and universal art form with the power to affect and inspire.

WNO production images are available for download at wno.org.uk/press Further information on WNO’s productions can be found at wno.org.uk

· Principal Funding from the Colwinston Charitable Trust

· 2026 Season is supported by Dunard Fund and the Laidlaw Opera Trust

· The Flying Dutchman is supported by Sheila and Richard Brooks

· WNO’s production of The Flying Dutchman is generously supported by the WNO Dutchman Syndicate

· Blaze of Glory! and The Flying Dutchman are supported by WNO Patrons

· The role of The Dutchman in The Flying Dutchman is supported by Julia Ellis

· The role of Senta in The Flying Dutchman is supported by Malcolm Herring

· The role of Nerys Price in Blaze of Glory! is supported by Samantha Maskrey

· WNO’s production of The Flying Dutchman is dedicated with gratitude to the memory of Peter Byng

· The role of WNO Music Director Tomáš Hanus is supported by Marian and Gordon Pell.

· Play Opera LIVE! and engagement activity before The Flying Dutchman is supported by the Simon Gibson Charitable Trust

· Leader of WNO Orchestra is supported by Mathew and Lucy Prichard

· WNO Orchestra is supported by Mathew and Lucy Prichard

· WNO Music staff, Chorus & Orchestra supported are by Anthony Negus and Carmen Jakobi-Negus

· WNO Orchestra Chairs are supported by Principal Players Circle

· WNO Associate Artist, Owain Rowlands is supported by Philip Carne MBE

· WNO is grateful for the generous support of the Shirley & Rolf Olsen Bursary, Sheila and Richard Brooks Bursary, Anthony Evans Scholarship, The Eira Francis Davies Bursary, Fidelio Charitable Trust, Joseph Strong Frazer Trust, Stanley Picker Trust, The Noël Coward Foundation and the Chris Ball Bursary towards our WNO Associate Artist programme.

· WNO Associate Artist |Seligman WNO Singer, Owain Rowlands is supported by the bequest of the Late David J Seligman

· WNO Youth Opera and The Seligman WNO Youth Opera Performance is supported by the bequest of the late David Seligman and the Seligman Gift, the Gibbs Trust, the Clive Richards Foundation, and Andrew Fletcher

For more information, photos or interviews please contact:

Christina Blakeman, Communications Manager Christina.blakeman@wno.org.uk

Neil Collins, Strategic Communications Lead Neil.collins@wno.org.uk