Welsh National Opera Announces 26/27 Season - an Exhilarating New Chapter for the Company

WELSH NATIONAL OPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRU today unveils its 26/27 Season - a powerful statement of renewal, marking not just 80 years since the Company’s first performance, but the beginning of a bold new era.

Under the leadership of Co-General Directors and CEOs Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree, this is the first fully realised season of a reimagined WNO: a diverse and progressive, internationally ambitious opera company rooted in Wales and reshaped for the 21st century.

The new season signals a rebirth and a confident step forward into the future of opera. Now, 80 years after it was founded by communities across Wales, WNO is redefining what opera can be: urgent, inclusive, visually striking and alive with contemporary relevance.

Opera is the ultimate collaboration, an electric experience with unrivalled power to move – it's immediate, immersive and impossible to ignore.

A Season of Intensity and Imagination, Rebirth and Reinvention

The Autumn Season starts in style with a striking double-bill of Bluebeard’s Castle + Oedipus Rex - two psychologically complex and musically gripping masterpieces brought together in one compelling evening. Conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya and directed by Joe Hills-Gibbins with additional music from Hildegard Von Bingen, this ambitious pairing explores power, fate and the human condition through a modern theatrical lens.

This Olivier-nominated, original ENO production of Bartók’s haunting opera, Bluebeard’s Castle follows Judith and her obsessional love for the dangerous and enigmatic Duke Bluebeard. In the second half, we journey into the ancient city of Thebes for a new production of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex as a devastating plague grips the land. Featuring a libretto by Jean Cocteau, the cast includes Peter Hoare (Oedipus), Christine Rice (Judith and and Jocasta) and Nathan Berg (Bluebeard and Tireseas).

A new take on Puccini’s La bohème arrives at WNO with Glyndebourne’s five-star production that captures the raw emotional intensity of young love and loss. Under the baton of Corinna Niemeyer and directed by Floris Visser, an international cast brings fresh, cinematic energy to the relationship between Mimì (Alexia Voulgaridou) and Rodolfo (Carlos Cardoso) – a devastating tale at the heart of one of opera’s most beloved and enduring works. The cast also includes Navasard Hakobyan (Marcello) and Laura Lolita Perešivana (Musetta), as well as WNO’s Associate Artists, Owain Rowlands (Schaunard) and Ross Fettes (Colline)

The WNO Family & Schools Concert returns with a mythology-inspired programme that brings the worlds of Ancient Greece and Rome vividly to life. Presented by Elin Llwyd and performed by a full orchestra with soloists, this high energy performance is designed to spark the imagination of young audiences and inspire the next generation of opera lovers. Drawing on a rich tapestry of evocative storytelling, the concert includes Beethoven’s Creatures of Prometheus overture alongside arias by Lully, Handel, and Mozart, Offenbach’s exuberant Can-Can, and playful pieces like Ballo de Orsi (Dance of the Bears).

Then get ready to set sail for ancient Greece with the Spring Season’s family opera Jason and the Argonauts on a fearless, fast-paced, 45-minute expedition to find the legendary Golden Fleece. Directed by Jac Ifan Moore and conducted from the harpsichord by Stephen Wood with design by Rebecca Jane Wood, this bite-sized production is perfect for young audiences, especially children aged 7-12.

Concluding the 26/27 Season is Hedd Wyn: Eisteddfod Atomig, a co-production with Theatr Cymru which repositions a classic Welsh story that resonates far beyond its origins. Set in a post-apocalyptic future and performed entirely ‘yn Gymraeg’, this production places Welsh language, history and culture centre-stage. Directed by Theatr Cymru’s Artistic Director, Steffan Donnelly and conducted by Iwan Teifion Davies, this psychedelic fantasia features music by Stephen McNeff and a libretto by Gruff Rhys (of Super Furry Animals). Cast to include Steffan Lloyd Owen, Rebecca Evans CBE and Paul Carey Jones.

Welsh Roots with a Global Vision

The 26/27 Season reflects a renewed commitment to placing Welsh artists, stories and audiences at the centre of WNO’s work, while embracing an outward-looking, international perspective.

Our world-class performance ensembles, the Orchestra and Chorus of Welsh National Opera, are at the heart of all our work. From new interpretations of canonical works to the elevation of distinctive contemporary voices, WNO is positioning itself as a cultural force that is both proudly Welsh and globally relevant.

A key component of WNO’s brand refresh for the 26/27 Season is stunning new imagery from leading Welsh artists Charlotte James and Clémentine Schneidermann at Bleak Fabulous. Their signature style documents post-industrial Wales with a tangible sense of colour, hope and fun. In particular, a prominent poster campaign features staff from across the organisation in full costume - presenting WNO not just as a company of artists, but as a collective creative force with renewed energy. Likewise, renowned photographer Jon Pountney has documented the Company for the last year; culminating in an exhibition that is intimate and revelatory, observational and deeply rooted in people and place. Plus, the 2025 Welsh Music Prize winner Don Leisure has written a new piece of music remixing La bohème, which will be the soundtrack to the 26/27 Season campaign

Bwlch: Pas yr Artist / The Artist’s Pass

We are theatre makers and storytellers: everything we do should be art.

Bwlch - The Artist’s Pass is our offer to the artists of Wales as we reposition opera as the dynamic artform of our time. Whether training, emerging, or established, we are inviting creators and curators, artists, technicians, craftspeople and producers into our home at Wales Millennium Centre to see more of what we do.

We are peeling back the layers of our show-making in anticipation that we might inspire one another and spark the next generation of opera makers.

Our offer includes:

£10 Standby Tickets

All holders of an Artist's Pass will be eligible for a £10 standby ticket for WNO performances at Wales Millennium Centre for any seat not filled on the day of the performance (limited to one ticket per person, subject to availability).

Exclusive Access to Dress Rehearsals

Gain insight into our process with allocated seats at dress rehearsals.

To join Bwlch in its first year, you need to be resident in Wales. Artists from England and beyond, please keep an eye on our website for future updates.

A Bold New Era for Opera

As WNO marks its 80th anniversary, the focus is firmly on the future.

This season represents a step-change in our long-term transformation - building an opera company that is resilient, inclusive and artistically daring. Through new collaborations, bold programming and a commitment to opening opera to wider audiences, WNO is redefining its role within Wales and on the international stage.

Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree, Co-General Directors and CEO’s of Welsh National Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru, said:

“This season is about what opera can be - thrilling, immediate and full of life. We want every production to feel like an electric experience: something that surprises you, moves you and stays with you long after you leave the theatre.

“As we mark 80 years of Welsh National Opera, we are not looking back. We are looking forward with ambition and excitement. This is a rebirth for WNO, and an invitation to audiences everywhere to experience opera in a way that feels urgent, contemporary and alive.

“We believe opera belongs to everyone. This season is about sharing that ambition and the exhilarating power of storytelling through song.”

ENDS.

Neil Collins

Strategic Communications Lead | Arweinydd Cyfathrebiadau Strategol

Welsh National Opera | Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru neil.collins@wno.org.uk 02920 635 087 / 079 7154 1068