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Discover the Opéra de Montréal’s 2026–2027 Season:

Creations, masterpieces, and collaborations take center stage!

Montreal, March 10, 2026 – Opéra de Montréal is proud to unveil its 2026–2027 season, an ambitious program bringing together six works, including four coproductions and two world premieres. Opéra de Montréal will also strengthen its collaboration with the Orchestre Métropolitain, which will participate in four productions, highlighting the scale and musical quality of the upcoming season.

From grand repertoire to contemporary creations, the season stands out for its intensity and boldness, while reaffirming its commitment to local talent through its strong connection with the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, a leading residency program for Canadian singers, pianists, and stage directors.

Tickets will go on sale starting April 20, with the exception of Der Rosenkavalier, which will go on sale April 28.

A Season Focused on Creation!

Creation occupies a central place in the 2026–2027 programming. In recent years, Opéra de Montréal has established itself as a major force in operatic innovation, showcasing stories and formats rooted in our time, offering a platform to emerging artists, and expanding access to opera.

Supporting this approach helps sustain an emblematic institution that renews the genre, celebrates artistic audacity, and shines on the international cultural stage.

“The 2026–2027 season of Opéra de Montréal illustrates the vitality and capacity for renewal of the company. Six works are on the program, including four major coproductions, combining great repertoire and contemporary creations. Turandot, Werther, Der Rosenkavalier, and Rigoletto are among the repertoire highlights, while La Lettre au général Franco and Atys represent the creation component. The close collaboration with the Orchestre Métropolitain will be celebrated this season. International artists, local talents, and members of the Atelier lyrique are part of the casts and once again demonstrate the excellence of the institution, the ambition of its training program, and its commitment to artistic transmission. Enjoy the season!”— Michel Beaulac, Artistic Director – Zhao-Ionescu Family

“The 2026–2027 season demonstrates the strength and momentum of Opéra de Montréal. It reflects our ambition to firmly position the company among the great North American opera houses, while remaining deeply rooted in our Montreal identity.

Through large-scale coproductions, two world premieres, and an expanded collaboration with the Orchestre Métropolitain, we reaffirm our commitment to artistic excellence, innovation, and the development of local talent.

More than ever, Opéra de Montréal is a cultural driver that brings people together, inspires, and showcases Montreal on the international stage.”— Jean-Pierre Primiani, General Director, Opéra de Montréal

“I began my career as an assistant conductor and chorus master at Opéra de Montréal when I was 23, and that’s how I got to know the OM. I sincerely believe in the synergy between the two institutions — the music is the real winner.” - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Artistic Director et Principal Chef of l'Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal

Subscribe to the 2026-2027 season!

New subscriptions will be available starting April 16, 2026, offering the best way to fully experience the season. Subscribers receive preferred seating at the best prices, priority presale access, and exclusive member experiences.

Subscribers will notably benefit from:

·      Interest-free installment payments

·      15% discount on additional tickets for friends and family

·      A complimentary invitation to the Atelier lyrique National Auditions Final on November 10, 2026, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

·      Various partner benefits

·      An exclusive gift

Several subscription packages are available, including the popular Classic subscription and a discounted subscription for ages 18–34 (limited quantity), available starting April 16, 2026.

Renewals for the next Opéra de Montréal season are now open until April 10, allowing current subscribers to keep their seats and enjoy exclusive benefits. A subscription truly serves as a passport to experience opera throughout the season.

2026–2027 Season

TURANDOT – Puccini

Dates: September 26, 29 and October 1, 4, 2026Location: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

A true grand-scale production, Turandot unleashes the full spectacle of opera: massive chorus, dancers, bold staging.

This coproduction with Washington and Dallas extends Opéra de Montréal’s artistic reach across North America. Visually, the show takes us into a retro-futuristic world inspired by a 1950s industrial East, with Turandot reimagined as an autocratic political figure. The performance features a new ending by composer Christopher Tin — more cohesive and emotionally grounded than the traditional completions. And of course, the iconic “Nessun dorma” will electrify the hall.

In a kingdom ruled through fear, Princess Turandot forces every suitor to face her lethal challenge: answer three riddles… or die. Drawn to her icy, impenetrable aura, Prince Calaf accepts the trial, fully aware it could cost him his life. Beneath the shadow of executions and the roar of a frenzied crowd, an impossible love begins to stir. Caught between violence, desire, and raw power, Calaf and Turandot will meet their fate in a city where no one sleeps.

MORE INFORMATIONS

Language + subtitles: Italian – with French and English surtitles

CREDITS

Producer: Opéra de Montréal

Artists:

Turandot – Maida Hundeling

Calaf – Andrea Shin 

Liu – Joyce El-Khoury

Timur – Raymond Aceto

Ping – Nathan Keoughan

Pang – Rocco Rupolo

Pong – Angelo Moretti

Altoum – Richard Margison

Mandarin – Colin Mackey

Musical Direction – Paolo Arrivabeni

Stage Direction – Francesca Zambello

Sets – Wilson Chin

Lighting – Amith Chandrashaker

Costumes – Linda Cho

Video – S. Katy Tucker

Choreography – Jessica Lang & Kanji Segawa

Coproduction – Washington National Opera, Dallas Opera & Opéra de Montréal

Opéra de Montréal Chorus

Orchestre Métropolitain

WERTHER – Massenet

Dates: November 21, 26 and 29, 2026

Location: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

Coproduced with the Canadian Opera Company and Vancouver Opera, Werther features an exceptional cast, marking the grand return of Julie Boulianne to the Opéra de Montréal and the Montreal debut of the rising French tenor Julien Dran.

The staging, faithful to the late 18th century in Germany, is organized around a central scenographic element: an engraving of the town of Wetzlar, where the action takes place.

Werther, a soul consumed by poetry and longing, falls deeply in love with Charlotte — though she’s already promised to another. Unable to silence his feelings, trapped in a world where social duty outweighs personal truth, he spirals into an all-encompassing melancholy. In this refined bourgeois universe, where emotions are neatly tucked away, an impossible love story unfolds — tender as a memory, sharp as a final goodbye.

MORE INFORMATIONS

Language + subtitles: French – with French and English surtitles

CREDITS

Producer: Opéra de Montréal

Artists:

Werther – Julien Dran 

Charlotte – Julie Boulianne 

Sophie – Sophie Naubert 

Albert – Hugo Laporte 

Le Bailli – Tomislav Lavoie 

Schmidt – Jeremy Scinocca

Johann – Dante Mullin Santone

Musical Direction – Jacques Lacombe 

Stage Direction – Alain Gauthier        

Sets – Olivier Landreville 

Lighting – Michael Kangas

Costumes – Leïlah Dufour Forget

Coproduction – Canadian Opera Company, Vancouver Opera & Opéra de Montréal

Opéra de Montréal Chorus

Orchestre Métropolitain

DER ROSENKAVALIER – Strauss

Dates: January 28 and 31, 2027

Location: Maison symphonique

Richard Strauss’s refined masterpiece Der Rosenkavalier will be performed in Montreal for the first time in about 30 years. Under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and in coproduction with the Orchestre Métropolitain, these concert performances will take place at the Maison symphonique for two evenings only. Set in 18th-century Vienna, the Marschallin renounces her young lover Octavian, who falls under the spell of Sophie—the young woman to whom he must deliver a silver rose. Blending comedy and misunderstandings, the opera explores love, renunciation, and nostalgia.

LA LETTRE AU GÉNÉRAL FRANCO World Premiere (Opéra de Montréal Creation) – Halffter & Frédéric

Dates: February 27 and March 2, 4, 7, 2027

Location: Salle Pierre-Mercure

Premiering worldwide, La Lettre au général Franco draws inspiration from Fernando Arrabal’s cult classic.

Pedro Halffter is both the composer and the conductor, while the libretto — co-written by Kristian Frédric and Michel Beaulac — pulses with emotional urgency and dramatic tension. Spanish sculptor Victor Ochoa contributes directly to the staging, crafting his artwork live as the story unfolds. Performed in both French and Spanish to the sounds of the Orchestre de l’Agora, this new opera offers a raw, deeply human experience.

Hidden in an abandoned underground reservoir in Madrid, sculptor Macario finishes a letter to General Franco while shaping his final work — a sculpture denouncing the regime’s brutality. His niece Anita, his only visitor, seeks the truth about her father’s disappearance, a secret Macario has carried for years. Her persistence forces the confession that transforms her life. As Macario dies, he entrusts her with the letter; Anita crosses the Pyrenees, determined to carry the voice of a silenced people beyond the border.

MORE INFORMATIONS

Language + subtitles: French and Spanish – with French and English surtitles

CREDITS

Producer : Opéra de Montréal

Artists:

Macario – Dominique Côté

Anita – Magali Simard-Galdès

Abuelita – Rose Naggar-Tremblay

Composition and Musical Direction – Pedro Halffter

Libretto and Stage Direction – Kristian Frédric (libretto with the special collaboration of Michel Beaulac)

Sets – Michel Beaulac with the special collaboration of Victor Ochoa Lighting

Lighting – Renaud Pettigrew

Costumes – Dominique Guindon

ATYS – Dawe & Jasmin World Premiere (Opéra de Montréal Creation)

Dates: March 25, 26 and 27, 2027Location: Salle Ludger-Duvernay, Monument-National

American composer Jonathan Dawe, known for his hybrid approach blending baroque and contemporary musical language, joins forces with stage director Stéphanie Jasmin, whose work bridges literary, theatrical, and visual expression.

Together, they reimagine Lully and Quinault’s opera as a contemporary political drama, transposed to the United States in the 1980s. A coproduction of Ballet Opéra Pantomime (BOP), Opéra de Montréal, Les Boréades de Montréal, and UBU compagnie de création, this lyrical work weaves together dance, video, and baroque reverie to illuminate an enduring clash between love and power, and the tension between private desire and public image.

In the early 1980s, in the upper echelons of American politics, Governor Atys conceals his impossible love for Sangaride, the young man betrothed to Senator Celenia. Cybele, who rules the country, hopes to get closer to Atys, with whom she is infatuated, by appointing him vice president. But when she discovers the secret passion that unites the two men, the president unleashes all her powers, even the most occult, to bring about their downfall and drive them to madness and death.

MORE INFORMATIONS

Language + subtitles: French – with French and English surtitles

CREDITS

Producer : Ballet Opéra Pantomime, Opéra de Montréal, Les Boréades de Montréal et UBU compagnie de création, with the collaboration du Fonds national de création du Centre national des Arts et de l’École nationale de théâtre du Canada.

Artists:

Atys – Frédéric Antoun

Cybèle – Myriam Leblanc

Sangaride – Jamal Al Titi

Célénia – Ellita Gagner

Idas – Dante Mullin Santone

Doris – Odile Portugais

Mélisse – Grace Budoloski

Sangar – Colin Mackey

Composition – Jonathan Dawe

Libretto (based on Philippe Quinault ) and Stage Direction – Stéphanie Jasmin

Musical Direction – Hubert Tanguay-Labrosse

Sets – Stéphanie Jasmin & Stéphane Longpré

Lighting – Marc Parent

Costumes – Linda Brunelle

Video – Stéphanie Jasmin

Choreography – Estelle Clareton

Chœur BOP

Les Boréades de Montréal

RIGOLETTO – Verdi

Dates: May 1, 4, 6 and 9, 2027Location: Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

 

A brand-new production, Rigoletto unleashes Verdi’s theatrical power in full force. The celebrated third-act quartet — one of opera’s most iconic moments — will feature Matthew White, Sarah Dufresne, Etienne Dupuis, and Rose Naggar-Tremblay.

 

Under the direction of François Racine, this staging revisits Victor Hugo’s Le Roi s’amuse with intensity, exposing a world where passion, authority, and moral corruption collide.

 

A bitter jester in the service of a predatory duke, Rigoletto believes he’s untouchable — until the cruelty he helps fuel comes crashing back onto his own life. His daughter Gilda, sheltered from the world, falls in love with the same duke without knowing who he really is. Manipulation, betrayal, vengeance: the tension tightens around father and daughter, propelling them toward a fate as devastating as it is inevitable. Even the purest love offers no protection here.

MORE INFORMATIONS

Language + subtitles: Italian – with French and English surtitles

CREDITS

Producer : Opéra de Montréal

Artists:

Duc – Matthew White

Gilda – Sarah Dufresne

Rigoletto – Etienne Dupuis

Sparafucile – Nathan Berg 

Maddalena – Rose Naggar-Tremblay

Monterone – Gregory Dahl

Paggio – Grace Budoloski

Comte Ceprano – Onur Hilaloglu 

Comtesse Ceprano – Ellita Gagner

Borsa – Jeremy Scinocca

Marullo – Dante Mullin Santone

Musical Direction – Simon Rivard     

Stage Direction – François Racine

Sets – Jean Bard

Lighting – Alexandre Pilon-Guay

Costumes – Jessica Poirier-Chang

Video – Gaspard Philippe

Production – Productions ODM inc. with financial support of SODEC

Opéra de Montréal Chorus

Orchestre Métropolitain 

To purchase tickets, visit: https://operademontreal.com/ 

ABOUT THE OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL

Firmly rooted in Montréal, at the crossroads of North American and European cultures, the Opéra de Montréal acts as a catalyst for the city’s artistic creativity and celebrates Québec and Canada’s rich vocal heritage. Bringing opera to life in all its diversity and daring, the company presents both the great classics of the repertoire and new works from here and abroad. Through its development program for Canada’s top young singers and its strong commitment to community and educational initiatives, the Opéra de Montréal creates unforgettable lyric events where everyone feels warmly welcomed and inspired.

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Source : Opéra de Montréal

For more informations:

Lyne Dutremble | lyne@annexe.media

And/or Maryse Bouchard | maryse@annexe.media