Washington National Opera has announced its 2019-20 season!

The lineup consists of six main-stage operas: two new productions, three productions new to Washington, and the D.C. premiere of a Zambello-commissioned work by composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson. 

Additionally, the American Opera Initiative will return for “Three 20-Minute Operas,” which will showcase the work of three new composer-librettist teams during two performances on January 10, 2020 in the Terrace Theater.

The season kicks off with Verdi’s “Otello,” staged at WNO for the first time in nearly 20 years. Russell Thomas stars in the title role alongside soprano Leah Crocetto as Desdemona. Rounding out the cast are baritone George Gagnidze as Iago, tenor Zach Borichevsky as Cassio, mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel as Emilia, and bass Wei Wu as Lodovico.

David Alden will direct this production set in Piazza San Marco with 19th century costumes, originally staged at the English National Opera, and Daniele Callegari will conduct.

Performance Dates: Oct. 26 – Nov. 16, 2019

Next in the lineup is Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” sung in English with English subtitles.

The production, directed by Christopher Mattaliano, will feature “vivid, colorful, and whimsical sets designed by legendary children’s author Maurice Sendak,” making it a wonderful opera for the whole family.

David Portillo and soprano Sydney Mancasola star as Tamino and Pamina, and Katheryn Lewek performs as the Queen of the Night. Also featured are Michael Adams as Papageno and Wei Wu as Sarastro.

A special Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Performance will take place on Nov. 22, 2019, featuring singers from the Young Artist program in principal roles. Eun Sun Kim will conduct.

Performance Dates: Nov. 2 – 23, 2019

A new production of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni,” set in 18th-century Seville, will be directed by E. Loren Meeker.

The classic story, according to a press release, can be understood as Mozart’s “commentary on social deviance in which the anti-hero gets his due, centuries before the #MeToo movement.”

Ryan McKinny takes on the infamous title character, alongside Vanessa Vasquez as Donna Anna, Keri Alkema as Donna Elvira, Alek Shrader as Don Ottavio, Kyle Ketelsen as Leporello, and Peter Volpe as The Commendatore. Evan Rogister will conduct.

Performance Dates: Feb. 29 – Mar. 22, 2020

A new production of Saint-Saëns’s popular French opera “Samson et Delilah,” featuring “sumptuous period costumes,” will be directed by Peter Kazaras.

Starring in the production are mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges as Delilah, tenor Roberto Aronica as Samson, baritone Noel Bouley as High Priest, and Peter Volpe as The Old Hebrew. John Fiore will conduct.

Performance Dates: Mar. 1 – 21, 2020

Tony Award®–winning composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson’s new opera, “Blue,” will be presented in the Eisenhower Theatre. The work “centers on the hopes and fears of a young black couple in Harlem as they raise a son in 21st-century America . . . [and] places timely issues at the forefront of modern opera and invites audiences to the emotional epicenter of their impact.”

The score will fuse Gospel, jazz, pop, and operatic traditions. Kenneth Kellogg will be featured as The Father, alongside Lester Lynch as The Reverend. The remainder of the cast will be announced at a later date. John DeMain will conduct.

Performance Dates: Mar. 15 – 28, 2020

The season will conclude with Francesca Zambello’s popular adaptation of George Gershwin’s American masterpiece “Porgy and Bess,” which will feature two casts.

Sharing the role of Porgy are Musa Ngqungwana and Alfred Walker, and sharing the role of Bess are Kristin Lewis and Alyson Cambridge. Kenneth Kellogg will be featured as Crown, Frederick Ballentine as Sportin’ Life, and Norman Garrett as Jake. Clara will be sung by Janai Brugger and Jacqueline Echols, and Serena by Latonia Moore and Simone Paulwell. Denyce Graves rounds out the cast as Maria. Evan Rogister will conduct.

Performance Dates: May 9 – 23, 2020

There will be several additional events held throughout the season. The Marian Anderson Vocal Award will recognizes a young American singer in opera, oratorio, or recital repertoire with outstanding promise for a significant career. The company’s holiday concert, Holidays with the WNO Children’s Chorus and Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists, is scheduled for Dec. 12, 2019.

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and its Music Director, Gianandrea Noseda, will also present a series of programs highlighting vocal music. A performance of Act two of Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde” will feature soprano Christine Goerke and tenor Stephen Gould, along with tenor Neal Cooper, bass Günther Groissböck, and baritone Hunter Enoch.

Noseda will also lead three performances of Orff’s “Carmina Burana,” as well as a new co-commissioned work by Kevin Puts for Renée Fleming and Rod Gilfry, “Brightness of Light.” Sir Andrew Davis will lead the NSO in a performance of Handel’s “Messiah.” Finally, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will see three performances in June featuring The Washington Chorus.

The Renée Fleming VOICES series will feature acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato on Nov. 8 & 9, 2019, in the Eisenhower Theater. Her performances will be centered around her recent project, “In War & Peace,” highlighting opera arias by Handel and Purcell, “whose works convey a peaceful harmony through music.”

Additionally, The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts and Renée Fleming VOICES series will present a special collaboration between the Emerson String Quartet and legendary soprano in a new work from André Previn on May 14, 2020, in the Terrace Theater.