The Donizetti Opera has announced its 2026 season.

The festival, which is set to take place between Nov. 13 and 29, 2026, will showcase three operas.

In a statement, Music Director Riccardo Frizza said, “Today we present an edition in which Donizetti rarities take center stage. Donizetti Opera 2026 will, in fact, promote the rediscovery of lesser-known Donizetti works, starting with the performance of Alahor in Granata, rediscovered in 2023 in the library of the Palermo Conservatory. Furthermore, for the next edition of the festival, I have decided to entrust the podium to colleagues who are repertoire specialists, focusing my role fully on artistic and musical direction, particularly overseeing the development of new projects that will see the light of day in the coming years.”

The season will be inaugurated by “L’esule di Roma,” conducted by Antonino Fogliani. Katharina Thoma will direct.

The main roles will be performed by soprano Lidia Fridman (Argelia), tenor Sergey Romanovsky (Settimio), bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni (Murena), and mezzo-soprano Vittoria Vimercati (Leontina), backed by the Chorus of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala prepared by Salvo Sgrò.

Performance Dates: Nov. 13-29, 2026

The second production of the season is “Alahor in Granata” which will be part of the “Donizetti 200” edition. Chiara Cattani conducts the production by Benedetto Sicca.

The main roles will be performed by baritone Grisha Martirosyan (Alahor), tenor Dave Monaco (Alamar), soprano Mira Alkhovik (Zobeida), mezzo-soprano Laura Verrecchia (Muley-Hassem), and soprano Cristina De Carolis (Sulima), a talent from the Bottega Donizetti 2025, backed by the Chorus of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala.

Performance Dates: Nov. 14-27, 2026

The third new production will be “Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali” with Alberto Zanardi conducting the production by Silvia Paoli.

The travesti role of Mamma Agata, the most famous and most comic of the opera, will be played by bass-baritone Paolo Bordogna. Performing alongside him will be the voices of the Bottega Donizetti 2026, who will take part in the masterclasses coordinated by Giulio Zappa in May. Completing the cast are soprano Elene Gvritishvili (Daria), tenor Filip Filipović (Guglielmo), and bass-baritone Mattia Venni (Impresario).

Performance Dates: Nov. 15-28, 2026