Cape Town Opera will present Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” across five European cities in September 2026.

The showcase will be presented in a major collaboration with London’s Chineke! Orchestra, Europe’s first majority Black and ethnically diverse professional orchestra. Maestro Enrique Mazzola will conduct, and the production will be directed by Cape Town Opera Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar.

The tour opens Sept. 11 at the Philharmonie de Paris before continuing to the Lucerne Culture and Congress Centre, Musikfest Berlin, DE SINGEL in Antwerp, and the Konzerthaus Dortmund, where it concludes on Sept. 18. The production is presented in a shared stage concert format.

“Porgy and Bess” will feature CTO House Soloist Nonhlanhla Yende opposite Siyabulela Ntlale in the title roles, with Brittany Smith as Clara, Lukhanyo Moyake as Sportin’ Life, Conroy Scott as Crown, and Siphamandla Moyake as Serena. Choreography is by Yaseen Manuel, with fight scenes choreographed by Tailyn Ramsamy, and costumes by Maritha Visagie.

“We are incredibly proud to bring South African operatic excellence back to Europe. This tour underscores our commitment to sharing the immense talent of our artists with global audiences, proving that opera remains a vibrant, universal and deeply relevant art form,” Minnaar said, per an official press release.

Established in 1999, Cape Town Opera has spent more than two decades representing the diverse identity of South African society on stages around the world. Following the European tour, the company returns to the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town for productions of Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” in November and “Oliver!” in December, the latter in collaboration with Pieter Toerien and by special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh.