Elza van den Heever, Joseph Calleja, Nicholas Brownlee, Corinne Winters, Allan Clayton & Anna Princeva Lead Oper Frankfurt’s 2025-26 Season
By Francisco SalazarOper Frankfurt has announced its 2025-26 season.
Premieres
Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” will star Teona Todua, Karolina Bengtsson, Kelsey Lauritano, Taehan Kim, Sakhiwe Mkosana, Magnus Dietrich, Andrew Kim, Bianca Tognocchi, Elizabeth Reiter, Liviu Holender, and Sebastian Geyer. Thomas Guggeis conducts the production by Mariame Clément.
Performance Dates: Sept. 21, 2025-Jan. 17, 2026
Alexander Tsymbalyuk leads Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” with Karolina Makuła, Anna Nekhames, Judita Nagyová, AJ Glueckert, and Iain MacNeil. Thomas Guggeis conducts the new production by Keith Warner.
Performance Dates: Nov 2-26, 2025
Claus Guth directs a new production of Mozart’s “Mitridate.” Leo Hussain conducts a cast that includes Robert Murray, Bianca Tognocchi, Monika Buczkowska-Ward, Franko Klisović, and Alina Avagyan.
Performance Dates: Dec. 7, 2025-Jan. 10, 2026
Julia Stuart, Cecelia Hall, Sven Hjörleifsson, Jarrett Porter, Liviu Holender, and Alfred Reiter lead Harrison Birtwistle’s “Punch and Judy.” Alden Gatt conducts the production by Wolfgang Nägele.
Performance Dates: Dec. 11-30, 2025
Steffani’s “Amor vien dal destino” will star Margherita Maria Sala, Michael Porter, Karolina Makuła, Thomas Faulkner, Daniela Zib, Theo Lebow, Constantin Zimmermann, and Pete Thanapat. Václav Luks conducts the production by R.B. Schlather.
Performance Dates: Jan. 25-Feb. 28, 2026
Bo Skovhus, Elizabeth Reiter, Iurii Iushkevich, Cecelia Hall, and Michael McCown star in George Benjamin’s “Written on Skin.” Erik Nielsen conducts the production by Tatjana Gürbaca.
Performance Dates: March 1-April 5, 2026
Elza van den Heever and Olesya Golovneva lead Puccini’s “Turandot” with Alfred Kim, Guanqun Yu, Inho Jeong, and Thomas Faulkner. Thomas Guggeis conducts the production by Andrea Breth.
Performance Dates: April 12-June 4, 2026
Wolfgang Fornter’s “Bluthochzeit” will star Claudia Mahnke, Magdalena Hinterdobler, Annette Schönmüller, Zanda Švēde, Karolina Makuła, Barbara Zechmeister, Karolina Bengtsson, Mikołaj Trąbka, Dietrich Volle, AJ Glueckert, and Dagmar Manzel. Duncan Ward conducts the production by Àlex Ollé.
Performance Dates: May 10-June 15, 2026
Theo Lebow, Bianca Tognocchi, Kihwan Sim, Cláudia Ribas, Clara Kim, and Ruby Dibble star in Rossini’s “Tancredi.” Giuliano Carella conducts the production by Manuel Schmitt.
Performance Dates: June 7-28, 2026
Handel’s “Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno” will be directed by Katharina Kastening. Simone Di Felice conducts a cast that includes Monika Buczkowska-Ward, Younji Yi, Katharina Magiera, and Michael Porter.
Performance Dates: June 13-24, 2026
Repertoire
Bianca Margean and Chiara Isotton alternate in the title role of Puccini’s “Tosca.” They are joined by Angelo Villari, Matteo Lippi, Łukasz Goliński, and Nicholas Brownlee. Elias Grandy and Takeshi Moriuchi conduct.
Performance Dates: August 31, 2025-Jan. 2, 2026
Allan Clayton leads Britten’s “Peter Grimes” with Magdalena Hinterdobler, Nicholas Brownlee, Katharina Magiera, and AJ Glueckert. Thomas Guggeis conducts.
Performance Dates: Sept. 6-18, 2025
Ghiulnara Raileanu sings the title role of Puccini’s “Manon Lescaut” and is joined by Matteo Lippi, Mikołaj Trąbka, Domen Križaj, and Erik van Heyningen. Simone Di Felice conducts.
Performance Dates: Sept. 26-Oct. 26, 2025
Vito Žuraj’s “Blühen” will be led by Michael Wendeberg and will star Bianca Andrew, Karolina Bengtsson, Michael Porter, Alfred Reiter, and Jarrett Porter.
Performance Dates: Oct. 1-9, 2025
Jurij Mynenko, Kateryna Kasper, Zanda Švēde, Cláudia Ribas, Cecelia Hall, Bianca Andrew, Lawrence Zazzo, Sebastian Geyer, Erik van Heyningen, Pete Thanapat, Rafał Tomkiewicz, and Iurii Iushkevich star in Handel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto.” Laurence Cummings conducts.
Performance Dates: Oct. 3-Nov. 13, 2025
Offenbach’s “Les brigands” will star Michael Porter, Yves Saelens, Jonathan Abernethy, Michael McCown, Aleksander Myrling, Elizabeth Reiter, Karolina Makuła, Kudaibergen Abildin, Helene Feldbauer, Karolina Bengtsson, Peter Marsh, Theo Lebow, Dietrich Volle, Matthias Matschke, Andrew Bidlack, Juanita Lascarro, and Tianji Lin. Karsten Januschke conducts.
Performance Dates: Nov. 7-Dec. 26, 2025
Andreas Bauer Kanabas, Ambur Braid, Iain MacNeil, and Ian Koziara star in “Die Ersten Menschen” with Sebastian Weigle conducting.
Performance Dates: Nov. 28-Dec. 12, 2025
Bianca Andrew and Zanda Švēde lead Bizet’s “Carmen” with Joseph Calleja, AJ Glueckert, Abraham Bretón, Alyona Rostovskaya, Nombulelo Yende, Erik van Heyningen, and Kihwan Sim. Jader Bignamini and Takeshi Moriuchi alternate in the pit.
Performance Dates: Dec. 13, 2025-Jan. 31, 2026
Leo Hussain conducts Weinberg’s “The Passengers” with Katharina Magiera, AJ Glueckert, Amanda Majeski, Mikołaj Trąbka, Julia Stuart, Corinna Scheurle, Zanda Švēde, Kelsey Lauritano, Younji Yi, Judita Nagyová, and Juanita Lascarro.
Performance Dates: Feb. 1-21, 2026
Anna Princeva leads Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” with Gerard Schneider, Kudaibergen Abildin, Domen Križaj, Karolina Makuła, and Kelsey Lauritano. Lorenzo Passerini conducts the revival.
Performance Dates: Feb. 6-March 20, 2026
Felix Bender conducts Massenet’s “Werther” with John Osborn, Bianca Andrew, Anna Nekhames, Karolina Bengtsson, and Sebastian Geyer.
Performance Dates: March 6-April 17, 2026
Marco Jentzsch and Miina-Liisa Värelä headline Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” with Andreas Bauer Kanabas, Claudia Mahnke, Nicholas Brownlee, and Taehan Kim. Thomas Guggeis conducts.
Performance Dates: March 22-April 11, 2026
Nicholas Brownlee and Domen Križaj sing the title role of Verdi’s “Macbeth” with a cast that includes Thomas Faulkner, Andreas Bauer Kanabas, Signe Heiberg, Kudaibergen Abildin, and Gerard Schneider. Giacomo Sagripanti leads the orchestra.
Performance Dates: April 18-June 13, 2026
Kurt Weill’s “Der Zar lässt sich photographieren” and Carl Orff’s “Die Kluge” will be performed in a double bill featuring Jiří Rožeň conducting. Weill’s work will star Domen Križaj, Juanita Lascarro, Nombulelo Yende, Magnus Dietrich, Karolina Makuła, Michael McCown, Kelsey Lauritano, Peter Marsh, Alfred Reiter, Dietrich Volle, and Iain MacNeil while Orff’s work will star Elizabeth Reiter, Mikołaj Trąbka, Thomas Faulkner, Magnus Dietrich, Iain MacNeil, Dietrich Volle, Gerard Schneider, Sebastian Geyer, and Alfred Reiter.
Performance Dates: June 14-27, 2026
Recital
Slávka Zámečníková and Matthias Samuil will team up for a recital.
Performance Date: Oct. 28, 2025
Franz-Josef Selig and Gerold Huber will perform together.
Performance Date: Dec. 16, 2025
Corinne Winters and Simon Lepper perform a evening inspired by Nadezhda von Meck.
Performance Date: Jan. 13, 2026
Patrick Grahl performs works by Wilhelm Weismann, Rudolf Wagner-Regény, Hanns Eisler and Johannes Weyrauch alongside pianist Klara Hornig.
Performance Date: Feb. 24, 2026
Alice Coote and Julius Drake perform Lieder.
Performance Date: March 10, 2026
Joseph Calleja and Sarah Tysman perform in recital.
Performance Date: April 7, 2026
Simon Bailey and Anne Larlee team up for an evening of song.
Performance Date: May 5, 2026
Dagmar Manzel will perform in concert
Performance Date: June 2, 2026
