(Credit: Katya Brook)

New Zealand Opera has announced its 2026 season.

The season opens with “Opera in the Park,” presented as part of the Auckland Council’s Music in Parks series.

Performance Dates: Jan. 24 & 31, 2026

Next, the company presents “Bluebeard’s Castle,” with a libretto by Béla Balázs and an English translation by Daisy Evans. Brad Cohen conducts a cast starring Lester Lynch as Bluebeard and Susan Bullock as Judith, joined by Te Ohorere Williams, Katie Burson, Marion Prebble, William Kelly, and Naledi Mhuka. The production is a co-presentation by Theatre of Sound and Opera Ventures, in partnership with Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival, and features the Auckland Philharmonia.

Performance Dates: March 13 & 14, 2026

“The Marriage of Figaro” will be conducted by James Judd and directed by Lindy Hume. The cast features Julien Van Mellaerts, Felicity Tomkins, James Clayton, Sophie Sparrow, and Cecilia Zhang, with Orchestra Wellington and the Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus.

Performance Dates: June 17–21, 2026

The season concludes with “The Pearl Fishers,” in a co-production with State Opera South Australia, directed by Stephen Barlow. Performances feature Madison Nonoa, Filipe Manu, Phillip Rhodes, and Anthony Robin Schneider, with the Auckland Philharmonia, Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, and the Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus.

Performance Dates: September 23–Oct. 18, 2026

Additionally, throughout Term 1, 2026, Lucy Mulgan’s “RED!” will tour schools and communities under the direction of Jacqueline Coats. Brent Stewart conducts.