The New Opera Days Ostrava has announced its  eighth biennial international festival.

The festival will present seven productions during the final week of June. Six of them will receive their world premieres in Ostrava, while the seventh had its recent premiere in Montreal.

The festival opens at the Antonín Dvořák Theatre with the world premieres of two chamber operas. “No. 61 (David)” by British composer Richard Ayres is the first work which will be conducted by Marek Šedivý and directed by Michal Pěchouček. The title role will be performed by bass-baritone Nicholas Isherwood.

The second half of the evening presents the instrumental opera “Company” by composer and performer Kristýna Švihálková. Inspired by the prose of Samuel Beckett, the work for two percussionists, voice and electronics will be directed by Jiří Nekvasil and David Bazika.

Performance Date: June 23, 2026

At dusk, the festival moves to the open space of Comenius Gardens (Komenského sady), where the world premiere of “White Death” by Slovak composer Miroslav Tóth will be performed. The dystopian sci-fi opera will star soprano Beatriz Gaudêncio Ramos and mezzo-soprano Bella Adamova. The production is directed by
Nela H. Kornetová and Jan Bubák conducts.

Performance Date: June 24, 2026

Two world premieres will be performed at the Hotel National, hotel Palace.

Milan Guštar’s “New Theory of Harmony” will star actor Miloslav Čížek and soprano Markéta Drabina Schaffartzik. Conducted by Pavel Šnajdr, the production is created by the Slovak duo Veronika Trokšiarová and Laura Černáková.

Then the one-act opera “In the Eyes of the Dragonfly” by Jakub Rataj will feature dance, choreographed by Helena Ratajová and direction by Gabriela Gabašová

Performance Date: June 25, 2026

The Jiří Myron Theatre will host the world premiere of “SUBSTANCE: The Infinite Spinoza” by American composer Elliott Sharp. Scored for tenor, choir, chamber ensemble and electronics, the opera will star Valentino Blasina. The production is directed by Lukáš Jiřička, with choreography by Carolina Arandia, and conducted by Petr Kotík.

Performance Date: June 26, 2026

The festival will conclude with “Clown(s)” by Serbian-Canadian composer and librettist Ana Sokolović. the work will be shown at the Antonín Dvořák Theatre with soloists Aline Kutan, Mireille Lebel, Andrew Haji and Bruno Roy. The new production is prepared by Jiří Nekvasil and David Bazika and conducted by Bruno Ferrandis.

Performance Date: June 27, 2026