Opera Australia has announced that it will be postponing its hotly anticipated production of “Der Ring des Nibelungen” until 2021 due to continued concerns over COVID-19.

The production, which was originally scheduled for November 2020, will be directed by Chen Shi-Zheng and was to be the first fully digital staging of the famed tetralogy.

“As disheartening as this news is, we’re really pleased to have been able to work with our partners to reschedule the season to next year. It ensures that we will be able to present outstanding performances, unrestrained by the uncertainties and restrictions in the current environment,” said Opera Australia CEO Rory Jeffes in a press release. “We trust that ticket holders will appreciate the reasons for this decision and are as delighted as we are that we can provide certainty with the rescheduled season in 2021. We’ll be able to announce those dates in the coming weeks.”

The opera will be presented at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Also delayed to 2021 is the company’s production of “Aida.”

In making the announcements, Jeffes also suggested that the company may be unable to return to the stage in 2020.