Sally Matthews, Olga Peretyatko, Simon Keenlyside, Lea Desandre, Stéphane Degout, Enea Scala, Leah Hawkins, & John Osborn Lead La Monnaie’s 2025-26 Season
By Francisco SalazarLa Monnaie de Mont has announced its 2025-26 season.
Opera
The season opens with Verdi’s “Falstaff” starring Simon Keenlyside in the title role, Lionel Lhote, Bogdan Volkov, Sally Matthews, Benedetta Torres, and Daniela Barcellona. Alain Altinoglu and Ouri Bronchti alternate and Laurent Pelly directs the new production.
Performance Dates: Sept. 21-Oct. 9, 2025
Ricard Soler Mallol and Grey Filastine showcase their work “Ali,” which will star Sanele Mwelase, Raphaële Green, and Michael Wilmering. Michiel Delanghe conducts.
Performance Dates: Oct. 31-Nov. 9, 2025
Sally Matthews leads Bellini’s “Norma” with Enea Scala, Alexander Vinogradov, and Raffaella Lupinacci. George Petrou conducts the production by Christophe Coppens.
Performance Dates: Dec. 9-31, 2025
Alain Altinoglu conducts Berlioz’s rarely performed “Benvenuto Cellini” in a production by Thaddeus Strassberger. John Osborn leads the cast, which also includes Ruth Iniesta, Tijl Faveyts, Florence Losseau, Jean-Sébastien Bou, Ante Jerkunica, Leander Carlier, Yves Saelens, Gabriele Nani, and Luis Aguilar.
Performance Dates: Jan. 28-Feb. 17, 2026
Enrico Onofri conducts Calixto Bieito’s production of Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” Joshua Stewart, Kathryn Lewek, Michael J. Scott, Frederic Jost, Gaëlle Arquez, and Shira Patchornik star.
Performance Dates: March 10-28, 2026
Ian Bell’s new opera “Medusa” will make its world premiere in a production by Lydia Steier. Olga Peretyatko leads the cast, which also includes Paula Murrihy, Angela Denoke, Josh Lovell, Konstantin Gorny, Anu Komsia, and Mary Elizabeth Williams. Michiel Delanghe conducts.
In a statement to OperaWire, Bell said, “Medusa’s story is one I’ve been wanting to tell as an opera for over 10 years, and to have the opportunity to do so with this astonishing cast and creative team, at a house as esteemed as La Monnaie during Christina Scheppelmann’s first season there as General Director is a dream come true.”
Performance Dates: May 5-19, 2026
Puccini’s “Tosca” will be performed in Rafael R. Villalobos’s production with Leah Hawkins and Vanessa Goikoetxea. Atalla Ayan and Stefano La Colla alternate as Cavaradossi, and Lucio Gallo and Aleksei Isaev alternate as Scarpia. Jordan de Souza conducts.
Performance Dates: June 17-July 1, 2026
Concerts
Grand Opera Prayers will feature music by Verdi, Puccini, Gounod, Donizetti, Ponchielli, Rossini, Mozart, and Boito. Tamara Banjesevic and Alberto Moro perform alongside conductor Emmanuel Trenque.
Olesya Petrova is the soloist in a concert featuring music by Mussorgsky and Shostakovich. Timur Zangiev conducts.
Maurice Ravel’s “L’Enfant et les Sortilèges” will be conducted by Alain Altinoglu. Marie-Juliette Ghazarian leads the production.
Alain Altinoglu conducts a Berlioz, Grieg, Linberg program with soloists Rudy Moercant and Sofia Nesje Enger.
Performance Date: Jan. 9, 2026
Vocalissmo
Thomas Dunford and Lea Desandre team up for a concert of music by Purcell and John Dowland.
Performance Date: Sept. 20, 2025
Christoph Prégardien will be accompanied by pianist Stefan Litwin in a program of German Lieder entitled Memories.
Performance Date: Oct. 5, 2025
Klaus Bertisch will work with the talents of the MM Academy for two recitals.
Performance Dates: Oct. 7 & 8, 2025
Thomas Dunford conducts Handel’s “Theodora” with Lea Desandre, Véronique Gens, Hugh Cutting, Laurence Kilsby, and Alex Rosen.
Performance Date: Oct. 15, 2025
Barbara Hannigan performs music by Messiaen, John Zorn, and Scriabin with pianist Bertrand Chamayou.
Performance Date: Nov. 12, 2025
Véronique Gens will present a poetically inflected recital, featuring pieces by Charles Gounod, Edmond de Polignac, Gabriel Fauré, Henri Duparc, and Reynaldo Hahn. James Ballieu performs on the piano.
Performance Date: Nov. 24, 2025
Raffaella Lupinacci and Enea Scala perform Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, with Ouri Bronchti.
Performance Date: Dec. 14, 2025
“Man Without a Home” will showcase Joshua Stewart and Courtney Bryan in a recital featuring African American composers Moses Hogen, Alvin Batiste and Margaret Bonds with essential classics by Samuel Barber and Leonard Bernstein, and with some rare pieces by Franz Liszt and Joseph Bologne.
Performance Date: Feb. 7, 2026
Stéphane Degout will pay tribute to his late friend, composer Philippe Boesmans, in a program entitled “Vive Boesmans!” Pianist Simon Lepper accompanies.
Performance Date: March 13, 2026
Accompanied by Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu, countertenor Xavier Sabata performs works by Vivaldi, Handel, Steffani, Porpora and Flux.
Performance Date: May 8, 2026
Lea Desandre and conductor Thomas Dunford perform a program entitled “Chasing Rainbows.” The concert includes works by Leonard Bernstein, Robert & Richard Sherman, Henry Mancini, Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein, Noël Coward, and others.
Performance Date: June 13, 2026
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