Following The Royal Ballet & Opera’s season announcement for 2026/27…
Lauren Young makes her debut at the Royal Opera House as Emily in Philip Venables’ operatic adaptation of Sarah Kane’s explosive 4.48 Psychosis, staged by Ted Huffman. She is joined by former Jette Park Artist, Veena Akama-Makia as Clare.
Alison Kettlewell and Wyn Pencarreg understudy Rosie Aldridge as Kabanicha and Clive Bayley as Dikoj in Richard Jones’ production of Káťa Kabanová.
Trevor Eliot Bowes begins the 2026/27 season with his house debut at La Monnaie / De Munt, appearing as Erster Handwerksbursch in a new production of Berg’s Wozzeck, directed and designed by Christophe Coppens and conducted by Alain Altinoglu.
Later in the season, he returns to English National Opera before making his debut at Pacific Opera Victoria – details to be announced.
We are delighted to welcome Cameroonian-Ugandan-American mezzo soprano Veena Akama-Makia to our artist roster. Veena studied at the Eastman School of Music and University of Central Arkansas. She is an alumna of the Jette Parker Artists Programme, Des Moines Metro Opera Apprentice Program, the Chicago Opera Theater Young Artist Program, and the Merola Opera Program.
In the current season, she returns as guest artist to the Royal Ballet and Opera as Annina La traviata and Giovanna Rigoletto. She will also appear as the mezzo soprano soloist in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Blackheath Halls Orchestra; and performs Jake Heggie’s The Work at Hand with PlayOut Chicago.
In Opera North’s 2026/27 season, Gweneth Ann Rand and Ronald Samm return to the roles of Kitty Hart and Father Grenville in Anniliese Miskimmon’s acclaimed production of Jake Heggie’ Dead Man Walking, first seen at English National Opera in autumn 2025. These performances are conducted by Ben Glassberg.
This is a co-production with English National Opera and Finnish National Opera.
Lauren Young returns to Opera North as the multifaceted mezzo soprano in The Big Opera Mystery. This crime-solving operatic extravaganza will have schools performances in Leeds, Salford, Newcastle and Nottingham, and a family performance in Hull.
We are delighted to welcome British bass baritone Benjamin Schilperoort to our artist roster. Benjamin is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, a laureate of Le Jardin des Voix, and was an Artist-in-residence at the Queen Elisabeth Chapel, Belgium (2019-2023), where he studied with Sophie Koch and José van Dam.
His current and future engagements include Christus St. John Passion with the Britten Sinfonia at the Brighton Festival; and further international performances as Winter/Sleep in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen (Les Arts Florissants).
His most recent performances include the bass roles in the Fairy Queen (Les Arts Florissants), conducted by William Christie and Paul Agnew; Walther Fürst and Melchtal Guillaume Tell (Nouvel Opéra Fribourg/Neue Oper Fribourg); the bass roles in King Arthur (Les Goûts Réunis); Basilio Il barbiere di Siviglia (Clonter); Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande; Colline La bohème; Masetto and Il Commendatore Don Giovanni; and Seneca L’Incoronazione di Poppea.
Mark Nathan performs Schaunard in a film version of La bohème, written and directed by Olivier Award-winner, Robin Norton-Hale.
Produced for the screen by Finite Films & TV, this adaptation of Puccini’s much loved classic originated with OperaUpClose, whose acclaimed stage production won Best New Opera Production at the 2011 Olivier Awards.
The film will be shown in selected cinemas from 3 March 2026.
Congratulations to Binny-Supin Yang on winning the Singers Section Final at the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition, last night.
She will now sing in the Gold Medal Final at Wigmore Hall on Friday 15 May!
Binny-Supin Yang has been announced as a 2026 Renée Fleming Artist at the Aspen Music Festival and School, receiving a full scholarship.
During the eight week residency, Binny will receive coaching and tuition from Renée Fleming and will perform Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, directed by Paula Suozzi and conducted by Patrick Summers.
We are delighted to have five artists returning to English Touring Opera for their spring 2026 tour of The Gondoliers and Pagliacci.
The season opens in Sheffield with The Gondoliers, followed by Pagliacci, touring to a further nine venues, closing in Durham at the end of May.
The Gondoliers
20, 24 March | 11, 18, 25, 29 April | 2 , 7, 9, 16, 21 May 2026
Jonah Halton Annibale | Lauren Young Duchess of Plaza-Toro
Samuel Pantcheff Giuseppe | Wonsick Oh Giorgio
Pagliacci
21, 25 March | 10, 17, 24, 28 April | 1 , 8, 15, 20 May 2026
Ronald Samm Canio
Trevor Eliot Bowes makes his Swedish debut next summer as Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Drottningholms Slottsteater.
This new production with an international cast is directed by Benjamin Lazar and conducted by Francesco Corti.
Joanna Harries returns to Loughborough Festival Opera next summer as Hansel in Lucy Bailey’s new production of Hansel and Gretel, conducted by Karen Kamensek.
There are 6 performances from 30 July to 8 August 2026.
Wonsick Oh and Monwabisi Lindi make their company debuts at Opera Holland Park in summer 2026.
Wonsick performs A Mandarin in Puccini’s Turandot, conducted by Naomi Woo, in a concert staging by Eleanor Burke.
Monwabisi performs Dr Blind in Liam Steel’s new production of Die Fledermaus, conducted by George Jackson.
Turandot
23, 25, 27 June 2026
Die Fledermaus
29, 31 July 2, 4, 6, 8 August 2026
We are delighted that Korean bass baritone Wonsick Oh has joined our artist roster. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Korea National University of Arts, and a former Alvarez Young Artist at Garsington Opera and Young Artist at the Oxford International Song Festival.
In the current season engagements include his return to English Touring Opera as Giorgio in The Gondoliers, and Bass Soloist (cover) in The Big Opera Mystery for Opera North.
His most recent engagements include Prince Gremin Eugene Onegin (Hampstead Garden Opera); and Second Prisoner Fidelio, Snug A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Garsington Opera).
Gweneth Ann Rand and Simon Wilding make their mainstage company debuts at Garsington Opera in summer 2026, as Marianne Leitmetzerin and the Police Commissar, in Bruno Ravella’s acclaimed production of Der Rosenkavalier.
The performances, with the Philharmonia Orchestra, are conducted by Finnegan Downie Dear.
Simon will also cover the role of Baron Ochs.
We are delighted that Welsh mezzo soprano Samantha Price has joined our artist roster. Samantha is a graduate of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and National Opera Studio. She is also a Samling Artist and a former Harewood Artist at English National Opera.
In the current season Samantha makes her debut with Mid Wales Opera as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti, and returns to the Royal Ballet & Opera as Katharina Schratt in Mayerling with the Royal Ballet.
Her most recent highlights include Roméo I Capuleti e i Montecchi (English Touring Opera); title role Iolanthe (English National Opera); and Rosina The Barber of Seville (Charles Court Opera/Wilton’s Music Hall).
