Opera Australia Outlines 2027 Sydney Season

Opera Australia’s 2027 Sydney season will deliver nine productions to the Sydney Opera House, drawing on works from Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti, Gounod, Poulenc, Ravel and Gilbert and Sullivan, alongside a new Australian opera.

The season opens on 2 January with a new production of Puccini’s La Bohème and extends through to an October recital at City Recital Hall, with a national tour of Mozart’s Don Giovanni running in parallel across six states and territories.

Tickets start from $79 plus a $10 booking fee. Subscribers who book two or more productions receive tiered discounts, priority seat access and free date exchanges. Public on-sale begins 29 September.

A New La Bohème Opens The Season

The season begins with a new staging of Puccini’s La Bohème, running from 2 January to 17 March at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House.

Director, Constantine Costi, leads the creative team for the production, which is set in a wintry Paris. Set Designer, Dann Barber, Costume Designer, Sabina Myers, and Lighting Designer, Morgan Moroney, round out the design team. Movement Director, Shannon Burns, handles the staging’s choreographic elements.

Music Director, Andrea Battistoni, conducts from 2 January through 9 February. Conductor, Matteo Dal Maso, takes over the podium from 11 February through 17 March.

Three sopranos share the role of Mimì: Maria Teresa Leva performs from 2 to 22 January, Jennifer Black takes over from 25 January to 1 February and again from 11 to 17 March, and Samantha Clarke sings the part from 3 February to 9 March.

Italian tenor, Matteo Desole, opens the run as Rodolfo from 2 January to 1 February. Paride Cataldo covers the role from 3 February to 9 March, and Iain Henderson steps in for the closing performances from 11 to 17 March.

On the supporting cast side, sopranos Alexandra Flood and Nina Korbe alternate in the role of Musetta through to 9 March, with Rachelle Durkin taking over for the final week. Jeremy Boulton and Luke Gabbedy share the role of Marcello, while David Parkin and Jake Bigwood split duties as Colline.

The production runs approximately two hours and 15 minutes, including one interval, and is performed in Italian with English surtitles. Most evening performances begin at 7:30pm, with a handful of 12:30pm matinees scheduled on Saturdays.

Mozart’s The Magic Flute Arrives From Scotland

A staging of Mozart’s The Magic Flute (pictured) runs at the Sydney Opera House from 13 January to 23 March 2027.

The production follows Prince Tamino’s quest to rescue Pamina, with sets and costumes drawing on the works of Jules Verne and HG Wells.

Director, Sir Thomas Allen, originally created the staging for Scottish Opera, where it received positive notices in the UK press. The production features a mix of international and Australian performers.

Opera Australia describes the staging as filled with humour and heart, highlighting some of Mozart’s best-known music, including the Queen of the Night aria.

Donizetti’s The Elixir Of Love Returns In An Australian Setting

Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love returns to the Sydney Opera House from 29 January to 6 March 2027.

The production, directed by Simon Phillips, is set in outback Australia in 1915. Its set is constructed entirely from corrugated iron, complete with corrugated mountains, sheep, power lines and chickens. Costume Designer, Gabriela Tylesova, provides painterly costumes that contrast with the metallic scenery.

The opera follows the bashful Nemorino, who purchases a supposed love potion in an attempt to win over the bright Adina, only to stumble through a series of comic mishaps.

Soprano, Stacey Alleaume, takes on the role of Adina for the first time, returning from performing on European stages. Conductor, Danila Grassi, makes her Opera Australia debut.

French Double Bill Pairs Poulenc And Ravel

A double bill of one-act French operas, pairing Poulenc’s La Voix humaine with Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, is scheduled for 5 February 2027 at the Sydney Opera House.

Both works are performed in concert with the Opera Australia Orchestra, conducted by Andrea Battistoni.

Soprano, Anna Caterina Antonacci, makes her Opera Australia debut in La Voix humaine, a 40-minute work for solo soprano portraying a woman making a final phone call to a former lover. The piece lays bare the character’s emotional state as she contends with rejection and loss.

Mezzo-soprano, Margaret Plummer, leads the cast for L’enfant et les sortilèges, Ravel’s opera about a child whose destroyed possessions come to life and confront their tormentor. The score draws on musical influences ranging from Wagner to Gershwin.

New Australian Opera Eucalyptus Comes To Sydney

Eucalyptus, an opera by Sir Jonathan Mills and Meredith Oakes based on Murray Bail’s novel of the same name, plays at the Sydney Opera House from 22 to 25 March 2027.

The opera tells the story of Ellen Holland, whose overprotective father has planted a forest of eucalyptus trees around their property. He announces a competition: only a man who can name every tree on his land may marry his daughter.

As suitors arrive from around the world, Ellen encounters a stranger among the trees, a storyteller with tales of faraway places.

Director, Michael Gow, stages the production with designs by Simone Romaniuk. Soprano, Desiree Frahn, along with Simon Meadows and Samuel Dundas, reprise their roles from earlier seasons. Tenor, Michael Petruccelli, who won a Green Room Award for his portrayal of “The Stranger,” also returns.

The opera is a co-production between Opera Australia and Victorian Opera, and has previously been staged in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane.

Gilbert And Sullivan’s Pirates Return After Two Decades

Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance runs at the Sydney Opera House from 1 July to 7 August 2027, marking the operetta’s return to the venue after nearly 20 years.

The operetta follows Frederic, a young man who falls for Mabel and attempts to help her father, the Major General, fend off the band of pirates Frederic once served alongside. The score includes the well-known numbers “I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” and “I am a Pirate King!”

Director, Stuart Maunder AM, leads the production, with Choreographer, Elizabeth Hill-Cooper, Set Designer, Richard Roberts, Costume Designer, Roger Kirk, Lighting Designer, Trudy Dalgleish, and Sound Designer, Michael Waters.

Conductor, James Pratt, leads the performances. The season is presented in association with Victorian Opera. The production runs approximately two hours and 10 minutes, including one interval, and is performed in English with surtitles.

Twenty performances are scheduled across July and August, with a mix of 7:30pm evening and midday matinee sessions.

Gounod’s Faust Staged By Sir David McVicar

A production of Gounod’s Faust runs from 10 July to 4 August 2027, telling the story of a man who bargains away his soul to the devil, Méphistophélès, in exchange for earthly pleasures.

Director, Sir David McVicar, sets the production in the decadence of 1870s Paris. Set Designer, Charles Edwards, recreates recognisable Paris locations, including a Cabaret de l’Enfer, an opera box from the Palais Garnier and the organ loft of Notre-Dame. Costume Designer, Brigitte Reiffenstuel, provides the production’s period wardrobe.

The score includes the Soldiers’ Chorus, “Le veau d’or” and Marguerite’s Jewel Song.

German Conductor, Nikolas Nägele, makes his Opera Australia debut, alongside bass, Rafał Siwek, and tenor, Stefan Pop. Australian soprano, Siobhan Stagg, performs the role of Marguerite for the first time.

The production is based on a co-production by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Opéra de Lille and Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, Trieste. It was commissioned by the Opera Conference, Australia’s national partnership of professional opera companies.

Verdi’s A Masked Ball Closes The Winter Run

Verdi’s A Masked Ball plays from 23 July to 7 August 2027, bringing a staging from the Verdi Festival in Parma to Sydney.

The opera is based on a real-life assassination and follows Riccardo, a powerful figure who falls in love with his closest friend’s wife. The friend, Renato, discovers the betrayal and seeks revenge.

Director, Daniele Menghini, created the production with costumes that reference Renaissance Europe.

Soprano, Nicole Car, performs the role of Amelia for Australian audiences for the first time. Tenor, Diego Torre, sings Riccardo, while baritone, Daniel Luis de Vicente, makes his Australian debut as Renato following a recent Covent Garden debut. Conductor, Alevtina Ioffe, leads the orchestra.

The production is a co-production between the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Teatro Regio di Parma, with Fondazione Rete Lirica delle Marche.

Desandre And Dunford Bring French Song To City Recital Hall

Mezzo-soprano, Lea Desandre, and lutenist, Thomas Dunford, perform at City Recital Hall on 18 October 2027 in a recital presented by Musica Viva Australia and Opera Australia.

Desandre, named Opera Singer of the Year at the Opus Klassik awards, makes her Australian solo debut with a program spanning Baroque to contemporary French song. Dunford is the Founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble Jupiter.

“It doesn’t matter whether the texts are by Shakespeare or by modern songwriters,” Desandre has remarked. “These are songs born out of someone grabbing an instrument and bringing the words to life, straight from the heart.”

Don Giovanni Tours Nationally

Opera Australia’s National Tour takes Mozart’s Don Giovanni across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT in 2027.

The touring program, which has operated for more than 30 years, stages productions in venues ranging from performing arts centres to community halls.

The opera follows Don Giovanni on his final day alive, as the consequences of a life spent pursuing pleasure, including seduction and murder, close in on him.

The tour is supported by the Opera Conference, the Australian Government through Creative Australia, the NSW Government through Create NSW and the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

Subscription Packages And Pricing

Tickets for the 2027 Sydney season start from $79 plus a $10 booking fee per ticket.

Season subscribers who book two performances receive a 10 per cent discount. Those booking three to four performances receive 15 per cent off, and subscribers booking five or more shows save 20 per cent.

Subscriber benefits include priority booking ahead of the general public, free ticket exchanges, the option to pay in four instalments and access to competitions for dress rehearsals and other events.

Opera Australia is also offering a new “House Seats” category, which subscribers can access at lower, premium reserve pricing.

All productions in the 2027 Sydney season are staged at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, with the exception of the Desandre and Dunford recital, which takes place at City Recital Hall.