For his 20th and final season as music director of Los Angeles Opera, James Conlon is turning to the farewell operas of two masters.
The veteran conductor will complete his distinguished tenure at the company with productions of Verdi’s autumnal Falstaff and Mozart’s ever-fresh The Magic Flute.
In addition, Conlon will conduct the company premiere of a Broadway classic, Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story; a newly commissioned family-friendly community opera; and a gala concert devoted to the music of Mozart, Verdi, and Wagner.
Announced today, LA Opera’s 2025–2026 season, which also features revivals of Puccini’s La bohème and Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, will mark the company’s 40th anniversary. Its inaugural production, Verdi’s Otello starring Plácido Domingo, was staged in October 1986.
“We sought to create a season that centers on James’s most treasured composers in some of the company’s most iconic productions,” said president and CEO Christopher Koelsch. “Over the course of the season, artists and audiences alike will have the opportunity to reflect on both his titanic impact on the musical life of the company as well as our concurrent four-decade commitment to enduring theatrical excellence.”
The season will begin Sept. 20 with West Side Story in a new-to-L.A. production directed by Francesca Zambello and featuring the iconic original choreography by Jerome Robbins. Soprano Gabriella Reyes and tenor Duke Kim will star as the star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria.
Herbert Ross’s production of La bohème, directed by Brenna Corner and led by Resident Conductor Lina Gonzalez-Granados, will follow on Nov. 22. The cast will include soprano Janai Brugger as Mimì and tenor Oreste Cosimo as Rodolfo.
Countertenor John Holiday will star in Akhnaten beginning Feb. 28, 2026. Director Phelim McDermott will revive his memorable production, which features jugglers and acrobats. Ukrainian-born Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska will lead the orchestra in her company debut.
Bass-baritone Craig Colclough will sing the title role in Falstaff beginning April 18, 2026. Shawna Lucey will direct Lee Blakeley’s original LA Opera production.
The season will conclude with a revival of Suzanne Andrade and Barrie Kosky’s innovative staging of The Magic Flute, which features animation by Paul Barritt. The opera, opening May 30, 2026, will feature tenor Miles Mykkanen as Tamino, soprano Sydney Mancasola as Pamina, baritone Kyle Miller as Papageno, and soprano Aigul Khismatullina as the Queen of the Night.
Concerts at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (all in 2026) will feature tenor Juan Diego Flórez (Feb. 10), Broadway legend Patti LuPone (Feb. 21), and soprano Renée Fleming (June 13). In addition, a “James Conlon Gala Concert,” with singers to be announced, is scheduled for April 24.
Additional recitals will feature tenor Ben Bliss (Dec. 7 at The Wallis in Beverly Hills) and soprano Nadine Sierra (March 21, 2026, at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall).
Also at The Wallis, LA Opera and Beth Morrison Productions will present the world premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s opera Hildegard, opening Nov. 5. It focuses on the medieval composer and all-around visionary Hildegard von Bingen and is based on her writings.
Another world premiere, Carla Lucero’s The Tower of Babel, will take place May 8 and 9, 2026, at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. This year’s family-friendly community opera, it will be performed free of charge.
Season tickets, which start at $155 for the five mainstage opera productions, are now on sale. Tickets for individual events will go on sale in June. More information is available on LA Opera’s website or by calling 213-972-8001.
