Cape Town Opera Reveals Casts & Creatives For 2026 Production And An International Tour

Cape Town Opera (CTO) has revealed the details of each production in its 2026 season, announcing, among other highlights, a five-city international tour of Porgy and Bess. Award-winning casts and creatives will feature across all productions, including Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music at Theatre on the Bay that will star musical theatre heavyweights Jonathan Roxmouth and Samantha Peo, alongside the legendary Aviva Pelham. In total, this year's impressive slate of productions will span grand opera, new musical collaborations, family-friendly storytelling and community engagement across the city.

To recap, 2026 began with the sell-out Gershwin in the Park at the Maynardville Open Air Festival, a one-night celebration of the golden age of American music with Jan Hugo on piano. This was followed by the popular Opera in Your Neighbourhood series, free concerts presented in partnership with the City of Cape Town and the Judith Neilson Foundation that took opera, musical theatre hits and African spirituals directly into communities in Langa, Bothasig and Fish Hoek, giving audiences an unforgettable experience outside of traditional theatres. 

Coming up  from 26 to 31 March is Opera Blocks - Under the Sea, geared towards babies and children, that introduces little ones to the world of opera, presented in the most enchanting of ways at various libraries in and around Cape Town. It will be followed by a short season at the Klein Karoo Kunstefees from 1 to 3 April. Written and directed by Elizma Badenhorst with Nathan Lewis on piano and featuring four of CTO's Judith Neilson Young Artists, Opera Blocks  will once again be a sensory journey of music, colour and movement, performed in a safe space that allows children to wander and explore as the artists perform.  

On Saturday 4 April, CTO and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will present the Vivaldi Gloria and Haydn's Nelson Mass at the historic Toringkerk in Paarl, conducted by CTO's Jan Hugo. With electrifying choruses, blazing timpani and the soaring voices of Brittany Smith, Nonhlanhla Yende, Lukhanyo Moyake, Conroy Scott,  CTO's Vocal Ensemble and Judith Neilson Young Artists, this will be an afternoon to remember!

The company returns to grand opera with Bizet's Carmen at the Artscape Opera House from 19 to 31 May, directed by Steven Stead and with Christine Crouse as Resident Director, and a stellar cast that includes Nonhlanhla Yende as Carmen, Lukhanyo Moyake as Don José, Vuvu Mpofu as Micaëla, Conroy Scott as Escamillo, Brittany Smith as Frasquita and Khayakazi Madlala as Mercédès. With the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Tim Murray, the opera will transport audiences to vibrant Seville where jealousy, desire and fate intertwine against a backdrop of bullfighting spectacle. Set design is by Greg King, choreography is by Naoline Quinzin and costumes are by Maritha Visagie.

Winter brings a fresh musical offering with Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, at Theatre on the Bay in Camps Bay from 30 June to 12 July. With direction and set design by Fred Abrahamse and musical direction by José Dias, the production is inspired by Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. Using the waltz as its heartbeat, the show weaves sophistication, wit and emotional finesse through a single midsummer weekend. The cast features Aviva Pelham, one of CTO's Honorary Patrons, as Madame Armfeldt, Samantha Peo as Desirée and Jonathan Roxmouth as Frederik, alongside Kate Normington, Marcel Meyer (who will also design the costumes), and CTO's Brittany Smith.

From 21 to 26 July families can enjoy a new English‑language adaptation of Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen at the Joseph Stone Auditorium in Athlone. Directed by Fiona du Plooy with musical direction by conductor Jan Hugo and with Nathan Lewis on piano, this production has been reimagined in English for Cape Town Opera by librettist Alan Olejniczak. Performed by Judith Neilson Young Artists Khayakazi Madlala and Rethabile Khaile, as well as CTO House Soloists Nonhlanhla Yende and Conroy Scott, the production celebrates the cycle of life by placing nature, imagination and renewal at its centre and delivering a message of hope. Costume design is by Maritha Visagie.

From 11 to 18 September, CTO undertakes an international tour of the semi-staged Porgy and Bess to five cities: Paris, Lucerne, Berlin, Antwerp and Dortmund. Conducted by the world famous Spanish maestro Enrique Mazzola, directed by Magdalene Minnaar and with Malika Jumbe as Dramaturg,  the stellar CTO cast includes guest artist Siyabulela Ntlale as Porgy and CTO's Nonhlanhla Yende as Bess, Brittany Smith as Clara, Lukhanyo Moyake as Sportin' Life and Conroy Scott as Crown and Siphamandla Moyake as Serena. Costume design is by Maritha Visagie.

The season concludes with a rendition of Roméo et Juliette at Artscape from 18 to 29 October. Directed by Marí Borstlap who will also design the sets, and conducted by Kamal Khan, it stars Brittany Smith as Juliette, Lukhanyo Moyake as Roméo, Msimelelo Mbali as Frère Laurent and Conroy Scott as Capulet. Charles Gounod's lyrical charm, refined orchestration and elegant taste will bring Shakespeare's timeless tragedy to life, cementing the opera as one of the most unforgettable works in the repertoire. 

The last performance will be O Holy Night at St. George's Cathedral in December, CTO's annual Christmas collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

Says CTO's Artistic Director Magdalene Minnaar, “Throughout this year, Cape Town Opera reinforces its commitment to excellence, accessibility and artistic innovation, proudly foregrounding South African voices on the global opera and musical‑theatre stage."