Opera Forward Festival Announces 2026 Lineup

Opera Forward Festival (OFF) will mark its tenth anniversary with performances running March 6-15, 2026 in Amsterdam. Since launching in 2016, OFF has served as a platform for contemporary opera makers, aiming to expand perspectives on opera and on society.

In addition to three new theatre productions, OFF will also take place at venues across Amsterdam, including Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ and Frascati. Students will again play a central role through a series of Labs showcasing new work. The anniversary edition will also feature concerts, performances, and talks designed to place opera in a new context. A special festival conference presented by Opera Europa will also be held as part of the celebration.

Theory of Flames (World Premiere)

In this new film opera, Michel van der Aa explores themes including disinformation and conspiracy theories. The production follows film director Neola as she becomes entangled in a world of alternative facts while those closest to her struggle to reach her.

The world premiere blends film and stage design, inviting audiences to consider questions of reality and perception. Sopranos Mary Bevan and Aphrodite Patoulidou will alternate in the role of Neola in their Dutch National Opera house debuts. Mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston will sing Marianne, Neola’s partner. Baritone Roderick Williams returns to Dutch National Opera as cameraman Josh, and soprano Julia Bullock appears in filmed sequences.

Elena Schwarz, known for her work in contemporary music, conducts the production following her Amsterdam debut with Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence in 2023.

Theory of Flames is a composition commission and co-production of Dutch National Opera, doubleA Foundation (Amsterdam), The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, and the Bregenz Festival.

Requiem for Mariza (Staged World Premiere)

Requiem for Mariza is a new music theatre work by composer Meriç Artaç (1990) that examines the final moments before death. The work centers on Mariza, who finds herself in a twilight space between the life she knew and an unknown future.

The contemporary requiem offers a layered exploration of transition, with a libretto by Sarah Sluimer. The production marks Artaç’s compositional debut at Dutch National Opera and is directed by Silvia Costa.

The cast includes Nina van Essen, Maayan Licht, and Annet de Ruiter, with Sora Elisabeth Lee conducting.

The Knife of Dawn (New Production)

The Knife of Dawn tells the story of Guyanese political activist and poet Martin Carter, who was imprisoned without charge during his fight for Guyana’s autonomy.

Set in Carter’s prison cell, the operatic monologue focuses on the 28th day of his hunger strike, a protest against British rule. The work is composed by Hannah Kendall with a libretto by Tessa McWatt, both of Guyanese-Caribbean heritage, and portrays Carter’s inner conflict during the protest.

The new production is directed by Gavin-Viano, known for socially engaged theatre work.

Les enfants terribles (New Production)

Philip Glass’s chamber opera Les enfants terribles explores the obsessive relationship between a brother and sister, leading toward a tragic conclusion.

The production will feature performers from the Dutch National Opera Studio, the company’s two-year program that prepares emerging singers for international careers. The new staging is directed by Béatrice Lachaussée and conducted by Nicolas Krüger.

Harvest

In the theatrical concert Harvest, theatre-maker and singer Cora Burggraaf presents new opportunities for experienced singers, emphasizing that mature voices deserve leading roles with depth beyond what is typically offered in the traditional operatic repertoire.

Burggraaf commissioned composers including Calliope Tsoupaki and Annelies van Parys to write short monodramas in close collaboration with singers such as Claron McFadden and Helena Rasker. The pieces aim to offer new stories and complex characters shaped by life experience.

Labs

OFF will again feature a strong student-driven component through its Labs program.

The Carousel

The Carousel presents five new short operas created and performed by emerging artists. Student teams explore themes such as identity, feeling small in a large world, and being trapped in spiraling uncertainty, while also challenging expectations of what opera can be.

Oh, so many things to feel lost about

Film and opera combine in an alternative origin story, with the entrance hall LED screen at Dutch National Opera & Ballet serving as the platform for an ongoing experimental film opera. The project develops as a dialogue between film and live performance throughout the festival.

Sopranos Only

Composer Tom Johnson’s one-act opera Sopranos Only examines the meaning of the term “soprano.” The production will be performed by students from the Albeda MBO Theaterschool (Rotterdam), alongside professional singers and musicians, in collaboration with directors Sytske van der Ster and Dante Boon of theatre company Boon en Ster.

Moeras!

Set in the Souterrain at Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Moeras! creates a myth-inspired world where layers of time overlap and audience members move through the space with performers.

Think Tank

The OFF Think Tank brings together university students to reflect on opera and art. This year’s theme is Language No Problem, examining how universal music and language truly are.

Context Programme

The festival will also include a broader context programme of events.

OFF Night

OFF Night will celebrate the tenth edition of the festival with Tijn Wybenga and his Brainteaser Orchestra, the Chorus of Dutch National Opera, soprano Aphrodite Patoulidou, and additional guests.

Behind the Opera: Theory of Flames

This discussion event will explore the themes of Theory of Flames, including questions of shared reality and personal connection. The program is presented as part of Behind the Opera, an initiative by De Balie in partnership with De Nationale Opera.

The Song Project