Central City Opera Reveals 94th Festival Season Featuring Mozart and Colorado Sesquicentennial Celebration
Season runs June 27–August 2, 2026 in Central City, Colorado.
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 22, 2025
Central City Opera has announced its 94th festival season, running June 27 through August 2, 2026, featuring productions that span classical masterworks, American opera, and contemporary drama.
The 2026 festival will open with Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, a timeless comedy of love, desire, and deception set to one of the composer’s most celebrated scores.
In honor of Colorado’s 150th birthday and the 70th anniversary of its world premiere on Central City’s historic stage, the company will present a new production of The Ballad of Baby Doe. This landmark American opera, set against the backdrop of the Colorado frontier, tells the epic love story of Horace Tabor and Baby Doe.
The festival will also include Terrence McNally’s Tony Award-winning play Master Class. In this celebrated drama, legendary soprano Maria Callas transforms a voice lesson into an evening of music and revelation, with arias by Puccini, Verdi, and Bellini woven throughout.
Rounding out the 94th season will be CCO in Concert, returning on July 10 and 11 with the Central City Opera Orchestra and festival singers in a program of operatic favorites.
“Our 94th season represents the breadth and depth of what makes Central City Opera special,” said Adam Scurto, Managing Director of External Affairs. “This season offers audiences an extraordinary range of artistic experiences. Whether you’re a long-time opera lover, or have never seen an opera before, there’s something for everyone.”
Ticket Information
Festival subscriptions are available for renewal now, offering the best pricing, premium seating, and exclusive access to additional festival events. New subscribers may join a managed waitlist at centralcityopera.org/subscriptions. Subscriptions including all three mainstage shows are priced from $76. Single tickets will go on sale in April 2026, starting at $34.
About Central City Opera
Founded in 1932, Central City Opera is the fifth-oldest opera company in the United States and remains one of the country’s premier summer opera festivals. Known for presenting both classical repertoire and American opera, CCO continues to attract world-class artists and audiences to its historic Colorado home.
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