The latest news on performances of Opera in Washington, DC.
Review: AMERICAN OPERA INITIATIVE: THREE 20-MINUTE OPERAS at Washington National Opera
by Roger Catlin - May 26, 2026
The separation of the Washington National Opera from the overrun-and-soon-to-close Kennedy Center has meant next season’s eight planned productions, including five full length operas, will occur on five different stages in the D.C. area. ...
Renée Fleming, Isabel Leonard and More Set for Washington National Opera's 2026-2027 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - May 15, 2026
Washington National Opera has unveiled its 2026-2027 season—its first full season as an independent company, following its departure from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in January 2026...
Washington National Opera to Present Three World Premiere One-Act Operas in May
by Chloe Rabinowitz - April 10, 2026
Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative will present three world premiere one-act operas at the WNO Rehearsal Studio in Washington, D.C., with tickets starting at a $25 minimum donation....
Washington National Opera Names Marc A. Scorca to Board of Trustees
by Nicole Rosky - March 30, 2026
Widely regarded as one of the most influential leaders in the American opera field, Scorca brings decades of experience advancing opera companies, artists, and audiences across the United States....
Video: First Look at THE CRUCIBLE at Washington National Opera
by Joshua Wright - March 24, 2026
Watch a first look video of THE CRUCIBLE at Washington National Opera, running March 21–29, 2026, with full cast and creative team details....
WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello Inducted Into OPERA America's Opera Hall Of Fame
by Stephi Wild - March 24, 2026
Washington National Opera Artistic Director Francesca Zambello was inducted into the OPERA America Opera Hall of Fame at the OPERA America Salutes Awards Dinner on Friday, March 20, 2026, at The Plaza Hotel....
Maria Callas Costumes to Be Shown for the First Time in the US at GW’s Luther W. Brady Art Gallery
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 05, 2026
For the first time in the United States, six opera costumes created for the renowned performer Maria Callas and belonging to Teatro alla Scala in Milan will be displayed at the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery....
Exclusive: Washington National Opera Forges Ahead Following Kennedy Center Split
by Joshua Wright - February 19, 2026
Washington National Opera General Director Timothy O'Leary discusses the company's transition, community support, rebuilding operations, and future plans, including upcoming productions of TREEMONISHA, THE CRUCIBLE, and WEST SIDE STORY....
Washington National Opera Negotiates Kennedy Center Exit & Endowment Ownership
by Joshua Wright - January 22, 2026
Washington National Opera’s planned separation from the Kennedy Center is moving into a complex legal stage, with negotiations underway over assets, facilities, and the future of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra....
Post Kennedy Center Split, Washington National Opera Sets Stephen Schwartz Hosted WEST SIDE STORY Gala & More
by Joshua Wright - January 16, 2026
Washington National Opera announces spring 2026 performances at venues across the D.C. area, including Treemonisha, The Crucible, and additional concerts during its 70th anniversary season....
Washington National Opera Announces Plans to Leave the Kennedy Center
by Joshua Wright - January 09, 2026
The Washington National Opera has approved a resolution to move its performances out of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, ending a relationship that has spanned more than five decades....
Washington Concert Opera Opens Season with Gluck’s IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE In November
by A.A. Cristi - October 23, 2025
Washington Concert Opera will open its 2025–26 season with Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride on Sunday, November 23, 2025, at 6 p.m. at Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. ...
Review: CARMEN at Wolf Trap
by David Friscic - August 18, 2025
The ever popular and hardy perennial of the operatic canon, composer Georges Bizet’s Carmen, was given a unique yet solid interpretation by the Wolf Trap Opera under the direction of John de los Santos. (Originally directed by Anne Bogart, according to the program). This opera is so well-known (an...
Opera Lafayette's 2025–2026 Season Celebrates Female Power in New Season DRAMA QUEEN
by A.A. Cristi - June 25, 2025
Opera Lafayette has announced its 31st season, Drama Queen, a daring and celebratory lineup that places women’s voices and stories at the center of the stage. ...
Review: THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO at Wolf Trap
by David Friscic - June 24, 2025
The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart’s beloved opera of amorous lovers, mistaken identities, and affairs of the heart, is replete with warmth, lyricism, and a touch of sweetness. Though there is formal elegance galore in Mozart, Director E. Loren Meeker has opted for a warm and affectionate approach to ...
Following Trump Takeover Kennedy Center Subscription Sales Drop 36%
by Joshua Wright - June 03, 2025
Kennedy Center subscription sales fall 36% compared to 2023, with theater revenue dropping 82%. The decline follows President Donald Trump’s appointment as board chair and Richard Grenell as president....
Review: PORGY AND BESS at Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - May 27, 2025
The pivotal and star-crossed main characters and the Catfish Row community come alive in the highly influential, thought-provoking, and engrossing opera Porgy and Bess. This much discussed opera has its partisans and detractors but there is a distinct need to ponder and consider a work of this quali...
Review: AMERICAN RHAPSODY at Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - May 07, 2025
An evening of the myriad modes of music that constitute the American Experience was celebrated at the Kennedy Center’s production of American Rhapsody. The evening was a rich treasure trove of the glory that is American music from opera, spirituals, modern composers, classic songwriters, and Broad...
Review: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS at Kennedy Center
by Roger Catlin - May 05, 2025
It’s not so strange, really, that there’s a serious opera about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. His life’s work is usually invoked before every production of the last decade or more, when audiences are asked to silence their smartphones....
Washington Concert Opera Issues Cast Update for Verdi's LUISA MILLER
by A.A. Cristi - March 28, 2025
Washington Concert Opera's 2024/2 Season finale takes place on Sunday, April 13, 2025 with Verdi's Luisa Miller. Making her role debut is the renowned soprano, Angel Blue in the role of “Luisa”. ...
Creators Pull FELLOW TRAVELERS Opera From Kennedy Center Lineup Amid Trump Takeover
by Joshua Wright - March 27, 2025
Opera Fellow Travelers has been pulled from the Kennedy Center's 2025-26 season by its creators, who objected to President Trump's leadership following his appointment as chairman. Washington National Opera’s upcoming season includes productions such as Verdi’s Aida and Scott Joplin’s Treemoni...
Ousted Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter to Deliver Keynote at Opera Conference 2025
by Joshua Wright - March 14, 2025
Opera America has announced that Deborah F. Rutter, former president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will be the keynote speaker at Opera Conference 2025. Rutter served as the first woman president of the Kennedy Center from 2014 to 2025. She left the position after President Donald T...
Photos: 3:16 Premieres In Burke, Virginia
by Emmy Rice - March 09, 2025
The premiere of 3:16, an opera by six acclaimed composers, took place at Burke United Methodist Church on Friday, March 7. Check here for the photos of the production....
Washington Concert Opera to Present Mozart's LA CLEMENZA DI TITO and VERDI'S LUISA MILLER
by Chloe Rabinowitz - February 10, 2025
The first Washington Concert Opera performance of 2025 will honor the remarkable W.A. Mozart by presenting his La clemenza di Tito. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets....
Middle Atlantic Region Returns To Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition
by Blair Ingenthron - January 25, 2025
The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, designed to discover and assist with the career development of tomorrow's opera stars, will host the final round for the Middle Atlantic Region at the Terrace Theater, Kennedy Center....
Review: MACBETH at Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - November 18, 2024
Malevolence, greed, the thirst for power and the never-ending quest for revenge dominate the Washington National Opera production of composer Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth. The vocals by the company of classical singers assembled here are the glory of this production....
Review: GODS & MORTALS: A CELEBRATION OF WAGNER at The Kennedy Center
by Rachael F. Goldberg - October 28, 2024
'Gods & Mortals: A Celebration of Wagner' is a beautiful, if limited, array of performances and works highlighting both the composer and Kennedy Center’s own wonderful talent....
Review: FIDELIO at Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - October 28, 2024
The Washington National Opera’s production of Beethoven’s Fidelio is a triumph of elegant, efficient style and directorial finesse. Director Francesca Zambello re-invigorates the somewhat uninspired libretto by Joesph Von Sonnleithner with a vigor and intelligence that envelops this tale of valo...
Review: RENÉE FLEMING AND THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA at Kennedy Center
by Elliot Lanes - October 21, 2024
With the size of theatrical orchestras being drastically cut, one of the few places left to hear a full string section is at a symphonic concert. What better symphony is there than YOUR National Symphony Orchestra (NSO)?...
Interview: Theatre Life with Anita Yavich
by Elliot Lanes - October 04, 2024
Today’s subject Anita Yavich is currently living her theatre life both locally and on Broadway. Her costume designs can currently be seen in Roundabout Theatre Company’s current production of Yellow Face and starting October 25th her work will be onstage at Kennedy Center in the Opera House with...
Update: National Symphony Orchestra Musicians Strike Over Contract Dispute with Kennedy Center Resolved
by Joshua Wright - September 27, 2024
After a brief strike period, the Kennedy Center and the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) leadership have announced they have reached a new 18-month labor agreement with the musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra, AFM Local 616-710....
Michael Hersch's New Opera AND WE, EACH To Have World Premiere In Baltimore And D.C.
by A.A. Cristi - July 31, 2024
Michael Hersch's new opera 'and we, each' explores the complexities of relationships and societal collapse, premiering in Baltimore on September 28 and 29, and in DC on October 13....
Review: LA BOHÈME at Wolf Trap
by Emily Berger - July 20, 2024
Directed by John Caird and, for this revival, Katherine M. Carter, the production featured a talented cast of emerging opera stars, Studio Artists (many of whom were in featured roles), additional chorus members and the Children’s Chorus of Washington. This large cast filled the stage with excitem...
Review: THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE at Shakespeare Theatre/Klein Theatre
by Mary Lincer - May 25, 2024
What did our critic think of THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE at Shakespeare Theatre/Klein Theatre?...
Review: TURANDOT performed by Washington National Opera at Kennedy Center
by David Friscic - May 14, 2024
Incredibly rich in detail --from staging to technical aspects-- and emboldened with Puccini’s soaring music and meticulous, intelligent direction by Francesca Zambello, Washington National Opera’s production of Turandot is a production for the ages. ...
Interview: Theatre Life with Katherine Goforth
by Elliot Lanes - April 19, 2024
Today’s subject Katherine Goforth is someone who can definitely be called a breakthrough artist to be sure. She is the inaugural recipient of Washington National Opera’s True Voice Award for transgender and non-binary singers. She will be making her Kennedy Center debut on May first at 6:00pm wi...
Video: Director Mary Zimmerman on THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE at Shakespeare Theatre Company
by Joshua Wright - April 12, 2024
Shakespeare Theatre Company's final show this season is Mary Zimmerman's The Matchbox Magic Flute. Watch as adapter and director Mary Zimmerman describes what makes The Matchbox Magic Flute a unique operatic experience. ...
Washington National Opera Presents New Production Of TURANDOT With World Premiere Ending In May
by A.A. Cristi - April 03, 2024
Experience the new production of TURANDOT by Washington National Opera with a world premiere ending....
PORGY AND BESS, World Premieres & More Set for Washington National Opera 2024–2025 Season
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 14, 2024
The Washington National Opera will present a 2024–2025 season that pays tribute to the grand tradition of opera, while shaping its future with two new productions. See full programming and learn how to purchase tickets....
Review: SONGBIRD at Kennedy Center
by Roger Catlin - March 12, 2024
There’s an awful lot of death in opera, Timothy O’Leary, the general director of Washington National Opera, lamented on a recent opening night. And those plentiful tragedies are also often further burdened with overbearing scores, turgid storylines, super-large casts and strident if not shrill p...