Opera Columbus Reveals 2026-2027 Season

Opera Columbus will celebrate its 45th anniversary season with American Icons, a high-impact lineup that reimagines classics, amplifies distinctly American stories, and honors both Opera Columbus' legacy and America's 250th anniversary. Under the leadership of General Director + CEO Julia Noulin-Mérat, the 2026–27 season promises sweeping scale, unexpected collaborations, and dynamic experiences designed to engage audiences across the city, featuring Pirates! The Penzance Musical, The Girl of the Golden West (La fanciulla del West), The Shining, the Messiah Sing-Along, and the Cooper-Bing Competition.

“This isn't a nostalgia season: it's a bold re-examination of American identity through ambitious storytelling on a truly city-wide scale. These are iconic works, but we're engaging with them in ways that feel immediate, provocative, and alive today,” said General Director + CEO Julia Noulin-Mérat.

The season launches Nov. 6–8, 2026, at the Palace Theatre with Pirates! The Penzance Musical by Gilbert & Sullivan. A citywide co-production with the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, this vibrant reimagining relocates the classic to New Orleans with a jazz- and blues-infused soundscape. Caribbean rhythms, French Quarter flair, razor-sharp wit, and theatrical spectacle collide as Frederic navigates pirates, romance, mistaken identities, and a famously fast-talking Major General. The production is presented through a special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide and will mark the Regional premiere of this new adaptation following a sold-out run on Broadway.

In December, Opera Columbus takes music beyond the theatre with a festive Messiah Sing-Along series popping up in breweries, cafés, and gathering spaces across Columbus. For more than 250 years, Handel's Messiah has united communities in shared musical celebration; this season invites audiences to sip, sing, and celebrate the holidays together in a distinctly Columbus way.

The season continues Feb. 26 + 28, 2027, at the Southern Theatre with Puccini's cinematic The Girl of the Golden West (La fanciulla del West), a sweeping tale of the American frontier where risk, redemption, and romance collide. When the mysterious Dick Johnson rides into town, Minnie dares to imagine a life beyond the barroom. But Johnson's hidden past as an outlaw threatens everything, forcing Minnie to wager her future on love, mercy, and the possibility of redemption. Conducted by OC Principal Guest Conductor Everett McCorvey and directed by Kenneth Overton.

Opera Columbus returns to the Palace Theatre April 16–18, 2027, with The Shining by Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell, based on Stephen King's iconic novel, presented in the year marking the 50th anniversary of the book's publication. Inside the isolated Overlook Hotel, the Torrance family confronts mounting psychological tension, buried trauma, and a sinister past that refuses to stay silent. Visually striking and musically gripping, the opera transforms King's psychological thriller into a powerful family drama and promises one of the season's most talked-about theatrical experiences. The Shining is published by and presented with the permission of Subito Music Corporation.

The season will conclude with the Cooper-Bing Competition on May 16, 2027, at the Southern Theatre. Cooper-Bing is an internationally recognized vocal competition that has celebrated and supported emerging young artists since 1983. Dubbed “The Olympics of Opera,” this competition encourages talent, creates artistic opportunity, and helps welcome the next generation into the professional opera community. Five finalists will compete for the grand prize of $10,000.