50th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
“For five decades, BLO has created spaces where people gather, collaborate and create shared cultural experiences. This anniversary is both a celebration of the company’s legacy and a recognition of what sustained cultural investment makes possible: artists and audiences growing together, generations connecting through music and storytelling, and a region strengthened through the vibrant creative expression of opera.”– BRADLEY VERNATTER, Stanford Calderwood General Director & Chief Executive Officer
2026/27 SEASON
Explore artistic and programming highlights of Boston Lyric Opera’s 50th Season.
WILLIAM TELL (GUILLAUME TELL)
Music by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Victor-Joseph Étienne de Jouy & L.F. Bis
SEPT 25, 2026 @ 7:30PM
SEPT 27, 2026 @ 3:00PM
OCT 2, 2026 @ 7:30PM
OCT 4, 2026 @ 3:00PM
Emerson Colonial Theatre
A new BLO production
Conducted by David Angus in a new production by Vita Tzykun and David Adam Moore, this epic opera with a famous overture tells a story of resistance, freedom, and the triumph of a united people over a tyrannical ruler. Cast includes George Gagnidze – a leading baritone at The Metropolitan Opera – making his BLO debut as William Tell, Anya Matanovič (Mathilde), Konu Kim (Arnold), Nina Yoshida Nelsen (Hedwige), Brianna J. Robinson (Jemmy), James Demler (Melchtal), and Morgan Mastrangelo (Ruodi) with the BLO Chorus and Orchestra.
Konu Kim
Arnold
Brianna J. Robinson
Jemmy
Nina Yoshida Nelsen
Hedwige
James Demler
Melchtal
Morgan Mastrangelo
Ruodi
BLO Chorus and Orchestra
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David Angus
Conductor
Vita Tzykun
Stage Director, Set & Costume Designer
David Adam Moore
Stage Director & Projections Designer
George Gagnidze
William Tell
Anya Matanovič
Mathilde
50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA
Featuring Michael Fabiano
OCT 16, 2026 @ 6:30PM
Opera + Community Studios
Celebrating the legacy of BLO and opera in the region while honoring the company’s ongoing impact and deep investment in the community, the 50th Anniversary Gala will recognize three honorees whose contributions have shaped the company’s past and future:
- Linda Cabot Black (Leadership Honoree), BLO Board and Leadership Council member, and longtime patron of opera and arts education in Boston.
- Deborah Voigt (Artistic Honoree), internationally acclaimed opera artist whose professional breakthrough came in BLO’s 1991 Ariadne auf Naxos.
- Michael Bobbitt (Community Honoree), President and CEO of OPERA America, formerly Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Funds raised by the Gala will support BLO’s community and education initiatives, including a newly co-commissioned community opera by Carlos Simon and Tracy K. Smith, shaped in public dialogue with Boston community members.
Linda Cabot Black
Leadership Honoree
Deborah Voigt
Artistic Honoree
Michael Bobbitt
Community Honoree
Michael Fabiano
Tenor
Brett Hogdon
Pianist & BLO Head of Music
Linda Cabot Black
Leadership Honoree
Deborah Voigt
Artistic Honoree
Michael Bobbitt
Community Honoree
Michael Fabiano
Tenor
Brett Hogdon
Pianist & BLO Head of Music
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Music by André Previn
Libretto by Philip Littell
Based on the play by Tennessee Williams
NOV 5, 2026 @ 7:30PM
NOV 6, 2026 @ 7:30PM
NOV 8, 2026 @ 3:00PM
Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
A new co-production with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Conducted by Daniela Candillari and directed by Patricia Racette – a New Hampshire native who had an early-career highlight in BLO’s 1992 The Tales of Hoffmann and who now leads Opera Theatre of Saint Louis – this adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning American theatre classic is a lyrical, intimate, and emotional work that explores brutal class conflict and collisions between illusion and harsh reality. Cast includes Brittany Renee (Blanche), Angela Yam (Stella), Thomas Glass (Stanley), and Brenton Ryan (Mitch), with the BLO Orchestra. Designed by Andrew Boyce (Scenic), Amanda Gladu (Costumes), Eric Southern (Lighting), and Kylee Loera (Projections).
Brenton Ryan
Mitch
Daniella Candillari
Conductor
Patricia Racette
Stage Director
Eric Southern
Lighting Designer
Amanda Gladu
Costume Designer
Andrew Boyce
Set Designer
BLO Orchestra
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Brittany Renee
Blanche
Angela Yam
Stella
Thomas Glass
Stanley
THE QUEEN OF SPADES (Pique Dame)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Modest Tchaikovsky
JAN 29, 2027 @ 8:00PM
JAN 31, 2027 @ 2:00PM
Symphony Hall
Presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Boston Lyric Opera
BLO continues its annual partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for a collaborative, semi-staged opera event featuring the BLO Chorus alongside the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Casting and other information will be announced soon.
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (Le nozze di Figaro)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
MAR 12, 2027 @ 7:30PM
MAR 14, 2027 @ 3:00PM
MAR 19, 2027 @ 7:30PM
MAR 21, 2027 @ 3:00PM
Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre
A new BLO production
Conducted by David Angus and directed by Anne Bogart, this enduring favorite heralds the triumph of wit over aristocratic privilege, the complexities of love and infidelity, and the power of forgiveness. Cast includes Michael Sumuel (Figaro), Madison Leonard (Susanna), Dean Murphy (Count), Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha (Countess), and Sun-Ly Pierce (Cherubino) with the BLO Chorus and Orchestra. Designed by Sara Brown (Scenic), Constance Hoffman (Costumes), and Brian H Scott (Lighting).
Sara Brown
Scenic Designer
BLO Chorus and Orhcestra
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Michael Sumuel
Figaro
Madison Leonard
Susanna
Dean Murphy
Count
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha
Countess
Sun-Ly Pierce
Cherubino
David Angus
Conductor
Brian H Scott
Lighting Designer
Anne Bogart
Stage Director
LAWRENCE BROWNLEE & ERIN MORLEY IN RECITAL
APR 16, 2027 @ 8:00PM
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
Presented by Vivo Performing Arts in association with Boston Lyric Opera
Two of America’s most in-demand singers – multiple award-winning tenor Lawrence Brownlee and internationally praised coloratura soprano Erin Morley – lead a concert centered on their hit 2025 album “Golden Age,” featuring arias from 19th-century French and Italian operas.
Lawrence Brownlee & Erin Morley in Recital
Presented by Vivo Performing Arts in association with Boston Lyric Opera
BOSTON’S COMMUNITY OPERA
Music by Carlos Simon
Libretto by Tracy K. Smith
MAY 8, 2027 @ 2:00PM
Symphony Hall
Co-commissioned by BLO and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), this as-yet-untitled work from GRAMMY®-nominated BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith celebrates the stories of Bostonians. Produced in collaboration with the City of Boston and dozens of community organizations and members, and featuring hundreds of youth performers, this work builds on the community-oriented collaborative spirit of last season’s production of Noah’s Flood. BLO has launched a series of public workshops and community meetings with Smith to gather Boston stories that will shape the opera’s text, drawing on the experiences, languages, memories, and hopes of Bostonians to create a work that reflects the city’s richness, complexity, and spirit.
Carlos Simon
Composer
Tracy K. Smith
Librettist
Nadine Sierra
Soprano
Bryan Wagorn
Piano
NADINE SIERRA IN RECITAL
JUN 2, 2027 @ 7:30PM
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
Presented by Boston Lyric Opera in association with Vivo Performing Arts
BLO presents a one-night performance by internationally celebrated soprano Nadine Sierra, marking her first appearance with Boston Lyric Opera since her 2014 performance as Gilda in Rigoletto. Sierra’s early career milestones with BLO include an acclaimed portrayal of Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), performed while she was still a student at The Mannes College of Music. She will be joined by pianist Bryan Wagorn.
Elkhanah Pulitzer
Stage Director
Ailyn Pérez
Soprano
AYRE
Music by Osvaldo Golijov
JUN 17, 2027 @ 7:30PM
JUN 18, 2027 @ 7:30PM
JUN 19, 2027 @ 7:30PM
JUN 20, 2027 @ 5:00PM
Opera + Community Studios
A new BLO production
BLO closes its 50th Season with four fully staged, theatrical performances of this genre-defying work that draws on Jewish, Arab, and Christian traditions to illuminate their connections and their tensions. Featuring sung and spoken texts in Ladino, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, Sardinian, and English, the piece reflects on memory, loss, and coexistence. Starring Ailyn Pérez, one of the world’s leading lyric sopranos, who returns to BLO after her debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro in BLO’s 30th Anniversary Season. Featuring the BLO Orchestra and directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, with design by MASARY Studios.
“Our 50th season is a celebration of where Boston Lyric Opera has been and a declaration of where we are going. From the epic to the intimate, to our collaborations and continued commitment to new works and the communities we live in, this season reflects our belief that opera is a living, civic art form. With four women directors in this forthcoming season, we are seeing a continued diversity of the stories being told and the people telling them. It’s also a nod to BLO’s commitment to putting women leaders and artists at the forefront of our work. As we honor five decades of artistry, we are also investing deeply in new partnerships, new works, and new ways of bringing people together for a shared experience.”
– NINA YOSHIDA NELSEN, Artistic Director
A Company on the Rise
Opera in Boston is evolving – and so is BLO.
- 22,000+ audience members in 2024/25
- Audiences ages 18-34 have tripled since 2019
- 70% growth in audience racial diversity
- Board-approved 2026/27 budget exceeds $15 million, putting BLO in OPERA America’s highest budget group for the first time
Opera + Community Studios
At the heart of our anniversary is the opening of the Opera + Community Studios in Fort Point. Designed for creative practice, rehearsals, workshops, performances, and artmaking, the redesigned and expanded Studios are a keystone of our future as New England’s leading opera company. This exciting new facility is already serving the 800+ artists and cultural workers we engage each year, as well as the neighbors and partners with whom we share this space.
Be Part of What’s Next
In March 2026, we reopen the newly renovated Opera + Community Studios with Song of the Earth, an intimate staging of one of Mahler’s last works.
We also launch our “In Recital” Series that showcases world-class artists, opening with internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis.
In April 2026, BLO makes several contributions to the regional Massachusetts 250 celebration under the “Voices of Revolution” banner, including Daughter of the Regiment and She Was There.