Opera Australia Has Dropped A Stellar Summer Line-Up At The Sydney Opera House

Opera Australia will bring a mix of Sydney premieres and reimagined classics to the Sydney Opera House for its 2027 summer season, with productions ranging from a steampunk The Magic Flute to an outback Australian take on The Elixir of Love.

La Bohème

The season will open with Puccini’s La Bohème, directed by Australian Constantine Costi and set against the snowy streets of Paris.

The production will star Italian soprano Maria Teresa Leva as Mimì, following her appearance in Opera Australia’s Turandot earlier this year, alongside Australian singers Jennifer Black and Samantha Clarke, who will make her role debut. The rising Italian tenor Matteo Desole will also make his Opera Australia debut as Rodolfo, sharing the role with Paride Cataldo and Iain Henderson.

Opera Australia Music Director and award-winning conductor Andrea Battistoni will lead the performances before handing the baton to Italian conductor Matteo Dal Maso.

La Bohème runs from January 2 to March 17 in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, with a New Year’s Eve performance on December 31. Tickets start at $79.

A Steampunk Mozart

Mozart’s The Magic Flute will receive a steampunk makeover in its Sydney premiere, following a production that has received five-star reviews in the UK.

Directed by Scottish Opera associate Sir Thomas Allen, the production will feature elaborate costumes and sets as audiences follow Tamino and Pamina through Mozart’s fantastical world.

The cast includes Alexandra Flood, Gemma Nha, Celeste Lazarenko, Nicholas Jones and Alasdair Kent, alongside Italian singer Daniela Cappiello and Ukrainian singer Tetiana Zhuravel making their Opera Australia debuts as the Queen of the Night.

The production runs from January 13 to March 23. Tickets start at $79.

The Elixir Of Love Heads Down Under

Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love will transport audiences to outback Australia in 1915 to a set made from corrugated iron featuring mountains, sheep, power lines and chickens.

The Australian production, directed by Simon Phillips, will star Stacey Alleaume as Adina in her role debut alongside co-stars John Longmuir, Simon Meadows and Leon Vitogiannis, with Pietro Spagnoli and Eden Shifroni also making their Opera Australia debuts. The production will be led by conductor Danila Grassi in her first Australian appearance.

The production runs from January 29 to March 12. Tickets start at $79. 

More Opera At The Sydney Opera House

For one night only, a double bill of French operas La Voix Humaine and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges will be performed in concert on February 5 with the Opera Australia Orchestra conducted by Andrea Battistoni.

The concert will feature international opera superstar Anna Caterina Antonacci in her Opera Australia debut with Australian mezzo-soprano Margaret Plummer.

Based on Murray Bail’s novel, the Australian opera Eucalyptus will make its Sydney Opera House debut from March 22 to 25.

Directed by Michael Gow, the production follows Ellen Holland, a young woman sheltered by her overprotective father in a forest of eucalyptus trees, and her relationship with the many men who seek her hand.

The summer season will also feature Great Opera Hits, a 90-minute concert of well-known arias, duets and ensemble pieces by composers including Bizet, Mozart, Puccini and Verdi.

Performances run from December 24 to March 21. Tickets start at $79.