The season will feature 10 new opera productions and several ballet productions.
The Royal Ballet and Opera House has announced details of its 2026/2027 season, with tickets for the season going on sale on the 24th June.
This newly announced season will include Royal Opera Associate Director Netia Jones making her main stage debut with a production of Mozart’s comedy of manners Così fan tutte, which leans into the use of technology and will be conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock.
Meanwhile, Evgeny Titov will make his venue debut with a production of Wagner’s Parsifal. The production will be conducted by Royal Opera Music Director Jakub Hrůša, who will return to the venue conduct a new production of Un ballo in maschera directed by Philipp Stölzl in his House debut, and a revival of Richard Jones’ production of Janáček’s searing Káťa Kabanová. He also leads a concert performance of Duke Bluebeard’s Castle paired with The Rite of Spring showcasing the full force of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The Royal Opera’s Principal Guest Conductor, Speranza Scappucci, leads the revival of Richard Jones’s Il trittico – a rare chance to experience Puccini’s complete triptych.
The season is also set to include the final part of Barrie Kosky’s Wagner’s momentous Ring cycle with Götterdämmerung, conducted by Conductor Laureate of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano.
Pappano also reunites with Director of Opera Oliver Mears for a new production of La Gioconda, following its widely praised debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival. La Gioconda has not been staged at Covent Garden for almost a century. The Season further features Kosky’s striking new staging of Handel’s Hercules. Conducted by Baroque specialist Laurence Cummings, this production marks the work’s first return to Covent Garden since 1750 and continues the Company’s acclaimed Handel series.
Further operatic highlights include Netia Jones’s first programmed Linbury Theatre Season, featuring the world premiere of Brett Dean’s double bill Good Sometimes Queen, directed by Ola Ince. The Company also revives 4.48 Psychosis, Philip Venables’ award‑winning operatic adaptation of Sarah Kane’s seminal 2000 play. Having previously collaborated with The Royal Ballet and Wayne McGregor on Untitled, 2023, Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir sees her chamber opera UR_ brought to the stage in Jones’s technologically bold, ritual‑infused production.
In a co‑production with Irish National Opera, the Season also marks a significant milestone with Les Boréades, the first-ever staging of Rameau by The Royal Opera at Covent Garden. American director R.B. Schlather makes his House debut alongside another debut: Camille Delaforge, who conducts the Irish Baroque Orchestra, bringing this rarely performed masterpiece to brilliant life.
Oliver Mears, Director of The Royal Opera, said: “With the world in turmoil, The Royal Opera presents a Season of enchantment and exhilaration, featuring a thrilling range of repertoire: from the first-ever Rameau opera staged at Covent Garden by The Royal Opera to radical contemporary masterpieces; from debut directors creating bold new versions of Così fan tutte and Parsifal to Barrie Kosky’s highly anticipated Götterdämmerung – the conclusion of our breathtaking new Ring cycle. Underpinning everything are our world-class artists: the very best singers working today, with the finest conductors and theatre-makers to create experiences of unforgettable music drama.”
Meanwhile, The Royal Ballet will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wayne McGregor being Resident Choreographer, the company will revive his production of Chroma. This will form part of the season that will also include mixed programme Disruptors, in May 2027, when audiences are invited to experience ballet anew through four genre‑defying works from today’s most compelling contemporary voices. Pam Tanowitz brings her unmistakable blend of wit, playfulness and emotional depth in Or Forevermore, joined by Never Known, the atmospheric 2024 creation by Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer Joshua Junker. Completing the Disruptors programme is Hunting a Whisper in the Wind, a poetic pas de deux from Akram Khan, the internationally acclaimed choreographer celebrated for his bold and imaginative approach to storytelling through movement.
The celebration of McGregor’s two decades with the Company continues with the return of his multi‑sensory epic MADDADDAM, following its exhilarating sold‑out UK premiere in 2024. Inspired by Margaret Atwood’s monumental trilogy of novels and with an original score by Max Richter, the work reaffirms its place as one of McGregor’s most visionary and ambitious creations – a defining milestone in a partnership that has reshaped the landscape of contemporary ballet.
The Season also welcomes the return of compelling works that form the bedrock of the Company’s heritage. We open with Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, a dramatic masterpiece of passion and betrayal. In this signature work of The Royal Ballet, MacMillan’s nuanced understanding of human psychology makes for an unflinching look into the moral degradation of Manon’s Paris, while all its decadence and decay are brought to life through Jules Massenet’s score and Nicholas Georgiadis’s designs.
This is followed by Visionaries: Robbins and MacMillan, bringing together two 20th‑century masterpieces: MacMillan’s elegiac Song of the Earth and Jerome Robbins’s much‑loved Dances at a Gathering. Seen side by side, these works highlight the expressive depth and remarkable versatility of our dancers.
In January 2027, The Royal Ballet honours its Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton with Landmarks: Unmissable Ashton – a chance to experience three of his milestone creations across three decades: Les Rendezvous, Symphonic Variations and Daphnis and Chloë. Together, they illuminate the imaginative sweep and exquisite craftsmanship of the choreographer who helped define the very essence of English ballet. The programme is also a rare opportunity in ballet to hear the Royal Opera Chorus combine forces with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Daphnis and Chloë’s immense orchestration by Maurice Ravel.
Christmas brings the return of Peter Wright’s beloved The Nutcracker, revived in his centenary year and continuing its cherished tradition as a festive favourite for audiences of all ages. Liam Scarlett’s acclaimed production of Swan Lake for The Royal Ballet also returns, uniting Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score with John Macfarlane’s sumptuous designs in an enduring tale of love, treachery and redemption.
Alex Beard, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Ballet and Opera said: “Our 2026/27 Season is a celebration of bold storytelling, artistic innovation and inspiring performances that push the possibilities of our art forms. Through world‑class music, dance and theatre, we aim to connect with audiences not only in our two theatres, but across the globe.
Alongside our cinema season, digital platforms and international reach, we are opening doors for people right across the UK through our expanding schools and community programmes – inspiring creativity and growing access to our art forms for all.”
For more information visit: https://www.rbo.org.uk/