A message from Edmonton Opera:
Edmonton Opera is shaping its 2026-27 season around rediscovery. Both mainstage productions return operas to the Jubilee Auditorium that haven't been staged in Edmonton in over a decade.
"It's a privilege to be able to provide opera to the city of Edmonton," said artistic director Joel Ivany. New audiences will encounter these works for the first time, he said, while longtime opera-goers will enjoy "hearing music that they know and love."
The season opens in early November with Rossini's The Barber of Seville. "If you can imagine joy and comedy and incredible singing, this is probably at the top of the list for what that opera is," Ivany said. Based on the first of three plays by Beaumarchais, the opera introduces the characters audiences may recognize from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro.
Also returning in November is the Rumbold Vocal Prize, which culminates in a grand finale concert at the Myer Horowitz Theatre. Established in 2022, the program offers exposure, training, and prize money to young Canadian singers. Past participants have gone on to perform at international opera houses.
In early 2027, a brand-new production of Mozart's The Magic Flute takes the Jubilee stage. Ivany described it as a story about "a quest for love and hope and unity," adding, "I think those are all great messages that we need right now in the world."
Beyond the mainstage, the season reaches into the community. Opera al Fresco at the University of Alberta Botanic Garden brings music outdoors in late summer. The Diane Kipnes Valentine's Day Gala at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald serves as Edmonton Opera's major fundraising event. And Opera Pub, a monthly series held at Blue Chair, offers audiences a chance to experience the art form in a more casual setting.
"We really want to make this your season of opera," Ivany said. "If you've thought about it, this is the time to … hop on board and see what opera's all about."
Learn more and get your tickets for Edmonton Opera's 2026-27 season.