Boston Lyric Opera (BLO) announced its lineup for the 2025/26 Season – its 49th – with a diverse range of productions from classic opera to innovative contemporary works and a number of collaborations with other high-profile Boston cultural institutions. Full season details are below and on BLO.org/season.
BLO’s main season features Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth, Samuel Barber’s Vanessa in collaboration with Boston Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Mahler’s Song Of The Earth, Gaetano Donizetti’s Daughter Of The Regiment, and the new opera revue Ride Of The Valkyries!
Three concerts are part of the BLO’s 2025/26 Season including: Mahler’s Symphony NO. 3 in collaboration with Celebrity Series of Boston; Raehann In Recital, a performance by mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis at BLO’s Opera + Community Studios in Fort Point; and She Was There, a concert presented in partnership with Castle of Our Skins that blends opera, spirituals and contemporary works to illuminate the overlooked stories of revolutionary Black women in America.
BLO continues its ongoing series of free and affordable community music events, including this summer’s return of the popular free mobile opera program Street Stage, which will be produced across the city of Boston with a variety of partners.
“Our 49th season strengthens bonds across neighborhoods, generations, cultures and ideas,” says Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO Bradley Vernatter. “From the ambitious grandeur of opera at the historic Emerson Colonial Theatre to the innovation of our signature installation performances and collaborations in community spaces across the city, this season reflects the heartbeat of Boston Lyric Opera. Together, we engage hearts and minds, and embrace new possibilities for ourselves and the communities we share.”
MACBETH
Opening the season is Giuseppe Verdi’s powerful tragedy, Macbeth, based on William Shakespeare’s classic play and performed at the Emerson Colonial Theatre October 10 and 12, 2025. Conducted by David Angus and directed by Steven Maler (who helmed BLO’s free Romeo and Juliet on the Boston Common in 2022), this production stars Norman Garrett in the tyrannical title role and Alexandra LoBianco as the scheming Lady Macbeth. Blending Shakespearean drama with Verdi’s compelling music, MACBETH offers a dark and supernatural tale of ambition and fate. Additional casting includes David Junghoon Kim as Macduff, Zaikuan Song as Banquo, Omar Najmi as Malcolm and Vera Savage as Lady in Waiting.
RIDE OF THE
VALKYRIES!
On November 12, 2025 BLO will premiere the new operatic revue, Ride Of The Valkyries!, with a distinctive take on epic arias and popular stories through unexpected mashups and high-flying musical moments. With Christine Goerke and Morris Robinson leading the cast, and BLO Music Director David Angus conducting members of the BLO Orchestra, the show hurtles audiences from the heights of Wagner’s mountaintops to the serene canals of Venice in a fast-paced show that promises great music and extraordinary singing. Performance takes place at the SoWa Power Station in Boston’s South End neighborhood, a new venue in BLO’s 20-year history of installation performances at unique locations.
VANESSA
On January 8 and 10, 2026, BLO presents Samuel Barber’s 1958 masterwork Vanessa, with a libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, in collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall. BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons leads a team of highly acclaimed opera stars in this cosmopolitan and nostalgic Pulitzer Prize-winner about lost love and the consequences of self-delusion. The VANESSA cast includes soprano Jennifer Holloway in the title role, mezzo-sopranos Samantha Hankey (as Erika) and Anne Sofie von Otter (as the Old Baroness), tenor Pavel Černoch (Anatol), baritone Thomas Hampson (Old Doctor) and bass Wei Wu (Major Domo/Footman). The production features the Tanglewood Festival Chorus (James Burton, Conductor) and Boston Lyric Opera Chorus (Brett Hodgdon, Chorus Director).
SONG OF THE EARTH
Spring starts with Gustav Mahler’s Song Of The Earth (Das Lied von der Erde), to be staged as an installation from March 20-29, 2026 – the first such performance in BLO’s renovated Opera + Community Studios in Fort Point. The performance will be conducted by David Angus and directed by Anne Bogart (BLO’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs, and Carousel). Raehann Bryce-Davis and Brandon Jovanovich star. Using the Arnold Schoenberg arrangement of Mahler’s score, with text from poet Hans Bethge’s collection Die chinesische Flöte, this 1909 work for two voices and orchestra is a meditation on the transience of life, the inevitability of death, and the beauty and sorrow of earthly existence.
DAUGHTER OF THE
REGIMENT
BLO returns to the Emerson Colonial Theatre April 24-May 3, 2026 for a production of Gaetano Donizetti’s Daughter Of The Regiment, featuring new English dialogue by playwright Kirsten Greenidge (who revised the spoken word text for BLO’s The Anonymous Lover). Greenidge resets the story of a young woman adopted by a troop of soldiers during the American Revolution and models the young woman after Massachusetts native Deborah Sampson. The production aligns with the national 250th commemoration of American independence. Conducted by Kelly Kuo and directed by John de los Santos, Daughter Of The Regiment features Brenda Rae in the title role of Marie, Spencer Britten as Tonio and Kenneth Kellogg as Sulpice. Additional details and casting will be announced soon.
“This season, strong women are at the center of our stories,” says BLO Artistic Director Nina Yoshida Nelsen. “From Lady Macbeth’s fierce ambition to Marie’s joyful defiance in Daughter of the Regiment and the emotional odyssey of Das Lied von der Erde—these are portraits of strength in all its forms. That same spirit resonates in the comic reimagining of dialogue by Kirsten Greenidge, the bold theatrical vision of Anne Bogart, and the powerful artistry of Christine Goerke. The insight, creativity and resilience of women guides us toward new perspectives and enriches the heart of the stories we share.”
More Performances
The Boston Lyric Opera Chorus (Brett Hodgdon, Chorus Director) joins with St. Paul’s Choir School (Brandon Straub, Music Director) for a performance of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 by the Budapest Festival Orchestra at Symphony Hall on February 10, 2026. This one-performance event, conducted by Iván Fisher and featuring mezzo-soprano Gerhild Romberger, is presented by Celebrity Series of Boston in collaboration with BLO.
Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis inaugurates BLO’s recital series March 24, 2026 with Raehann In Recital in the intimate environment of its Opera + Community Studios theater in Fort Point. Bryce-Davis – “one of the best mezzo-sopranos of this generation,” New York Observer – leads a performance spanning opera, art song and contemporary works, including selections from her recent release “Evolution” (Lexicon Classics). Bryce-Davis says the album reflects stories of her family, her Mexican/Jamaican roots, and her upbringing as “a Black girl in a small Texas town.” 7:30pm, BLO Opera + Community Studios.
In collaboration with Castle of Our Skins, the Museum of African American History (MAAH) and the West End Museum, Boston Lyric Opera will co-produce a performance of She Was There on June 14, 2026, the culmination of a two-day event aligned with America 250 commemorations. Inspired by the African American spiritual, “Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord),” the performance reimagines the stories that live in cultural memory and centers those of Black women present at historical moments. Performance is at MAAH.
Community Programs
Street Stage
BLO’s mobile opera performance series Street Stage comes to East Boston, the South End the Greenway, South Boston and Jamaica Plain this summer, bringing the power of live opera directly to Boston residents. What began as a creative response to the pandemic has grown into a beloved tradition across the city. Whether staged in charming neighborhood settings or on BLO’s custom-built mobile stage, Street Stage brings world-class live performances that are free and open to all. Additional Street Stage locations will be announced soon.
Boston Public Library
In summer and fall of 2025, Boston Lyric Opera continues its long-standing creative partnership with the Boston Public Library (BPL) through two engaging public programs, “Concert in the Courtyard” and “Opera Night at the BPL,” that offer free performances and conversations that bring opera to audiences of all backgrounds.
“Concert in the Courtyard” takes place August 29, 2025 in the intimate outdoor quadrangle of the BPL Copley Branch’s historic McKim Building. The concert features BLO’s Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists who offer audiences a chance to hear repertoire from the upcoming season and opera favorites.
“Opera Night at the BPL” combines dynamic music with conversations that explore the ideas shaping opera in Boston today. Live performances include show-stopping favorites, re-imagined classics and works from the company’s recent and upcoming seasons. Designed for opera fans and newcomers alike, “Opera Nights” demonstrates music’s revolutionary spirit and opera’s powerful resonance.
Opera Innovators Series
Presented in partnership with Boston Conservatory at Berklee, the “Opera Innovators Series” is a dynamic educational and professional development program that offers BLO’s Jane & Steven Akin Emerging Artists – and Boston Conservatory voice students – access to masterclasses, workshops and collaborative projects with visionary leaders in the field. Masterclasses welcome members of the public to watch as leading guest artists help shape young opera singers’ voices, stage presence, and confidence. Previous seasons’ guest artists have included Larry Brownlee, Jamie Barton and others. The 2025/26 lineup will be announced later.
Opera on Tour: Opera for Kids in Boston Neighborhoods
Boston Lyric Opera brings lively, one-hour performances to locations around the city, designed to spark curiosity and creativity in young audiences. Professional singers, musicians and a teaching artist lead these interactive events to get kids on their feet and exploring opera through music, storytelling and movement. This year’s tour features excerpts and storytelling from Daughter Of The Regiment – a playful introduction to BLO’s April production.
Tickets
Many of BLO’s performances are ticketed events. Two-, three- and four-part subscriptions for Macbeth, Ride of the Valkyries, Song of the Earth and Daughter of the Regiment are available now. Subscribers receive early access to tickets for Vanessa, Mahler’s Third, and Raehann in Recital. Individual tickets for all performances will be available later. Information on season tickets is available at blo.org/subscriptions.
BLO’s Street Stage
Boston Lyric Opera’s Street Stage was born in 2020, created to bring the power of live opera directly to communities during a time when gathering safely was a challenge. What began as a creative response to the pandemic has grown into a beloved tradition across Greater Boston. Our custom-built mobile stage brings world-class, live performances to parks, plazas, and street corners, completely free and open to all. Whether you’re a longtime opera lover or hearing it for the first time, BLO Street Stage invites everyone to experience the joy of live music, right in their own neighborhood.
Join us for Boston Lyric Opera’s
2025 Summer Street Stage Series!
Street Stage @ SoWa Open Market (South Boston)
July 27 | 11:00am
Street Stage @ Rose Kennedy Greenway (Downtown)
July 30 | 6:30pm
Street Stage @ Moakley Park Summer Nights (South Boston)
August 20 | 5:30pm
Street Stage @ Charlestown Navy Yard
August 23 | 3:30pm
Street Stage @ Curtis Hall (Jamaica Plain)
September 11 | 6:30pm