Israeli Opera Announces Diverse 2026/27 Season Featuring Classics and New Works

The Israeli Opera has unveiled its 2026/27 season program, featuring seven major productions that blend familiar classics with a significant 20th-century work and the world premiere of a new Israeli opera. The repertoire includes pieces by Mozart, Verdi, Rossini, Gounod, and Bizet, alongside Benjamin Britten's "Peter Grimes" and "The Outcast," a new opera by Yonatan Knaan.

The new season also marks changes in artistic leadership. Shirit Lee Weiss has been appointed artistic director, while Dan Ettinger's contract as music director has been extended for four years. Martin Engström, founder of the Verbier Festival, joins as senior artistic advisor, focusing on international partnerships and guest artists.

The season opens in October with Mozart's "The Magic Flute," a production originally planned for the opera's 40th anniversary but postponed due to the war. November will see the premiere of Britten's "Peter Grimes," directed by Mariusz Treliński, a co-production with the Polish National Opera.

In January, Verdi's "Un ballo in maschera," staged by Leo Muscato, will be presented, followed by Gounod's "Faust" in February, a co-production with the Royal Theatre of Turin and Opera Lausanne. April brings a new staging of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" by André Barbe and Renaud Doucet, reimagining the classic in a fantastical setting.

A central element of the season is the world premiere of "The Outcast" by Yonatan Knaan, with a libretto and direction by Ido Riklin. Set in Tiberias in 1938, the opera tells the story of a young singer navigating complex relationships between Jewish and Arab communities, inspired by a true story. It will be performed in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.

Bizet's "Carmen," directed by Jean-Louis Grinda, will close the season in July, returning the action to 1875 and centering on a bullfighting arena. The opera house also aims to expand its audience through initiatives like the OPERA CLUB, a young friends' club established in 2024, now chaired by Shani Pricdan.