English National Opera has announced its 2026/27 season, presenting nine operas across London and Greater Manchester, including six new productions, as the company continues to expand its dual-centre model between the two cities.
At the centre of the season is the first UK staging in 15 years of Einstein on the Beach, the landmark work by Philip Glassand Robert Wilson. Directed by Phelim McDermott, the production forms part of an international collaboration with Factory International, Park Avenue Armory and Improbable, and will premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester in June 2027. It completes McDermott’s staging of Glass’s portrait trilogy following Satyagraha and Akhnaten.
In London, artistic director Annilese Miskimmon directs new productions of Tosca and Adriana Mater at the London Coliseum. The two works are presented as a connected pairing, exploring themes of art, conflict and aftermath. Puccini’s Tosca is relocated to a contemporary European state in crisis, while Adriana Mater, by Kaija Saariaho with a libretto by Amin Maalouf, examines the legacy of violence in a post-war setting. For one day in December, both operas will be performed consecutively.
Also new to ENO is Iphigénie en Tauride by Christoph Willibald Gluck, directed by Lyndsey Turner, and Breaking the Waves, the operatic adaptation by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek of Lars von Trier’s 1996 film, which receives its London premiere in a production by Tinuke Craig. A double bill of Trial by Jury and The Zoo completes the new productions at the Coliseum.
The season also includes revivals of La traviata, in Peter Konwitschny’s staging, and Angel’s Bone by Du Yun and Royce Vavrek, which transfers to London following its Manchester premiere. A one-night presentation of To Die For [A Comedy] by Elena Langer is also scheduled.
Beyond performance, the company continues its participation and development work, including the expansion of its Under 21 free ticket scheme across both regions, and the appointment of conductor Néstor Bayona as the new Mackerras Fellow under Music Director Designate André de Ridder.
