Stage Director

Countless fans know and love Leonard Bernstein’s landmark work, but few have seen it like this. Originally conceived as an opera, we’re paying tribute to Bernstein’s impact with the grand operatic treatment. Rather than a small-scale instrumental ensemble, we’re unleashing the power of the LA Opera Orchestra—not to mention a magnificent cast in top vocal and physical form. Be there as James Conlon and director Francesca Zambello dive into one of the most emblematic works of American theater with this elevated, maximalist take that incorporates the iconic original choreography created by the legendary Jerome Robbins.

New York City’s West Side is split between the Jets and the Sharks—but these warring gangs never imagined that two of their own could fall in love. Tenor Duke Kim is Tony, a former Jet who finds himself falling for Maria (the radiant Gabriella Reyes). But Maria is promised to another, and her brother Bernardo is more than willing to rally his Sharks to keep it that way. The two lovers dream of a happily ever after, but their neighborhood can see tragedy coming a mile away.

West Side Story

The Music Center

It’s “summertime, and the livin’ is easy” in Catfish Row, a working-class fishing town in South Carolina. When a murder shakes the community and tempts Bess to return to her drug-filled past, Porgy becomes her unlikely refuge. As a hurricane descends and Bess’ violent old flame returns, she’ll find herself torn between Porgy’s steadfast love and the demons that tempt her.

EPSG:4326

Porgy and Bess

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Wagner’s Tannhäuser receives a highly anticipated new staging from internationally acclaimed director Francesca Zambello—and Houston audiences will be the first to experience her strikingly beautiful production. Lust and love, diametrically opposed forces in the opera’s universe, do battle within the title character’s psyche as the story unfolds. At curtain’s open, Tannhäuser has abandoned his life as a poet who sings of courtly love in favor of the carnal delights of the goddess Venus, spending a rapture-filled year on her magic mountain in the sky. Seeking something more, he renounces her, hoping to find redemption—and a union back home in Germany with his spiritual love Elisabeth. But his epic journey to salvation has been cursed.  

Tannhäuser

Wortham Theater Center

From the moment Maria and Tony step onto the dance floor, their intense chemistry sends sparks flying, igniting a romance destined for tragedy. The gorgeous young pair have fallen in immediate, all-consuming love—a love made dangerous by the turf war raging between the Sharks and the Jets. Transporting Shakespeare’s story of star-cross’d lovers Romeo and Juliet to a New York setting, West Side Story is the creation of composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, choreographer Jerome Robbins, and playwright Arthur Laurents.  

As free as a rebellious bird, it is hard to escape the magnetic allure of Carmen. Entranced by her passionate seguidilla, the soldier Don José descends into a dangerous spiral of desire.

Carmen

War Memorial Opera House

Sunday Opera Matinee 2:30PM
This is not a dress rehearsal, seating for group tours is subject to availability.
Bus returns to Lorenzo Center by 6pm approximately subject to run of performance and traffic conditions.

La Travìata

Macomb Center for the Performing Arts

His music transcends opera stages and into pop culture. His stories transport audiences to immersive worlds where music and drama intertwine. Richard Wagner revolutionized opera with his innovative orchestrations and unparalleled theatrical visions. Now, join a special one-night-only celebration of the composer who harnessed the potent power of music.

Gods & Mortals: A Celebration of Wagner

Florestan suffers in a secret underground cell, unjustly incarcerated for his political beliefs. But a light in the darkness is breaking: Leonore, Florestan’s wife, has disguised herself as the male guard Fidelio to free her beloved. By infiltrating the system that oppresses her husband, can she be the voice that overthrows it—and free her country from a brutal regime?

Fidelio

 Elegance and grandeur abound in this updated 20th century setting of Verdi’s treasured opera. The vibrant Violetta falls in love with young nobleman Alfredo, but society tests their love and demands sacrifice. Will they find happiness before it’s too late?  



La traviata

Detroit Opera House

Experience the power and passion of Puccini's final masterpiece, "Turandot," in a new production that promises to captivate audiences at the Kennedy Center's Opera House from May 11 to May 25, 2024. Directed by the acclaimed Francesca Zambello, this rendition of "Turandot" is not just an opera; it's a journey into the heart of love's transformative power.

Set against the backdrop of ancient China, "Turandot" tells the tale of the cold-hearted Princess Turandot, who challenges her suitors to solve three riddles on pain of death. The plot thickens when Prince Calaf, mesmerized by Turandot's beauty, takes on the challenge, leading to a story of risk, riddles, and romantic determination. This production is unique, featuring a WORLD PREMIERE ending that offers a fresh perspective on the classic opera. With music by Giacomo Puccini and Christopher Tin, and a libretto by Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni, and Susan Soon He Stanton, this "Turandot" is a blend of traditional opera with contemporary creativity.

The opera is performed in Italian with projected English titles, ensuring that all attendees can fully immerse themselves in the drama and beauty of the performance. The cast features some of the opera world's most talented voices, including Ewa Plonka, Marjorie Owens, Yonghoon Lee, Jonathan Burton, and Peixin Chen, among others. Speranza Scappucci conducts, bringing her renowned skill to Puccini's score, which includes the iconic aria "Nessun dorma."

Tickets for "Turandot" are available as part of a subscription to the Washington National Opera (WNO) season, offering not just the best seats but also exclusive savings and maximum flexibility. The opera's run includes several performances, ensuring ample opportunity for opera enthusiasts and newcomers alike to experience this spectacular production.

Mark your calendars for the opening night on May 11, 2024, and prepare for an evening of unforgettable opera. "Turandot" at the Kennedy Center is more than just a performance; it's an event that promises to leave audiences pondering the power of love and the mysteries of the human heart.

Turandot

A tale of resistance, courage, and joy: The Sound of Music, whose story begins in the hills of Austria on the eve of the Nazis’ annexation, resonates as much today as during the musical’s 1959 premiere. Acclaimed director Francesca Zambello incorporates songs from both the theatrical version and its famous cinematic adaptation into her new production, a vibrant staging of the beloved story of the von Trapp children, their stern father, and the novice-turned-governess Maria who changes their lives. The Wortham Theater is the perfect place to experience Rodgers and Hammerstein’s original vision for their timeless musical, propelled by the full power of the world-class HGO Orchestra and Chorus and a peerless cast including world-famous mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as Maria and baritone Alexander Birch Elliott as the Captain. HGO’s Richard Bado takes the podium to conduct this classic family-friendly production. 

The Sound Of Music

Opera at its grandest! While Aida delights audiences with its visual splendor, it also captivates them with a score ranging from exquisitely intimate arias to deeply dramatic duets and trios, and the most thrilling choruses Verdi ever composed. At Lyric Opera of Chicago, each of the five principal artists boasts not only a sumptuously beautiful voice, but also the charismatic presence to bring these characters and the opera's story of a riveting love triangle vividly to life. Conducting Francesca Zambello’s striking production will be Music Director Enrique Mazzola, acknowledged internationally as an exceptionally authoritative Verdian.

Aida

Lyric Opera House

Shostakovich’s absurdist masterpiece makes its long anticipated Chicago debut in a new production by legendary director Francesca Zambello. Kovalyov wakes up one morning to discover his nose has not only taken on a life of its own, but is a high-ranking government official. Kovalyov chases his nose around the streets of St. Petersburg in a hilarious series of events, encountering many quirky characters along the way. With an electrifying avant-garde score by legendary Russian composer Dmitiri Shostakovich, it is sure to appeal to your scents of humor.

The Nose

Harris Theater

World-renowned tenor Matthew Polenzani joins the talented artist-fellows of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS program in a striking performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo—a rarely-performed work that showcases Mozart’s operatic genius at its most grand. The opera tells a remarkable tale of power, love, and sacrifice after Idomeneo, King of Crete, emerges victorious in the Trojan war but encounters a great storm as he sails home. Beautiful arias and tremendous choral scenes highlight why this opera seria is regarded as Mozart’s earliest operatic masterpiece. Go on an adventure within the grand space of the Benedict Music Tent as this mythical dramatic opera comes to life.

Mozart's Idomeneo

Aspen Meadows Resort

Tune in to a free livestream of this opera performance live from the Benedict Music Tent.

Livestream: Mozart's Idomeneo

Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS faculty coach the program's major emerging talents in opera scenes. Enjoy excerpts from the repertoire, ravishing voices, and insightful coaching. This week's focus is on opera scenes.

Opera Encounters

Wheeler Opera House

Elegant. Emotional. Unforgettable. How much would you sacrifice for love? Violetta holds court at every party in Paris, toasting to high-class pleasures alongside affluent men. But beneath the grandeur lies a fatal disease. Will her time run out before she knows true love? Verdi’s timeless story of fate and sacrifice, renowned for its soaring arias and heart-wrenching ending, proves how “love is the heartbeat of the universe.”

Seattle Center

WNO’s acclaimed commissioning program for contemporary American opera enters its tenth exciting season.

This season, three talented composer-librettist teams—B.E. Boykin and Jarrod Lee, Jens Ibsen and Cecelia Raker, and Silen Wellington and Walken Schweigert—showcase their three new one-act operas.

American Opera Initiative (AOI) mentorship is led by newly appointed AOI Artistic Advisor and librettist Kelley Rourke, librettist and filmmaker Kimberly Reed, composer Carlos Simon, and WNO Principal Conductor Evan Rogister, who will lead a chamber orchestra of WNO Orchestra members. The concert staging will be directed by WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello.

American Opera Initiative

Kennedy Center

Relationships are hard work. Especially when it's between a prisoner of war and her captor. Oh, and their love has to remain a secret (for obvious reasons).  Verdi's epic drama Aida returns to our stage for the first time in 16 years, in a sensational production starring Latonia Moore and Russell Thomas. Director Francesca Zambello conjures a gorgeous world where hieroglyphics by the L.A.-based artist RETNA create a striking backdrop to the timeless story. Expect to be further blown away by a huge chorus and orchestra, a ballet, and beautiful music that's both intimate and heroic in this grandest of grand operas.

Los Angeles Music Center

The epic Tony-award winning musical RAGTIME makes its Montana debut in a new production by the visionary and groundbreaking stage director Francesca Zambello, artistic director of Washington National Opera. Set during the dramatically changing landscape of the early 20th-century, RAGTIME masterfully intertwines the stories of three diverse families as they seek the American Dream. Featuring unforgettable songs and a powerhouse cast, this captivating musical of hope and resilience resonates more than ever with today’s audiences.

Ragtime

Ellen Theatre

A love story of passion, sacrifice, and heartbreak, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly delivers some of the most exquisite music ever written. The young geisha Cio-Cio-San gives up everything for love, only to face devastating betrayal in a story that unfolds with haunting beauty and emotional depth. With achingly beautiful lyricism and gut-wrenching tragedy, one of opera’s most powerful productions will stay with you long after the final note.

Madama Butterfly

Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s beloved musical returns to the Alice Busch Opera Theater in a bold new production directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by James Lowe. Set on the cusp of statehood, Oklahoma! celebrates the dreams and complexities of settlers forging new lives on the frontier. This fresh staging evokes both the grandeur of the American landscape and the optimism of the artists who created the work as World War II raged. Oklahoma! is many things: a landmark of musical theater, a grand love story, and an invitation to reflect on the promise of America.

Stage Director

Francesca Zambello

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 23 - Feb 1, 2026

Ragtime · Opera Montana

Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2026

Madama Butterfly · North Carolina Opera

Jul 10 - Aug 15, 2026

Oklahoma! · Glimmerglass Festival

Past events

Sep 20 - Oct 12, 2025

West Side Story · LA Opera

23 - 31 May, 2025

Porgy and Bess · Washington National Opera

About

Francesca Zambello hasn't added a bio