Name: Les Talens Lyriques
Start: 2026-05-24T14:00:00
Location: Colburn School

Join Les Talens Lyriques, under the direction of maestro Christophe Rousset, as they embark on an extraordinary musical journey through a series of captivating performances. From opera seria in Vienna to Handelian heroes in Los Angeles, this ensemble brings to life the timeless charm of oratorios, choral pieces, and orchestral works. Featuring renowned soloists and a diverse range of venues, these events are a testament to the enduring allure of Baroque and classical music. Discover the stories behind each performance and the artists who make them unforgettable.

Les Talens Lyriques: A Journey Through Baroque and Beyond

The LA Opera is set to deliver an unforgettable season with a lineup of remarkable performances featuring renowned artists and captivating productions. From the return of tenor Juan Diego Flórez to the thrilling opera 'Akhnaten' by Philip Glass, the dynamic 'Falstaff' by Giuseppe Verdi, to legendary soprano Renée Fleming gracing the stage, audiences are in for a treat. Each event promises to showcase the immense talent and creativity that define the LA Opera, making it a must-attend for music and opera enthusiasts alike.

A Spectacular Season of Operatic Excellence at LA Opera

Les Talens Lyriques, the renowned Paris-based ensemble, is set to captivate audiences with its 2026 season, featuring an array of Baroque masterpieces. Under the baton of Christophe Rousset, the ensemble will traverse the realms of opera, choral, and orchestral performances across Europe and beyond. From Gassmann's 'Opera seria' to Mozart's 'La clemenza di Tito,' each event promises a unique blend of historical and musical richness, featuring a roster of distinguished performers. This season is a celebration of Baroque ingenuity, offering an exceptional exploration of its timeless beauty.

Exploring the Baroque Genius: Les Talens Lyriques' 2026 Season

The LA Opera presents a captivating lineup for its 2026 season, featuring the enthralling revival of Philip Glass's 'Akhnaten', a masterful recital by acclaimed soprano Nadine Sierra, and the comedic genius of Verdi's 'Falstaff'. Conductor James Conlon is celebrated for his significant contributions, and Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' offers a magical finale. The Parisian group Les Talens Lyriques and renowned soprano Renée Fleming complete this star-studded season, promising a sensational journey through diverse operatic landscapes.

LA Opera 2026: A Spectacular Season of Visionary Performances and Stellar Voices

Christophe Rousset

Sandrine Piau

LA Opera

Les Talens Lyriques

Sir John Falstaff finds himself a bit short on cash, so he hatches a scheme: seduce two merry (and wealthy) wives of Windsor and live out his days in luxury. Too bad this bumbling knight happened to send both his targets the same love letter! Now Alice Ford and Meg Page are set on teaching Falstaff a lesson, and it's not long before a long list of his adversaries join in. Audiences are in for a whirlwind of disguises and deceptions, and maybe even an unexpected dip in the River Thames.

James Conlon conducts one of his personal favorites, Verdi's utterly delightful comic masterpiece. Longtime company favorite Craig Colclough stars as the boastful Falstaff, leading a brilliant ensemble cast that includes Nicole Heaston, Ernesto Petti and Hyona Kim among the pranksters all too happy to take the errant knight down a peg, with Deanna Breiwick and Anthony León as the young lovers desperate to steal a private moment to themselves among the madness. This classic comedy gets an equally classic staging by Lee Blakeley, with atmospheric sets and sumptuous period costumes designed by Adrian Linford.

Falstaff

The Music Center

Fresh from their acclaimed performance last season, the Paris-based ensemble is back with the best of Baroque. Soprano Sandrine Piau joins conductor and founder Christophe Rousset for a cornucopia of musical delights by Handel.

Colburn School

Once upon a time, a prince awakens in a mysterious land with an even more mysterious task.  Armed with enchanted bells and (you guessed it) a magic flute, Prince Tamino sets off, bound and determined to rescue his lady love, the Princess Pamina—only to find that things aren’t what they seem, and the Queen of the Night who sent him on his quest just might be plotting his doom instead.

James Conlon ends his legendary tenure as LA Opera Music Director with the world's most popular opera in one of our most emblematic productions. Mozart's catchy melodies meet astonishing projected animations in our perennial crowd pleaser. Miles Mykkanen makes his LA Opera debut as Prince Tamino opposite Sydney Mancasola as the beautiful Pamina. Kyle Miller might just steal the show as the lovable sidekick Papageno, while Aigul  Khismatullina and Kwangchul Youn face off as the Queen of the Night and Sarastro.

The Magic Flute

Today’s most celebrated soprano can boast five Grammy wins, a National Medal of Arts, and a live performance at the Super Bowl. The legendary songstress returns to Los Angeles to delight audiences with her incomparable artistry and astonishingly beautiful voice. 

Renée Fleming in Recital

Carmen is desirable, defiant, and driven. She thinks nothing of charming a soldier to escape a spot of trouble—never imagining that he would abandon his childhood sweetheart and desert his post to follow her.  But Don José is a jealous lover, and as Carmen begins a new relationship with the bullfighter Escamillo,  his passion turns dark—and deadly. 

Bizet's masterpiece arrives onstage in a brand-new production drenched in Spanish Gothic splendor, created by director/designer Thaddeus Strassberger. Domingo Hindoyan opens his inaugural season as Music Director with one of the world's most iconic scores.

Carmen

Los Angeles Music Center

Hercules vs. Vampires is a musical reimagining of the legendary Mario Bava's 1961 sword-and-sandal creature-feature — a color-drenched epic that was already highly operatic in scope. When the actors on the big screen, including  British body builder Reg Park (mentor to Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the great Christopher Lee (Hammer's Dracula, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) open their mouths to speak, the audience hears their lines belted-out   by a cast of nine opera singers, accompanied by the LA Opera Orchestra. This campy 'midnight movie'  outshines its genre in ambitious special effects and striking cinematography,  perfectly married to Patrick Morganelli's adventurous new opera composition. Fill your Halloween with equal amounts of BEEF and CHEESE in the amazing gothic cathedral that is The United Theater on Broadway, and feel free to come in costume!

Hercules vs Vampires

The United Theater on Broadway

Critically acclaimed by virtually every major classical music outlet and praised by Gramophone as having "the sort of instrument you could listen to all day," Jamie Barton is sure to make an impression on stage with her unconquerable vocals, colorful personality and fascinating repertoire.

Jamie Barton

The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts

Voltaire's signature satire, Bernstein's stunning score, and several dashes of slapstick comedy—it's the best of all possible worlds. Follow the optimist Candide as he faces romantic rejection, natural disasters, the Inquisition—you know, the everyday ups and downs of life. 

Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads Bernstein's opera-meets-Broadway hybrid, with songs such as "Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow." Tag along with our intrepid hero on a round-the-world adventure, surrounded by a feast of 18th-century eye candy courtesy of Tony Award-winning designer Jennifer Moeller.

Candide

King Nebuchadnezzer is on a rampage against Jerusalem,  unaware that his daughter Fenena has fallen for the enemy. But when his other (secretly adopted) daughter Abigaille discovers her true parentage, she seizes the crown for herself, unleashing an onslaught of  betrayal, blasphemy, and divine wrath. 

Director/designer Thaddeus Strassberger stages an opulent original production that transports the hanging gardens of Babylon to the gilded theaters of Milan. Fast-rising baritone Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar makes his LA debut opposite the sensational Angela Meade in this groundbreaking opera that first made Verdi a household name.

Nabucco

Step into the irresistible world of 17th-century Italian opera as conductor Christophe Rousset leads Les Talens Lyriques in a program entitled Two Venetians in Naples,   a vibrant tribute to  the dynamic cultural exchange between Venice and Naples—where audiences clamored for the groundbreaking works of Venetian composers Claudio Monteverdi and Francesco Cavalli.

Rousset spotlights the era's most sensual duets, exquisite arias and spirited instrumental pieces, enriched with music by Andrea Falconieri for a native Neapolitan flair. Sisters Apolline and Thaïs Raï-Westphal bring their perfectly blended soprano voices and effortless artistry to every passionate moment.

Princess Turandot is famous for her beauty and infamous for sending aspiring suitors to the executioner. When Calaf puts his life on the line for a chance to win her heart, he must confront three impossible riddles—while keeping his  own identity as an exiled prince a secret. 

It's a sensory delight as Puccini's grandest opera returns with jaw-dropping maximalist sets from David Hockney. Ewa  Płonka, renowned for her "steely, imposing Turandot"  (WSJ) across the world's biggest stages, makes her LA Opera debut as the titular ice princess.

Turandot

Fresh from their “terrifically enjoyable” (Gramophone) duet album Golden Age, soprano Erin Morley and tenor Lawrence Brownlee make long-awaited returns to the company. The duo will celebrate the timeless beauty of music by Donizetti, Rossini, Bizet, Delibes and Verdi in an unforgettable evening of exquisite arias and heartfelt duets.

Les Talens Lyriques

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