Dive into Garsington Opera's 2026 season, a harmonious blend of captivating operatic performances, insightful talks, and distinguished artists. From Imogen Cooper's masterful piano recital to thought-provoking discussions around operatic masterpieces like 'La traviata' and 'The Importance of Being Earnest', this season promises a rich cultural tapestry. Featuring renowned artists and fresh talents, Garsington Opera offers a unique exploration of classical and innovative works, appealing to both seasoned opera lovers and newcomers alike.

Garsington Opera 2026: A Season of Musical Splendor and Insightful Talks

James Gilchrist

James Creswell

Cecelia Hall

Ed Lyon

Rowan Pierce

Claire Lees

Jessica Cale

Laurence Cummings

Benjamin Hulett

Innocent Masuku

Stuart Jackson

Dafydd Jones

Fiona Kimm

Alberto Miguélez Rouco

Arielle Smith

John Caird

Paul Pyant

Robert Jones

Garsington Opera

The English Concert

One of opera’s most enduring masterpieces, with music of exquisite tenderness and lyricism, Verdi’s La traviata is a tragic story that is both powerful and deeply touching. Returning after their sparkling production of Platée (2024) and RPS Awardwinning The Turn of the Screw (2019/22) are director Louisa Muller and designer Christopher Oram. We also welcome back Madison Leonard and Oleksiy Palchycov as Violetta and Alfredo, whose partnership delighted us all in L’elisir d’amore last year. The Philharmonia Orchestra will perform under the baton of Douglas Boyd, and Tess Jackson will make her conducting debut with Garsington Opera for two performances.

La traviata

Wormsley

Following their acclaimed production of Orfeo in 2022, we welcome back the same creative team to perform the second of Monteverdi’s opera trilogy. John Caird will direct and Laurence Cummings will conduct The English Concert on the stage, with a stellar cast lead by Cecelia Hall and Ed Lyon.

In the last five fruitful years of his life, Monteverdi wrote this opera for the carnival season of 1640, a time for music, dance and masquerading. His musical style, so astonishingly bold and innovative when he wrote Orfeo more than thirty years earlier, has developed yet further, with arias and duets that give full life and humanity to his characters.

Il ritorno d'Ulisse

Gerald Barry’s witty and highly original adaptation of this much-loved masterpiece will be conducted by Douglas Boyd and directed by Jack Furness, following his celebrated Garsington productions of The Queen of Spades and Rusalka. The visually striking, colourful and bombastic production features the return of Jennifer France, Henry Waddington and Seán Boylan, with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

If you have any preconceptions about an opera based on Oscar Wilde’s brilliant 1894 comedy of manners and misapprehensions, be prepared to abandon them. The composer Gerald Barry adores the play and has taken inspiration from Wilde’s statement “That we should treat all trivial things in life very seriously, and all serious things in life with a sincere and studied triviality”, turning the play inside out and upside down with reckless effrontery. As Barry has said, “The play’s bones are unshatterable. My version is an X-ray of it.” Any shattering that occurs during the course of the entertainment is more likely to be of plates than of dramatic structure.

The Importance of Being Earnest

Il ritorno d'Ulisse

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