Royal Ballet and Opera (RBO) today announces the 2026/27 Season, a showcase of world‑class talent across both bold reinterpretations of classic works and groundbreaking new creations. This expansive Season underscores the RBO’s commitment to delivering extraordinary artistic experiences that resonate deeply with audiences across the globe.
Alex Beard, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Ballet and Opera said:
“Our 2026/27 Season is a celebration of bold storytelling, artistic innovation and inspiring performances that push the possibilities of our art forms. Through world‑class music, dance and theatre, we aim to connect with audiences not only in our two theatres, but across the globe.
Alongside our cinema season, digital platforms and international reach, we are opening doors for people right across the UK through our expanding schools and community programmes – inspiring creativity and growing access to our art forms for all.”
The Royal Opera
The Royal Opera presents an exciting Season of landmark new productions and powerful revivals. In her Main Stage debut, Royal Opera Associate Director Netia Jones – renowned for her inventive use of digital media – leans into technology to reimagine Mozart’s comedy of manners Così fan tutte through a sharply contemporary lens. Thomas Hengelbrock conducts.
Evgeny Titov makes his House debut, his Parsifal offering a visionary dystopian perspective on Wagner’s sublime epic. Royal Opera Music Director Jakub Hrůša conducts, later returning to conduct a new production of Un ballo in maschera directed by Philipp Stölzl in his House debut, and a revival of Richard Jones’ production of Janáček’s searing Káťa Kabanová. He also leads a concert performance of Duke Bluebeard’s Castle paired with The Rite of Spring showcasing the full force of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The Royal Opera’s Principal Guest Conductor, Speranza Scappucci, leads the revival of Richard Jones’s Il trittico – a rare chance to experience Puccini’s complete triptych.
Barrie Kosky brings his acclaimed journey through Wagner’s momentous Ring cycle to its powerful conclusion with Götterdämmerung, conducted by Conductor Laureate of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano. Pappano also reunites with Director of Opera Oliver Mears for a new production of La Gioconda, following its widely praised debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival. La Gioconda has not been staged at Covent Garden for almost a century. The Season further features Kosky’s striking new staging of Handel’s Hercules. Conducted by Baroque specialist Laurence Cummings, this production marks the work’s first return to Covent Garden since 1750 and continues the Company’s acclaimed Handel series.
Further operatic highlights include Netia Jones’s first programmed Linbury Theatre Season, featuring the world premiere of Brett Dean’s double bill Good Sometimes Queen, directed by Ola Ince. The Company also revives 4.48 Psychosis, Philip Venables’ award‑winning operatic adaptation of Sarah Kane’s seminal 2000 play. Having previously collaborated with The Royal Ballet and Wayne McGregor on Untitled, 2023, Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir sees her chamber opera UR_ brought to the stage in Jones’s technologically bold, ritual‑infused production.
In a co‑production with Irish National Opera, the Season also marks a significant milestone with Les Boréades, the first-ever staging of Rameau by The Royal Opera at Covent Garden. American director R.B. Schlather makes his House debut alongside another debut: Camille Delaforge, who conducts the Irish Baroque Orchestra, bringing this rarely performed masterpiece to brilliant life.
Oliver Mears, Director of The Royal Opera, said:
“With the world in turmoil, The Royal Opera presents a Season of enchantment and exhilaration, featuring a thrilling range of repertoire: from the first-ever Rameau opera staged at Covent Garden by The Royal Opera to radical contemporary masterpieces; from debut directors creating bold new versions of Così fan tutte and Parsifal to Barrie Kosky’s highly anticipated Götterdämmerung – the conclusion of our breathtaking new Ring cycle. Underpinning everything are our world-class artists: the very best singers working today, with the finest conductors and theatre-makers to create experiences of unforgettable music drama.”
A series of powerful first revivals also return to the stage: Christof Loy’s staging of Strauss’ Elektra, conducted by Semyon Bychkov, Richard Jones’ Olivier Award‑winning Alcina conducted by David Bates, and Oliver Mears’ Tosca, conducted by Daniel Oren. Audience favourites also make a welcome return. David McVicar’s production of The Magic Flute, conducted by Dalia Stasevska who makes her debut and Julia Jones; Kasper Holten’s Don Giovanni, conducted by Stefano Montanari; Damiano Michieletto’s Carmen, conducted by Sesto Quatrini; Robert Carsen’s Aida, conducted by Michele Mariotti; and Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier’s acclaimed Madama Butterfly, conducted by Henrik Nánási.
This Season the Jette Parker Artists celebrate their 25-year anniversary. Alongside their annual Summer Performance on the Main Stage and their highly popular Jukebox event in September, the Programme will be celebrating with a series of world-class recitals and events.
As Principal Partner of The Royal Opera, Rolex congratulates the Company on its 2026/27 programme which features Rolex Testimonee Bryn Terfel. Through its Perpetual Arts Initiative, Rolex fosters excellence and achievement at the highest level and contributes to preserving and enriching our cultural heritage.
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The Royal Ballet
This Season, The Royal Ballet proudly unveils a programme that both honours an extraordinary lineage and embraces the exhilarating future of the art form – a celebration of the world’s finest dancers and the creative forces redefining what ballet can be.
In celebration of his 20th anniversary as Resident Choreographer, The Royal Ballet revives Wayne McGregor’s Chroma. The ballet burst onto the scene in 2006, electrifying audiences with its radical exploration of the extremes of the human body. With a powerful original score by Joby Talbot and Jack White III, Chroma and its success led to McGregor’s appointment in his current role and earned him his first of four Olivier awards.
This landmark moment anchors an extraordinary mixed programme, Disruptors, in May 2027, when audiences are invited to experience ballet anew through four genre‑defying works from today’s most compelling contemporary voices. Pam Tanowitz brings her unmistakable blend of wit, playfulness and emotional depth in Or Forevermore, joined by Never Known, the atmospheric 2024 creation by Royal Ballet dancer and choreographer Joshua Junker. Completing the Disruptors programme is Hunting a Whisper in the Wind, a poetic pas de deux from Akram Khan, the internationally acclaimed choreographer celebrated for his bold and imaginative approach to storytelling through movement.
The celebration of McGregor’s two decades with the Company continues with the return of his multi‑sensory epic MADDADDAM, following its exhilarating sold‑out UK premiere in 2024. Inspired by Margaret Atwood’s monumental trilogy of novels and with an original score by Max Richter, the work reaffirms its place as one of McGregor’s most visionary and ambitious creations – a defining milestone in a partnership that has reshaped the landscape of contemporary ballet.
The Season also welcomes the return of compelling works that form the bedrock of the Company’s heritage. We open with Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, a dramatic masterpiece of passion and betrayal. In this signature work of The Royal Ballet, MacMillan’s nuanced understanding of human psychology makes for an unflinching look into the moral degradation of Manon’s Paris, while all its decadence and decay are brought to life through Jules Massenet’s score and Nicholas Georgiadis’s designs.
This is followed by Visionaries: Robbins and MacMillan, bringing together two 20th‑century masterpieces: MacMillan’s elegiac Song of the Earth and Jerome Robbins’s much‑loved Dances at a Gathering. Seen side by side, these works highlight the expressive depth and remarkable versatility of our dancers.
In January 2027, The Royal Ballet honours its Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton with Landmarks: Unmissable Ashton – a chance to experience three of his milestone creations across three decades: Les Rendezvous, Symphonic Variations and Daphnis and Chloë. Together, they illuminate the imaginative sweep and exquisite craftsmanship of the choreographer who helped define the very essence of English ballet. The programme is also a rare opportunity in ballet to hear the Royal Opera Chorus combine forces with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Daphnis and Chloë’s immense orchestration by Maurice Ravel.
Christmas brings the return of Peter Wright’s beloved The Nutcracker, revived in his centenary year and continuing its cherished tradition as a festive favourite for audiences of all ages. Liam Scarlett’s acclaimed production of Swan Lake for The Royal Ballet also returns, uniting Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score with John Macfarlane’s sumptuous designs in an enduring tale of love, treachery and redemption.
To mark The Royal Ballet School’s centenary, the Company brings together dancers from The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and The Royal Ballet School in a vibrant showcase of past, present and future talent. A suite from Ninette de Valois’s Checkmate opens the programme, followed by unique performances of Ashton’s Birthday Offering combining dancers from both companies. Completing the evening will be an exciting array of works from other choreographers associated with the School and companies.
For ballets on the Main Stage, Royal Ballet Music Director Koen Kessels leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, alongside staff conductor Martin Georgiev and returning conductors Charlotte Politi, Jonathan Lo and Geoffrey Paterson.
Beyond the Main Stage, the Linbury Theatre comes alive with a dynamic mix of Royal Ballet creativity and exceptional visiting companies. The programme opens with The McRae/Vassilev Project, an exciting new venture bringing together the acclaimed charismatic qualities of Principal dancer Steven McRae and Principal Guest Concert Master Vasko Vassilev in a new fusion of music and movement directed by Natalie Abrahami (Rusalka, The Turn of the Screw). The piece features a new creation choreographed by Loughlan Prior inspired by the music of the prodigious violinist Niccolo Paganini.
Sitting alongside the RBS centenary celebrations is Madam, a tribute to Royal Ballet Founder Ninette de Valois, co-curated by Director Kevin O’Hare and Principal Guest Artist Lauren Cuthbertson. Weaving excerpts from Madam’s ballets with conversation, discussion and film, the programme delves into the enduring impact of this seminal figure of British ballet.
Innovative Danish company Kammerballetten makes its Linbury Theatre debut with Stay Tuned, a poetic full‑length chamber ballet created by the acclaimed choreographic duo Sol León and Paul Lightfoot. Known internationally for their distinctive movement language and celebrated works for companies around the world, including The Royal Ballet’s Main Stage works in June this year, León and Lightfoot bring together nine exceptional dancers and live musicians for a rich, seven‑movement odyssey set to music by Baroque and contemporary composers. With Stay Tuned, the company invites Linbury audiences into an intimate and contemplative fusion of dance and music, demonstrating the artistry that has positioned Kammerballetten at the forefront of contemporary ballet.
Choreographer Pam Tanowitz and Royal Ballet Principal William Bracewell come together for an exciting collaboration in the Linbury Theatre. Once more to this star is set to the piano arrangement of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and an original score by Ted Hearne. Known for her singularly witty deconstruction of balletic vocabulary, Tanowitz shares a special relationship with the Company. She has created four works for The Royal Ballet comprising Everyone Keeps Me and Secret Things in the Linbury Theatre, and Dispatch Duet and Or Forevermore on the Main Stage, for which she also worked with Bracewell. This project will see Bracewell push himself creatively, extending beyond classical ballet as choreographer and dancer continue their unique partnership.
The Company continues to welcome a remarkable roster of guest companies — including Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Ballet Black, London City Ballet, Introdans and Northern Ballet – each enriching the Season with fresh perspectives and inspiring storytelling. Rounding off the Season, groundbreaking storytellers ZooNation, led by Kate Prince, return next Summer with the acclaimed, hip hop inspired, The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Championing future talent remains central to The Royal Ballet’s mission. The Next Generation Festival and International Draft Works return, offering audiences a compelling first encounter with the choreographers and performers who will shape the art form in the years to come.
Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said:
“At this time in The Royal Ballet School’s centenary year when we reflect on the incredible legacy of ‘Madam’, our founder Dame Ninette de Valois, it’s wonderful to usher in a new Season filled with masterworks that have shaped and defined the Company over the years. We are delighted to demonstrate the significant aesthetic voices of Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan in some of their most elegant and powerfully atmospheric works, including Symphonic Variations and Song of the Earth, alongside the magical 19th-century classics Swan Lake and The Nutcracker that never cease to exert enduring appeal on audiences. From strong foundations to renewal, we continue to celebrate our pioneering Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor, recalling that staggering moment when Chroma first premiered, and look to how the possibilities of dance continue to be expanded by other distinctive choreographers across both stages in modern classics and new works. We are excited to share this Season with audiences around the globe.”