The season of the Latvian National Opera is filled with remarkable artistic events – new productions, performances featuring world-renowned opera stars, and brilliant concerts with outstanding musicians. Audiences are invited to experience unforgettable evenings where tradition meets innovation, and the stage comes alive with creativity and passion.

New Productions

The premiere of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci will take place on 17 February. Directed by Aiks Karapetjans with visual design by AJ Weissbard, these two masterpieces will be presented as a compelling double bill. Cavalleria rusticana, set in a Sicilian village, reveals themes of betrayal and beneath an idyllic façade. In Pagliacci—which Karapetjans already staged at the Latvian National Opera in 2019—love and betrayal intertwine both onstage in the troupe’s performance and behind the scenes in their private lives.

The season will conclude with a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème, premiering on 3 June. One of Puccini’s most beloved operas, La bohème is a romantic and tragic tale of fleeting youth, unfulfilled dreams, and love that inspires hope. Set in Paris, the story follows four young artists living humble yet passionate lives. Musetta, who embraces every experience with open arms, and Mimì, whose warm heart can kindle even the coldest attic, remind them of life’s beauty. This new staging is created by director Laura Groza and her creative team.

Stars on Stage

This season, audiences will enjoy performances by world-class guest artists in repertory productions.

Puccini’s Madama Butterfly will delight opera lovers on November 1. The role of Cio-Cio-san will be performed by the radiant Latvian soprano Kristīne Opolais, with world-renowned Ukrainian tenor Dmytro Popov as Pinkerton and internationally acclaimed Latvian mezzo-soprano Zanda Švēde as Suzuki. This performance will be dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Latvian Radio.

In Gaetano Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, on October 17 and November 27, the role of Nemorino will be sung by one of the brightest young bel canto tenors of our time, Levy Sekgapane.

On January 17, in Richard Strauss’s Salome, the title role will be performed by the outstanding Lithuanian soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė, while the distinguished German dramatic tenor Marco Jentzsch will make his first appearance on our stage as Herod.

A truly exceptional event awaits on March 15 and 17, when Latvia’s brightest opera stars – Marina Rebeka and Elīna Garanča – will shine in the roles of Aida and Amneris in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida. The role of Radamès will be sung by the powerful tenor Irakli Kakhidze. The production will be conducted by the gifted young Italian conductor Lorenzo Passerini, making his debut in Latvia.

In December, audiences will enjoy a dazzling ensemble in George Frideric Handel’s opera Flavio, Re de' Longobardi, featuring the brilliant countertenors Max Emanuel Cencic and Rémy Brès-Feuillet, alongside rising Latvian soloists Katrīna Paula Felsberga, Anna Amanda Stolere, and others.

Concerts by Outstanding Artists

Several major musical events with world-class performers will take place in the upcoming season.

On January 22, the renowned French tenor Benjamin Bernheim will return to Riga in order to give his first solo concert at the Latvian National Opera, accompanied by the LNO Orchestra and Maestro Jānis Liepiņš.

Bernheim has become one of the leading voices of his generation, rising to international stardom thanks to his brilliant timbre, emotional depth and sophisticated mastery of a wide-ranging operatic repertoire. He regularly performs at the world’s most prestigious opera houses – including the Paris Opera, The Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan and the Royal Opera House in London. Bernheim has received critical acclaim for his many roles, including Roméo, Werther, Hoffmann, Rodolfo and Des Grieux.

In mid-December, two world-renowned opera singers will visit Latvia for the first time to give solo concerts.

On December 16, for the first time in Latvia, American tenor Michael Spyres — one of today’s leading stars of the opera world — will give a solo recital, performing a special program together with renowned French pianist Mathieu Pordoy.

On December 18, the outstanding Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili will visit Latvia for the first time to give a solo recital at the Latvian National Opera, accompanied by pianist Vincenzo Scalera.