Met to debut works by Bates, Saariaho and Frank in 2025-26 season
The Metropolitan Opera’s 2025-26 season commences September 21 with a notable combination of debuts for both an American composer and and an American story: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay from composer Mason Bates, with a libretto by Gene Scheer from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Michael Chabon. The story of two Jewish cousins in 1939 New York City who create an anti-fascist comic book hero, the Escapist, comes as a well-timed reminder of the strength of American artistic culture. It will star baritone Andrzej Filończyk (in his Met debut) as Joe Kavalier and tenor Miles Mykkanen as Sammy Clay, with music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducting, in a production from Bartlett Sher. Kavalier & Clay will run for seven performances, through October 11.
The opera is one of six new production in the 2025-26 season, announced Wednesday, and one of the three stagings to appear on the Met stage for the first time. Opening April 6, 2026, and running through April 29 for seven performances will be Kaija Saariaho’s Innoence, her final opera. The drama takes place in the aftermath of a school shooting. The production is the original one from Simon Stone that premiered at Aix-en-Provence in 2021. This performance will feature mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in the role of the Waitress who has lost a daughter to the violence (sung by Finnish pop vocalist Vilma Jää), and will be conducted by Saariaho’s close collaborator, Susanna Mälkki. The cast will include baritone Rod GIlfrey, soprano Lucy Shelton, and Mykkanen.
Composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s first opera, El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, hits the Met stage May 14. The work is an Orpheus-and-Eurydice-myth portrayal of the artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. First opening at San Diego Opera in 2022, the production comes from choreographer Deborah Colker, whose contribution was essential to the scintillating success of Ainadamar this current season. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard sings Kahlo and baritone Carlos Álvarez sings Rivera. Nézet-Séguin conducts the start of the run, then hands the baton to Steven Osgood for the remainder, concluding June 5.
New productions of repertoire works will be Tristan und Isolde and Bellini’s La Sonnambula and I Puritani. Wagner’s masterpiece features the Met debut of prominent director Yuval Sharon, and opens March 9 for seven performances. This Tristan boasts a stellar cast of soprano Lise Davidsen as Isolde, tenor Michael Spyres as Tristan, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Gubanova as Brangäne, bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as Kurwenal, and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as King Mark. Nézet-Séguin conducts.
Two new productions of bel canto classics feature sopranos Nadine Sierra and Lisette Oropesa, respectively. The production of La Sonnambula (Oct. 6-Nov. 1) comes from the great tenor Rolando Villazón, now adding direction to his portfolio. Riccardo Frizza conducts the orchestra and alongside Sierra as Amina, the cast includes tenor Xabier Anduaga as Elvino, soprano Sydney Mancasola as Lisa, and bass Alexander Vinogradov as Count Rodolfo. Oropesa leads as Elvira, starting New Year’s Eve, 2025, with tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Arturo. Baritone Artur Ruciński sings Riccardo and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn sings Giorgio, and Marco Armiliato conducts, while set designer Charles Edwards makes his Met production debut. The production runs through January 18.
In repertory works, the Met will bring back Puccini favorites Turandot (Sep. 23-Jun. 6, in two segments), with sopranos Angela Meade, Rebecca Nash. Anna Pirozzi, and Liudmyla Monastyrska as Turandot and tenors Michael Fabiano, Brian Jagde, and Roberto Alagna singing Calaf; La Bohème will open October 21 and appear through May 2, and casts will include Juliana Grigoryan, Angel Blue, and Aleksandra Kurzak as Mimi and Freddie De Tommaso, Stephen Costello, Adam Smith, and Long Long (a Met debut) as Rodolfo; and Madama Butterfly (Jan. 9-Mar. 28) with Ailyn Pérez, Sonya Yoncheva, an Elena Stikhina each singing Cio-Cio San in role debuts at the Met, and tenors SeokJong Baek, Adam Smith (Met debut), and Matthew Polenzani as Pinkerton.
There is only one Verdi production for the season, Michael Mayer’s La Traviata, running from March 20 to June 6. Oropesa opens the staging as Violetta, then is spelled by Amanda Woodbury, Rosa Feola, and Ermonela Jaho. Conductor Michele Spotti makes his debut at the house, following Antonello Manacorda and Armiliato. Speedo Green opens as Don Giovanni, September 24, paired with Adam Plachetka as Leporello, Federica Lombardi as Donna Anna, Janai Brugger as Donna Elvira, and Ben Bliss as Don Ottavio (production runs through Nov. 22 with a second cast). Soprano Erin Morley makes her Met role debut as Marie in La Fille du Régiment (Oct. 17-Nov. 12), with Brownlee as Tonio, and Giacomo Sagripanti conducts. Carrie Cracknell’s production of Carmen returns, October 28 through January 23, with first Leonard then Aigul Akhmetshina reprising her production debut in the lead role.
The romantic era is rounded out with Strauss’ Arabella (Nov. 10-29) in Otto Schenk’s production, featuring soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen in her debut in the title role, soprano Louise Alder as Zdenka, and Konieczny as Mandryka; Andrea Chénier occupies the stage from November 24 to December 13, with tenor Piotr Beczała as the poet hero and soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Maddalena di Coigny; and baritone Igor Golovatenko returns as Eugene Onegin (Apr. 20-May 16), with soprano Asmik Grigorian as Tatiana and tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac as Lenski.
Porgy and Bess returns December 2 for thirteen performances (through January 24), with Kwamé Ryan making his Met debut in the pit, Alfred Walker singing Porgy, Brittany Renee singing Bess, Frederick Ballentine returning as Sportin’ Life and Denyce Graves as Maria (later replaced by Tichina Vaughn). The season’s family oriented holiday production is again The Magic Flute, in the abridged English language version from Julie Taymor’s production. From December 11 to January 3, performances will feature Joshua Blue and Paul Appleby as Tamino, Joshua Hopkins and Michael Sumuel as Papageno, Morley and Joélle Harvey as Pamina, and Aigul Khismatullina and Rainelle Krause (in her Met debut), as the Queen of the Night. Conductor Erin Yashima debuts at the house top open the run, and is later replaced by Steven White.
For more information and tickets, go to metopera.org
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