Cape Town Opera announces a dynamic 2026 season

Cape Town Opera (CTO) announces a dynamic 2026 season that spans grand opera, new musical collaborations, family-friendly storytelling and community engagement across the city.

The company’s video showcase of what’s in store for the Mother City in 2026 is available here:

Summer under the stars with Gershwin
15 February 2026

On 15 February 2026, the company returns to the Maynardville Open Air Festival with Gershwin in the Park, a one-night celebration of the golden age of American music. Performed by some of South Africa’s finest voices, including the award-winning Cape Town Opera Vocal Ensemble, the programme features iconic selections from Porgy and Bess alongside favourites from the Gershwin era. The concert blends jazz, opera and Broadway in a setting under the stars.

CTO’s long association with Porgy and Bess has earned the company global recognition, and this concert showcases its affinity with Gershwin’s work and ability to bridge genres with astonishing versatility.

Opera in your neighbourhood
February 2026

Community access remains a central pillar of CTO’s mission. The popular Opera in Your Neighbourhood series continues in February 2026 in partnership with the City of Cape Town. These free concerts bring opera, musical-theatre hits, and African spirituals directly into community spaces across the city.

Since its launch in Mitchells Plain in 2022, the programme has reached over 2,400 people across 20 public venues. This year it expands further with performances at three community centres and during the Bree Street Open Streets event. The repertoire is designed to spark joy and connection, reaffirming that opera belongs everywhere, not only in traditional theatres.

Opera for the very young
23 to 28 March 2026

For the youngest audiences, Opera Blocks returns from 23 to 28 March with a gentle, ground-breaking approach to nurturing future theatre-goers. Titled Under the Sea, this immersive, sensory-rich experience welcomes babies and toddlers aged 0–5 into a relaxed performance environment.

Set within intimate creative spaces across various venues, and performed by CTO’s Judith Neilson Young Artists and Vocal Ensemble members, the show blends storytelling, movement, interactive lighting and familiar melodies. Designed in consultation with child development specialists, Opera Blocks introduces classical vocal music through play, texture and imagination.

A sacred masterpiece in Paarl
4 April 2026

On Saturday 4 April, the company presents Haydn’s Nelson Mass at the historic Toringkerk in Paarl. This soaring concert work is performed in collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and was composed amid the turbulence of Napoleon’s campaigns.

Known for its dramatic opening Kyrie and jubilant trumpet and timpani flourishes, the Nelson Mass remains one of Haydn’s most celebrated liturgical compositions, a musical testament to resilience, renewal and spiritual magnificence.

Grand opera returns with Carmen
19 to 31 May 2026

In May, Cape Town Opera returns to grand opera at scale with Bizet’s Carmen at the Artscape Opera House, running from 19 to 31 May, with dedicated Access performances on 28 and 30 May.

Bizet’s irresistible score and its fiercely independent heroine continue to captivate audiences nearly 150 years after its premiere. Set in vibrant Seville, the opera traces the doomed relationship between Carmen and Don José through jealousy, desire and fate against the backdrop of bullfighting spectacle. Since its revival in Vienna after Bizet’s death, Carmen has become one of the most frequently performed operas in the world.

Winter brings Sondheim to the Bay
30 June to 12 July 2026

New directions follow in winter with Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music at Theatre on the Bay, running from 30 June to 12 July. Set in Sweden in 1900 and inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night, the musical uses the waltz as its heartbeat as romance unravels over a single midsummer weekend.

Featuring the beloved song Send in the Clowns, the production offers sophistication, wit and emotional finesse, providing a sparkling contrast to the operatic works of the season.

Family magic with The Cunning Little Vixen
21 to 26 July 2026

From 21 to 26 July, families will enjoy a new English-language adaptation of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the Joseph Stone Auditorium. Reimagined by Alan Olejniczak for Cape Town Opera, the production celebrates the cycle of life through the adventures of the mischievous Vixen Sharp-Ears.

Nature, imagination and renewal sit at the centre of the story, culminating in a message of hope and continuity for audiences of all ages.

Porgy and Bess on the European stage
11 to 21 September 2026

George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess tours to Europe from 11 to 21 September, bringing its powerful story of love and survival to international audiences. Set in Catfish Row, the opera follows a tightly knit fishing community shaped by racial segregation and poverty.

Bess, shunned for her substance addiction, finds refuge with the disabled Porgy after her violent lover Crown murders a man and flees. When Crown returns to claim her, Porgy kills him in self-defence and is arrested. Believing Porgy gone for good, Bess leaves for New York with Sportin’ Life, but when Porgy is released, he sets out to find her with unwavering resolve.

A romantic tragedy to close the year
18 to 29 October 2026

Cape Town Opera presents Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette at Artscape from 18 to 29 October. The tragic tale of star-crossed lovers has inspired countless works across literature, music and art.

For his ninth opera, Charles Gounod found the perfect dramatic vehicle in Shakespeare’s story. Celebrated for his lyrical charm, refined orchestration and elegant taste, Gounod’s true strength lies in his mastery of theatrical storytelling and emotional depth, guiding the drama to its unforgettable conclusion.