More performances. More venues. More opera.

They say, "more is better." And when it comes to bringing the delight and magic of opera to Omaha, we couldn't agree more. Opera Omaha’s 68th season offers more performances, exploring more venues, and producing more opera across our city.

Join Opera Omaha for our massive 25/26 Season, which features FIVE operas and boasts our starriest lineup of artists yet!

GET THE MOST OUT OF MORE

Become a Season Ticket Subscriber

The Barber of Seville

October 24 and 26, 2025
Orpheum Theater

Music by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Cesare Sterbini

“Figaro! Figaro. Figaro. Figaro!”

Escape on a wild ride through the streets of Seville, where schemes unfurl, passions flare, and chaos occasionally reigns. Figaro, the mischievous barber, is at the center of it all, pulling strings and outwitting anyone who thwarts his plans to help Count Almaviva win Rosina’s heart. From fiery verbal duels to hilarious deceptions, The Barber of Seville is a spirited romp starring Rossini’s lively score and iconic arias.

Internationally acclaimed director Stephen Lawless leads Opera Omaha favorite Alexander Birch Elliott (Eugene Onegin, Così fan tutte) as Figaro, celebrated mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack (Ainadamar, Metropolitan Opera) in her Opera Omaha debut as Rosina, and rising star Minghao Liu as Count Almaviva.

Gary Thor Wedow

Condutor

Significant Credits
Messiah
New York Philharmonic

Orpheus
New York City Opera

Faculty Member
Juilliard School

Stephen Lawless

Director

Significant Credits
Death in Venice
Glyndebourne

Boris Godunov
Kirov Opera

Don Giovanni
Metropolitan Opera

Alexander Birch Elliott

Figaro

Significant Credits
The Magic Flute, Papageno
Metropolitan Opera

Lucia de Lammermoor, Enrico
Los Angeles Opera

La Bohème, Schaunard
Metropolitan Opera

Daniela Mack

Rosina

Significant Credits
El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego, Frida
LA Opera

Il babiere de Siviglia, Rosina
Royal opera House-Covent Garden

Ainadamar, Lorca
Metropolitan Opera

Minghao Liu

Count Almaviva

Significant Credits
Il barbiere di Siviglia, Almaviva
Rossini Opera Festival

Algeri, L’italiana
St.Petersburg Opera

The Lissner Charitable Fund Award Winner
Opera Index Competition


Susannah

January 30 and February 1, 2026
Orpheum Theater

Music and Libretto by Carlisle Floyd

“The truth has to fight so hard to git itself believed.”

Susannah explores the destructive effects of false accusations and the cruelty of mob mentality. Set in a stark Tennessee town, a young woman is targeted by suspicion and gossip that mounts in intensity. The music is undeniably American and inspired by familiar folk melodies that underscore the opera’s setting. Directed by renowned soprano Patricia Racette in her Opera Omaha debut, Susannah confronts the complexity of human nature through Susannah’s search for beauty and one man’s lust for power.

Steven White

Condutor

Significant Credits
La traviata
Metropolitan Opera

Thaïs
Utah Opera

Artistic Director
Opera Roanoke

Patricia Racette

Director

Significant Credits
Susannah
Opera Theater St. Louis

Emmeline, Emmaline
Santa Fe Opera

Peter Grime
s, Ellen Orford
La Scala

Caitlin Lynch

Susannah

Significant Credits
Don Giovanni, Donna Anna
English National Opera

Francesca da Rimini, Biancofiore
Metropolitan Opera

Intelligence, Callie Van Lew
Houston Grand Opera

Andrew Potter

Olin Blitch

Significant Credits
The Magic Flute, Sarastro
Florida Grand Opera

The Cunning Little Vixen, Harašta
Detroit Opera

Les Troyens, Panthée
Seattle Opera


Hercules

March 13, 2026
Orpheum Theater

Music by George Frideric Handel
Libretto by Thomas Broughton

“He, who for Atlas propped the sky, now sees the sphere beneath him lie.”

The English Concert returns to Opera Omaha to perform Handel’s spectacular Hercules. Fresh from battle, Hercules returns home victorious, but his wife Dejanira is consumed by fear that he has been unfaithful. Her jealousy sets off a tragic chain of events that no amount of glory or strength can stop. With Handel’s soaring arias and powerful choruses, Hercules reminds us that the devastating consequences of mistrust can bring even the mightiest to their knees.

Returning to Nebraska as part of their three-stop U.S. tour, The English Concert, under the leadership of conductor Harry Bicket, brings some of the world’s finest musicians to Omaha.


Bluebeard’s Castle

April 24 and 25, 2026
Holland Performing Arts Center

Music by Béla Bartók
Libretto by Béla Balázs

“Show me all your hidden secrets. Let me enter every doorway.”

Opera Omaha and the Omaha Symphony join forces to produce Bluebeard’s Castle, where every shadow hides a secret, and every door unlocks a new terror. Bartók’s psychological thriller unfolds as Judith, newly wed to the enigmatic Bluebeard, dares to open his castle’s forbidden doors. The walls close in and the air grows thick with dread as each turn of a key draws her closer to a horrifying secret. With a score that raises the tension with every note, Bluebeard’s Castle is not just an opera—it is a musical descent into madness.

Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya takes the baton, with Ryan McKinny as Bluebeard, and acclaimed mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung as Judith, in a concert set with immersive projections by David Murakami.

Lidiya Yankovskaya

Condutor

Significant Credits
Eugene Onegin
Staatsoper Hamburg

Music Director
Chicago Opera Theater

Music Director
Harvard’s Lowell House Opera

Michelle DeYoung

Judith

Significant Credits
The First Emperor, Shaman
Metropolitan Opera

Tristan and Isolde, Brangäne
La Scala

Salome, Herodias
Metropolitan Opera

Ryan McKinny

Bluebeard

Significant Credits
Dead Man Walking, Joseph De Rocher
Metropolitan Opera

Breaking the Waves, Jan Nyman
Houston Grand Opera

Carmen, Escamillo
Deutsche Oper Berlin

David Murakami

Projection Designer

Significant Credits
Everest
Dallas Opera

American Idiot
Center Theatre Group

The Shining
Opera Parallèlle


UnShakeable

June 5-7, 2026
Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center

Music by Joseph Illick
Libretto by Andrea Fellows Fineberg

“Tis in my memory lock’d, and you yourself shall keep the key of it.”

The Family Opera Series returns with the one-act opera, UnShakeable. Three years after a mysterious epidemic has left its survivors plagued by memory loss, two actors reunite in a desolate theater using the only common language they can find: Shakespeare. As they search for sparks of their forgotten past, they’ll need the audience’s help to connect them to memories and emotions that linger just out of reach.


Enjoy even MORE this season with an Elevated Subscription.

Exclusive VIP-only events. Elevated ticket services. Free food and drink offerings. Meet artists, staff, and fellow opera enthusiasts.
$75 PER PERSON

25/26 ELEVATED PERKS INCLUDE:
Season Announcement first-to-know party
Opera Outdoors refreshments
On-stage close-up tour
Sitzprobe rehearsal sit in
Expanded ticket flexibility
Holiday treats
Concession voucher at Film Streams The MET: Live In HD
And pop-up surprises throughout the season

Questions? Call Howard Coffin.

As Audience Development and Sales Manager, Howard is your go-to-guy for all your subscription needs. Howard works in tandem with the Orpheum Theater, Ticket Omaha, and Opera Omaha to make sure your opera experience is seamless, letting you relax and enjoy your artistic endeavors.

Don’t hesitate to connect with Howard, he’s here to help.

hcoffin@operaomaha.org
402.346.7372 X2