WNO - A Bold New Era at 80
- Apr 21
- 2 min read
Welsh National Opera press release
Today, we announce our 26/27 Season, marking a powerful rebirth for the Company. Eighty years after our founding, Welsh National Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru enters a new chapter under the leadership of Co-General Directors and CEOs Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree. This reimagined season presents an internationally ambitious, progressive company deeply rooted in Wales and reshaped for the 21st century.
The Autumn Season opens with a striking double-bill: Olivier-nominated, original ENO production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle + a new production of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. Conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya and directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, this pairing explores power and fate through a modern lens. The production features Peter Hoare, Christine Rice, and Nathan Berg, with additional music by Hildegard von Bingen.
Following this is Puccini’s La bohème. In a five-star production from Glyndebourne directed by Floris Visser and conducted by Corinna Niemeyer, an international cast, including Alexia Voulgaridou and Carlos Cardoso, brings cinematic energy to this devastating tale of young love.
The Family & Schools Concert returns with a mythology-inspired program designed to spark the imagination of young audiences. Featuring music by Beethoven, Handel, and Mozart, it offers a high-energy introduction to the world of opera.
Continuing our commitment to expanding our repertoire, we present Joseph Bologne’s The Anonymous Lover. Directed by Omar Elerian, this vibrant 18th-century reimagining stars Nardus Williams and forms part of a new programming strand for chamber-scale work. For younger audiences (ages 7-12), the Spring Season offers Jason and the Argonauts, a fast-paced, 45-minute, bite-sized expedition, directed by Jac Ifan Moore and conducted from the harpsichord by Stephen Wood.
The season concludes with Hedd Wyn: Eisteddfod Atomig, a co-production with Theatr Cymru. Set in a post-apocalyptic future and performed entirely ‘yn Gymraeg’, this psychedelic fantasia features music by Stephen McNeff and a libretto by Gruff Rhys, directed by Theatr Cymru’s Artistic Director, Steffan Donnelly and conducted by Iwan Teifion Davies.
The 26/27 Season prioritises Welsh artists and stories. This transformation is visually captured in a new brand campaign by Welsh artists Charlotte James and Clémentine Schneidermann (Bleak Fabulous), featuring the WNO staff from across the organisation in full costume - presenting WNO not just as a company of artists, but as a collective creative force with renewed energy. Renowned photographer Jon Pountney has also documented the Company for the last year, culminating in an exhibition that is intimate and revelatory, observational and deeply rooted in people and place. Additionally, 2025 Welsh Music Prize winner Don Leisure has remixed La bohème to soundtrack the season.
In a move to support the Welsh creative community, we are proud to introduce Bwlch- The Artist’s Pass. Resident artists in Wales can access £10 standby tickets for performances at the Wales Millennium Centre and gain exclusive entry to dress rehearsals, fostering the next generation of theatre-makers.
Co-General Directors Adele Thomas and Sarah Crabtree said: “This season is a rebirth for WNO. We want every production to feel like an electric, immediate experience that stays with you.
“As we mark 80 years, we aren't looking back—we are looking forward with the ambition to make opera feel urgent, contemporary, and alive for everyone.”
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