The Met Opera’s New Season: What We Want to See

Among the highlights are the world premiere of an adaptation of “Lincoln in the Bardo,” and classics like “Macbeth” and “Jenufa.”

The Metropolitan Opera is set to unveil five new productions for its 2026-27 season, headlined by the highly anticipated world premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek’s ‘Lincoln in the Bardo.’ Breaking from recent tradition, the season will open not with a new work, but with a revered classic: Verdi’s ‘Macbeth.’

Met General Manager Peter Gelb explained that this exception was made to feature Lise Davidsen in the new ‘Macbeth’ production. Davidsen, a prominent figure in opera, will also be singing Isolde in Wagner’s ‘Tristan und Isolde’ next month, solidifying her status as a major box office draw.

“Whatever rule I stated a few seasons ago that we are going to open seasons with a new opera is a rule that can be ignored,” he stated. “It doesn’t diminish the importance of these new operas. I wanted to open the season with Lise Davidsen.”

The upcoming season’s programming reflects the Met’s ongoing commitment to balancing its rich traditional repertoire with innovative new works designed to attract broader audiences. It also underscores the financial challenges facing the company: the season will feature 17 productions, a slight decrease from 18 this season and a more significant drop from the roughly 25 productions staged before the coronavirus pandemic. As part of these austerity measures, a planned new production of Mussorgsky’s ‘Khovanshchina’ has been postponed.

The schedule also offered an early glimpse of what could become a friendly rivalry between the Met and its Lincoln Center neighbor, the New York Philharmonic, and their respective music directors, Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Met) and Gustavo Dudamel (Philharmonic).

Dudamel, who assumes leadership of the Philharmonic in September, recently announced that his orchestra would perform Puccini’s ‘Tosca’ in concert at Carnegie Hall for two nights in November. Intriguingly, the Met will also stage ‘Tosca’ that same month, with Nézet-Séguin sharing conducting duties with four other maestri.

“As far as the ‘Tosca’ pileup, that was an unfortunate lack of coordination between Carnegie Hall and the Met,” Gelb remarked. “The New York Phil and I have agreed to be more careful in the future so we can avoid a clash like that.”

While competition is “good for the art form,” he added, “We just shouldn’t be presenting ‘Tosca’ in the same week that the Philharmonic is performing ‘Tosca.’”

‘Lincoln in the Bardo,’ based on George Saunders’s acclaimed novel, marks the 32nd world premiere in the Met’s history. The festive New Year’s Eve gala production will feature Puccini’s ‘La Fanciulla del West,’ itself a Met world premiere from 1910. The season also includes the Met premiere of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘Silent Night,’ a co-production originally performed at the Houston Grand Opera.

Below, critics for The New York Times share which productions they are most looking forward to.

— Adam Nagourney

‘Macbeth,’ Sept. 22-Oct. 20

For its first new ‘Macbeth’ production in nearly 20 years, the Met enlists two recent stars of Verdian dramas: Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen. Kelsey’s powerful yet profoundly human portrayal of Rigoletto makes Macbeth a natural fit. Davidsen, who has largely showcased the serene beauty of her expansive voice to New York audiences, will now be challenged to unleash Lady Macbeth’s fierce coloratura and dramatic intensity. Director Louisa Proske, co-founder of the innovative downtown Heartbeat Opera, makes her company debut. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a stellar cast that also includes tenor Freddie De Tommaso as Macduff and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as Banquo.

— Oussama Zahr

‘Lincoln in the Bardo,’ Oct. 19-Nov. 14

George Saunders’s novel ‘Lincoln in the Bardo,’ with its ethereal setting between planes of existence and its ensemble cast structure, seems perfectly suited for the evocative world of opera. The adaptation team is equally compelling: librettist Royce Vavrek, known for his appreciation of direct and often raw poetic language, and composer Missy Mazzoli, who masterfully captures both cosmic grandeur and delicate human psychology. This world premiere, directed by the imaginative Lileana Blain-Cruz and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, will feature Met luminaries such as Peter Mattei, Christine Goerke, and Stephanie Blythe.

— Joshua Barone

‘Jenufa,’ Nov. 16-Dec. 4

Following her powerfully unsettling ‘Salome’ at the Met last year, director Claus Guth returns to stage Janacek’s intense village tragedy, ‘Jenufa.’ This production eschews traditional folklore in favor of a sharp psychological exploration of a young woman’s downfall. The cast is anchored by soprano Asmik Grigorian, who is celebrated for combining vocal prowess with profound theatrical intelligence in the title role. She will be joined by the formidable Nina Stemme, whose searing soprano will bring the Kostelnicka, the stepmother whose desperate actions drive the tragedy, to life. Tomas Hanus makes his house debut conducting Janacek’s starkly expressive score.

— Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim

‘La Fanciulla del West,’ Dec. 31-Jan. 30

The Met is bidding farewell to Giancarlo del Monaco’s enduring production of Puccini’s Wild West opera. To match the ambitious staging by Richard Jones, the company is featuring impressive vocal talent, including SeokJong Baek as Dick Johnson. Notably, Sondra Radvanovsky will make her role debut as Minnie. Radvanovsky has consistently been one of the Met’s most thrilling performers in recent years, including her celebrated portrayal as the house’s reigning Tosca. She is scheduled to revisit the Tosca role later in the season. I eagerly anticipate hearing her in both performances.

— Seth Colter Walls