Metropolitan Opera Announces 2026-27 Season, Including World Premiere of “Lincoln in the Bardo”
The Metropolitan Opera has unveiled its 2026-27 season, featuring five new productions alongside 12 revivals, a 60th-anniversary gala, and performances of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony. A highlight of the season is the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s opera, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by George Saunders.
“Lincoln in the Bardo” – A Supernatural Premiere
“Lincoln in the Bardo,” with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, will premiere October 19-November 14. The opera is set in the “bardo,” a transitional place between life and death, exploring themes of grief, loss, and the afterlife.
The production will feature a stellar cast including baritone Peter Mattei as Lincoln, soprano Christine Goerke as the Reverend, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo as Miss Elise Traynor, tenor Jonah Hoskins as Bevins, and bass-baritone Ryan McKinney as Vollman. Lileana Blain-Cruz will direct, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin will conduct.
Season Highlights and Anniversaries
The 2026-27 season marks the 20th anniversary of Peter Gelb’s tenure as the Met’s Maria Manetti Shrem General Manager and the 20th anniversary of The Met: Live in HD transmissions, the Peabody Award-winning series bringing opera to cinemas worldwide.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Met’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, will conduct five productions during the season, including Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, as part of a complete Mahler Cycle in collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall.
A Legacy of Opera
Peter Gelb stated, “Although this will be my 20th-anniversary season, the redemptive role for opera in a troubled world is now more vital than ever. I’m proud that this season’s lineup meets our goals for programming operas, both new and old, that speak to the times in which we live.”
Nézet-Séguin added, “Together, all of these works offer our audiences a chance to step away from the everyday, to be carried by music that speaks in different ways, and to be fully present in the moment.”
More information about the season is available on MyScena.org.