NZ Opera Announces 2027 Season

NZ Opera announces its 2027 season, Stories from The Heart | He Kokonga Ngākau. The company presents a national programme featuring a celebrated classic masterpiece, alongside innovative concert theatre, expanding regional tours and new work.

The season opens in January with an expanded series of four free, family-friendly outdoor concerts in Tāmaki Makaurau as part of Auckland Council’s Music in Parks series. Opera in the Park visits Milford Beach Reserve, Macleans Park in Howick, Hayman Park in Manukau, and Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson for Valentine’s Day, offering audiences relaxed summer evenings of operatic favourites.

In June and July, Verdi’s emotional triumph La traviata comes to Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Directed by acclaimed Australian director Sarah Giles, this vivid co-production between Opera Queensland, State Opera South Australia, and West Australian Opera presents an unflinching, psychologically rich exploration of love and societal expectation.

Driven by infectious dance tempos and soaring melodies, Verdi’s La traviata score is one of the most thrilling in the repertoire. With the irresistible waltz of the famous drinking song Brindisi and the vocal brilliance of Violetta’s show-stopping aria Sempre libera, the music moves from the glamour of high-society Paris into an intimate, deeply personal heartbreak.

Met with resounding critical and audience acclaim across its recent Australian seasons, Sarah Giles’ landmark production revitalises Verdi’s beloved masterpiece by retaining the visual splendour and period elegance, yet brings new energy to the opera through an intelligent, contemporary lens.

★★★★★ Sydney Morning Herald
“An absolute triumph.” The AU Review
“[Giles’] La Traviata is a tour-de-force of all the artistry opera holds” Isolate Nation
“Verdi’s masterpiece feels audaciously new all over again in this vivid interpretation” InDaily
“Sexy, Sublime and Stunning” The Creative Issue

Led by experienced Australian conductor Lochlan Brown in his New Zealand debut, the production will feature a roster of exciting homegrown talent and international guest artists performing across the three cities, supported by the outstanding Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus with the Auckland Philharmonia, Orchestra Wellington, and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in each city. Further principal roles will be unveiled in 2027.

Tumu Whakarae, General Director Brad Cohen, highlights NZ Opera’s commitment to developing New Zealand artists, and the company’s casting priorities.

“Aotearoa produces exceptional singers, and keeping Kiwi talent front and centre on our stages is fundamental to what we do at New Zealand Opera. Over the past two years, more than 80 percent of our principal roles have been performed by New Zealand artists – the majority based here in Aotearoa, alongside some we’ve brought home from further afield to perform. That balance of nurturing local artists and welcoming our international singers back to Aotearoa directly shapes our vision for 2027.”

In September, Baroque Heroines comes to Christchurch and Auckland, a magnificent concert-theatre experience created and led by New Zealand based international soprano Emma Pearson. Informed by Pearson’s celebrated research into historical Baroque gesture, the production explores the expressiveness of the era’s great composers, including Handel, Monteverdi, and Purcell. Conducted by Erin Helyard, Pearson performs alongside other guest soloists, the Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus and specialist baroque instrument ensemble NZ Barok, in the renowned acoustics of the Christchurch and Auckland Town Halls.

Following performances across Auckland, Nelson, Kerikeri and Waitangi, NZ Opera’s Toiere concert will expand its format and regional reach in 2027, with performances at BNZ Theatre in Hamilton, Sir Howard Morrison Centre in Rotorua, and the Royal Whanganui Opera House. Creative Director Kawiti Waetford and Music Director Brad Cohen lead a cast of outstanding solo artists, with an enlarged ensemble in 2027 including the Freemasons Foundation NZ Opera Chorus. Premiered at the 2025 Auckland Arts Festival to standing ovations, Toiere weaves operatic favourites with te reo Māori and treasured waiata, honouring the musical arrangements and enduring legacy of the late Robert Wiremu.

Building audiences of tomorrow, NZ Opera continues its dedication to tamariki with Fee Fi Fo Fum – a brand-new short opera by New Zealand composer Lucy Mulgan, crafted to spark a lifelong love of the art form. Inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk with an Aotearoa narrative twist, the production is directed by Jacqueline Coats with music direction by Brent Stewart. Starring the company’s current Freemasons Foundation Company Artist, Michaela Cadwgan (soprano), and former Freemasons Foundation Company Artists Alfred Fonoti-Fuimaono (baritone) and Ipu Laga’aia (tenor), Fee Fi Fo Fum presents family-friendly shows to the public at the Bruce Mason Centre in Auckland, Shed 6 in Wellington and The Piano in Christchurch in March and early April. The production also embarks on a 12-centre national ‘Opera in Schools’ tour of Aotearoa, travelling from Kerikeri to Dunedin, bringing the joy of opera to schools across Term One.

Across all main venues in 2027, NZ Opera will use Auracast™ audio technology, broadcasting stage audio directly to compatible hearing aids, earbuds, and smartphones. This furthers the company’s commitment to accessible and inclusive theatre initiatives, including Audio Description, Touch Tours, free companion seating, English surtitles, and live language access in Simplified Chinese and Braille to personal devices.

“Song has always given voice to our most profound human experiences,” says Cohen. “Our 2027 season reflects our enduring priorities: community is our heart, audiences are our reason for being, and artist development is our future. We look forward to sharing these stories with Aotearoa.”

Subscriptions for the 2027 season are available now from www.nzopera.com or by calling 0800 696 737. Tickets for Fee Fi Fo Fum go on sale 1 December 2026, and single tickets for all other productions released on 1 February 2027.