Featuring a wealth of exciting new talent, a brand-new production and some of the most glorious scores ever composed, Opera North returns to the Theatre Royal in Nottingham later this month with two unmissable operas. From Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, inspired by Pushkin’s celebrated novel, to Verdi’s Rigoletto, based on Victor Hugo’s gripping drama, the company’s latest shows celebrate the enduring power of great stories told through unforgettable music.
Opening the run on Wednesday 18 November, with a second performance on Saturday 21 November is one of opera’s most absorbing coming-of-age stories re-imagined in 1980s Russia, as director Patrick Nolan brings a new production of Eugene Onegin to the stage. Tatyana’s journey from a lovestruck young woman spurned by the more worldly-wise Onegin, to a married lady moving in the highest echelons of society takes place against a backdrop of major political change. As the action unfolds and Onegin begins to acknowledge the mistake he has made, Tchaikovsky’s sweeping melodies and colourful orchestration perfectly capture the tenderness and anguish of the ill-fated romance and the changing face of a nation.
Opera North Music Director Garry Walker conducts a stellar cast including baritone John Brancy in the title role, soprano Verity Wingate as Tatyana, Caspar Singh as the ill-fated Lensky (Kamil Bien sings the role on 18 November), Jingwen Cai as Olga, Joshua Bloom as Prince Gremin and Florian Panzieri as Triquet. All six make their Opera North debuts. Leslie Travers returns to the company as Set Designer with Elizabeth Gadsby as Costume Designer.
On Thursday 19 and Friday 20 November, there will be an opportunity to see Verdi’s Rigoletto, one of the most popular operas ever written. As the court jester, Rigoletto is marginalised and despised by the ruling elite with his only solace being the time he spends with his beloved daughter, Gilda. When this is threatened by the very forces Rigoletto fights every day – and with a powerful curse hanging over his head – things rapidly start to fall apart. Exploring Verdi’s opera as a Black man, director Femi Elufowoju jr brings a very personal perspective to this classic work, celebrating the joy which Rigoletto and Gilda find in their relationship, while also interrogating how a community responds to difference and the paranoia this can engender.
With Oliver Rundell conducting on the Thursday and Patrick Lange on the Friday, Blake Denson makes his company debut in the title role, alongside Leonardo Sánchez as the Duke of Mantua. Returning from the production’s original outing in 2022, when it won the Sky Arts Opera Award, are Jasmine Habersham as Gilda (Yolisa Ngwexana on 20 November), Callum Thorpe as Sparafucile, Alyona Abramova as Maddalena, Sir Willard White as Count Monterone and Themba Mvula as Marullo.
Tickets are available now at www.trch.co.uk and with a New to Opera discount offering £20 tickets for first-timers and £15 tickets available for Under 30s.
Wed 18 Nov 7pm Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) NEW
Thu 19 Nov 7pm Rigoletto (Verdi) REVIVAL
Fri 20 Nov 7pm Rigoletto (Verdi) REVIVAL
Sat 21 Nov 7pm Eugene Onegin (Tchaikovsky) NEW
Posted on 02 November 2026
