Opera Holland Park’s 2025 Season will open on 27 May 2025 with a new production of The Flying Dutchman (sung in German), the company’s first staging of a work by Richard Wagner. Commissioned by Opera Holland Park with the generous support of the Element Hunters, and premiered in 2023, Jonathan Dove’s sensational adventure story, Itch, returns in performances by the main cast and by the 2025 cohort of Opera Holland Park Young Artists.
Last seen at Opera Holland Park in 2012, Donizetti’s haunting gothic tragedy, Lucia di Lammermoor receives a new staging, while Rodula Gaitanou’s “world class” (The Stage) 2018 production of La traviata will be revived for the second time. Co-produced with Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte Opera, new productions of The Merry Widow (sung in English) and a double bill of Trial by Jury and A Matter of Misconduct! complete the main stage season, together with the fifth iteration of the recital series, Opera in Song.
The Flying Dutchman (sung in German) | Opening 27 May
Opera Holland Park’s first Wagner, The Flying Dutchman will be directed by Julia Burbach and conducted by Peter Selwyn, the creative team behind the highly successful Hackney Ring Cycle, with designs by Naomi Dawson and lighting by Robert Price. Acclaimed Wagnerian Paul Carey Jones, and Eleanor Dennis make their role debuts as the Dutchman and Senta with Neal Cooper as Erik. City of London Sinfonia return for their 21st season at Opera Holland Park. Full casting will be announced later this year.
Evening performances will take place on 27, 29, 31 May, 5, 7, 12 and 14 June, all at 7.30pm.
Itch | Opening 3 June
Commissioned by Opera Holland Park and premiered in 2023, with spectacular multi-storied designs by Frankie Bradshaw, Jake Wiltshire and Jack Henry James Fox, Stephen Barlow’s “gorgeous” (The Independent) production of Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton’s explosive adventure story, Itch, returns. In addition to four performances by the main cast, conducted by Matt Scott Rogers with City of London Sinfonia in the pit, Itch will also be performed by the 2025 cohort of Opera Holland Park Young Artists in their annual showcase at the Schools and Discovery Matinees. Full casting will be announced later this year.
Evening performances will take place on 3, 6, 11 and 13 June, all at 7.30pm.
The Discovery Matinee will take place on 8 June at 2pm.
The Merry Widow | Opening 19 June (Sponsored by Viking)
The first of two co-productions with Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte Opera, John Savournin’s new staging of Lehár’s delicious will-they-won’t-they romantic comedy will be designed by takis, whose recent credits with Opera Holland Park extend from Il segreto di Susanna (2019 and 2024) and Carmen (2022) to the 2021 redesign of the stage and auditorium. The Orchestra of Scottish Opera make their debut in the OHP pit, conducted by their music director Stuart Stratford, who returns to Opera Holland Park after many successes including the company’s lauded production of Il trittico (2013). Paula Sides and Alex Otterburn star as the ex-lovers Hanna and Danilo, on whose rekindled romance the fortune of their homeland depends. Full casting will be announced later this year.
Evening performances will take place on 19, 21, 25, 27 and 28 June, all at 7.30pm.
Trial by Jury/A Matter of Misconduct! | Opening 24 June
Directed by John Savournin and designed by takis, Opera Holland Park’s second co-production with Scottish Opera and D’Oyly Carte Opera of the 2025 Season stars Richard Suart, Kira Kaplan, Jamie MacDougall and Chloe Harris in Gilbert and Sullivan’s caustic courtroom comedy. Commissioned by Scottish Opera, Laura Attridge’s production of Emma Jenkins and Toby Hession’s contemporary satire of modern morals and political accountability receives its London premiere in this double bill, with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera conducted by Toby Hession.
Evening performances will take place on 24 and 26 June, both at 7.30pm.
Lucia di Lammermoor | Opening 18 July
Donizetti’s haunting tragedy of murder and madness receives a new production from director Cecilia Stinton and designer Neil Irish, with Michael Papadopoulos conducting City of London Sinfonia. Coloratura soprano Jennifer France, who played Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos in 2018 and the Vixen in The Cunning Little Vixen (2021), returns to Opera Holland Park to make her role debut as Lucia, alongside Morgan Pearse and José de Eça, who made their house debuts as Scarpia and Cavaradossi in the 2024 revival of Tosca, who return as Enrico and Edgardo. Also returning are former Young Artists Blaise Malaba and Ellen Pearson.
Evening performances on 18, 22, 24, 26, 30 July and 1 August, all at 7.30pm.
La traviata | Opening 19 July
Sumptuously designed by Cordelia Chisholm, with reference to the paintings of Gustave Courbet and John Singer Sargent, Rodula Gaitanou’s “dazzling” (The Guardian) 2018 production of Verdi’s portrait of first and last love in the Parisian demimonde returns. Matthew Kofi Waldren conducts City of London Sinfonia and the Opera Holland Park Chorus, with soprano Alison Langer (Nedda in Martin Lloyd-Evans’s ground-breaking 2024 Pagliacci) returning to the role of Violetta Valéry, alongside Matteo Desole (Alfredo) and Stephen Gadd (Germont). Full casting will be announced later this year.
Evening performances will take place on 19, 23, 25, 29, 31 July and 2 August, all at 7.30pm.
The Discovery Matinee will take place on 27 July, at 2pm.
The Royal Ballet School
Evening performances will take place on 2, 3, 4 and 5 July at 7pm.
The Matinee will take place on 5 July, at 2pm.
Opera in Song
Curated by baritone Julien Van Mellaerts and the pianist Dylan Perez, the Opera in Song recital series returns to Opera Holland Park for a fifth year, with three recitals from established and emerging singers and pianists and a public masterclass with acclaimed tenor Freddie De Tommaso with the OHP Young Artists
21 & 23 June and 28 July
Winnie-the-Pooh Songbook
A charming production from Waterperry Opera which brings to life the eternal values of friendship and kindness for audiences young and old, Winnie-the-Pooh’s Songbook brings exciting adventures for the whole family to enjoy. Experience a child-like timelessness through this endearing tale.
Performances on 19 and 20 July at 10.30am and 12pm.
Semele
A new production by Waterperry Opera Festival, brought to Opera Holland Park.
Evening performances on 21 and 22 July, at 7.30pm.
The Wonderland Garden
Come join the City of London Sinfonia in The Wonderland Garden and explore the beauty of the changing seasons alongside a curious young person and their new friend, Robin. This unique show brings together live music and theatre to tell a story of discovery, joy, and renewal. Designed especially for babies and children under six, The Wonderland Garden offers musical storytelling that the whole family can enjoy. Featuring classical instruments and South Asian percussion, music drives the story as our main character and Robin experience a garden through the seasons, illustrated by a playful set inspired by pop-up books.
Performances on 28 June at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm.
Music for a Summer’s Evening
Join Opera Holland Park’s resident orchestra for an evening of uplifting orchestral music in the beautiful surroundings of Opera Holland Park.
We open the evening with Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture, an all-time favourite depicting Scotland’s rugged landscapes and the power of the seas. This is followed by Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, performed by Katherine Spencer; a masterpiece of elegance and lyrical beauty showcases the clarinet at its most expressive.
In the second half of the concert you can immerse yourself in the hauntingly evocative O Albion by Thomas Adès, a piece of profound stillness and emotion. The evening concludes with Haydn’s Symphony No. 104, London, a grand and spirited work brimming with charm, wit, and masterful craftsmanship.
Enjoy an uplifting evening of orchestral music and an opportunity to see Opera Holland Park’s resident orchestra on stage.
Thursday 7 August at 6.30pm
