Vancouver Opera Launches 2025-2026 Season with Verdi’s Rigoletto
Rigoletto has THREE performances
at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver
Saturday, October 25, 7:30PM | Thursday, October 30, 7:30PM |
Sunday, November 2, 2:00PM
The Vancouver Opera 2025-2026 season opens October 25, 2025 with Verdi’s Rigoletto. Set against a backdrop of decadence and dark intrigue, Verdi’s immortal work tells the tale of a father’s desperate love for his daughter—and the dangerous double-edged sword of vengeance.
The court jester Rigoletto had long enjoyed the privilege of mocking the Duke of Mantua’s adversaries, but when his beloved daughter becomes the target of the morally corrupt Duke’s abuse, Rigoletto sets in motion a revenge plot that careens with the propulsive energy of an edge-of-the-seat thriller, while bringing themes of opulence and oppression into sharp focus.
Built in partnership with Pacific Opera Victoria, this new production will push the tense tragedy’s boundaries while staying true to Verdi’s timeless story of love and revenge. Under director Glynis Leyshon (Flight of the Hummingbird) and the baton of VO Music Director Jacques Lacombe (Die Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly), unforgettable pieces like “La donna è mobile” and the heart-wrenching “Caro nome” will soar to life on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
“Working with Pacific Opera Victoria allows us to open our 2025–2026 season with a new production of a masterpiece by one of opera’s greatest composers” says Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera General Director. “Rigoletto is filled with deep, multi-layered emotions, and the powerful voices of our principal performers will make sure that every feeling is felt fully. As the dramatic centerpiece of the story, the father-daughter bond will be sung by the sought-after American baritone Micheal Chioldi in the title role, and the award-winning, rising international star soprano, Sarah Dufresne, as Gilda. We are thrilled to have both artists making their Vancouver Opera debuts in this production.”
Joining Chioldi and the Montréal-based Dufresne is Yongzhao Yu (making his VO debut as the dissolute Duke of Mantua),Nathan Berg (Cosi fan tutte) as Sparafucile, Emma Parkinson (The Magic Flute) as Maddalena, and Neil Craighead (Flight) as Conte Monterone. They are joined by members of the Vancouver Opera Chorus and the Vancouver Opera Orchestra.
Tickets are on sale now for Rigoletto and all of the coming season’s productions. Subscriptions for the 2025-2026 season are still available. For more information and to subscribe, please visit vancouveropera.ca.
This production of Rigoletto is a Co‐production of Pacific Opera Victoria and Vancouver Opera.
2025-2026 VANCOUVER OPERA SEASON
RIGOLETTO
By Giuseppe Verdi
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ projected above the stage
Saturday, October 25, 7:30PM | Thursday, October 30, 7:30PM | Sunday, November 2, 2:00PM
The 2025-2026 season opens October 25, 2025 with Rigoletto. Set against a backdrop of decadence and dark intrigue, Verdi’s immortal work tells the tale of a father’s desperate love for his daughter—and the dangerous double-edged sword of vengeance. Under director Glynis Leyshon (Flight of the Hummingbird) and the baton of VO Music DirectorJacques Lacombe (Die Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly), unforgettable pieces like La donna è mobile and the heart-wrenching Caro nome will soar to life. Making their Vancouver Opera debuts are American baritone Michael Chioldi in the title role, Chinese tenor Yongzhao Yu as the dissolute Duke, and Montréal-based rising international star soprano, Sarah Dufresne, as Gilda.
COSÌ FAN TUTTE
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ projected above the stage
Saturday, February 7, 7:30PM | Thursday, February 12, 7:30PM | Sunday, February 15, 2:00PM
In February 2026, get caught up in a whirlwind of mistaken identities, tender moments, and mischievous tricks with Mozart’s Così fan tutte. This comic romp slyly doubles as an exploration of the heart’s highs and lows, making for an irresistible musical ride through every up, down, twist and turn on the rollercoaster of love. Vancouver Opera audiences haven’t been treated to Mozart’s sublime opera buffa classic for over 20 years, and this fresh interpretation will cast the playful genius of the beloved work in a contemporary West Coast Canadian light. Director Rob Herriot makes his Vancouver Opera debut, overseeing an all-Canadian cast that includes Vancouver fan favourite soprano Tracy Dahl as Despina and bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch as Don Alfonso, while conductor Leslie Dala leads the Vancouver Opera Chorus and Orchestra through Mozart’s intricate score.
LA BOHÈME
By Giacomo Puccini
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ projected above the stage
Saturday, April 25, 7:30PM | Sunday, April 26, 2:00PM | Thursday, April 30, 7:30PM | Saturday, May 2, 7:30PM | Sunday, May 3, 2:00PM
The 2025-2026 season will conclude in April/May of 2026 with a five-show engagement of one of opera’s most enduring love stories. Puccini’s masterpiece La Bohème transports us to the heart of 1830s bohemian life in Paris, where love blossoms amidst dreams, hardships, and the unyielding pursuit of artistic freedom. La Bohème has remained one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas worldwide since its 1896 premiere, due in large part to captivating pieces like Quando m’en vo, a.k.a. “Musetta’s Waltz”, and perhaps the most famous duet in opera, O soave fanciulla, sung on that moonlit moment when Mimì and Rodolfo fall in love. VO Music Director Emeritus Jonathan Darlington returns to conduct some of the most romantic and iconic music in opera history. Singing the role of Mimi is soprano Jonelle Sills, directed by Pacific Opera Victoria Artistic Director, Brenna Corner (Hansel & Gretel, Carmen: Up Close and Digital).
ABOUT VANCOUVER OPERA
Vancouver Opera creates extraordinary experiences that engage, inspire and entertain through voice, music, and theatre. Vancouver Opera is the second-largest professional opera company in Canada and is regarded worldwide for its fine mainstage productions, country-leading education programs, and innovative community programs. Learn more at www.vancouveropera.ca.
Vancouver Opera has the continuing support of The Canada Council for the Arts, Government of Canada, the BC Arts Council and BC Provincial Government, the City of Vancouver Cultural Services and Vancouver Civic Theatres.