Cape Town Opera Unveils 2025 Season Featuring Shakespeare in the Park and More

Cape Town Opera has unveiled its lineup of productions and events for 2025. 2024 marked CTO's 25th anniversary and sees the company bringing a stellar year to a close with the hit musical My Fair Lady at Artscape (until 12 January 2025), another successful collaboration with Pieter Toerien. Overall, 142 stagings and 203 performances were presented in 2024 across schools, communities and major theatres, and 2025 promises to build on this momentum, showcasing exquisite singing, world-class artistry and innovative storytelling.

2025 begins with Shakespeare in the Park at Maynardville on 9 February, an enchanting evening of opera under the stars inspired by the great Bard. Under the musical direction of Jan Hugo, audiences can expect works by Verdi, Gounod, Britten and more performed by CTO House Soloists, Judith Neilson Young Artists and the renowned countertenor, Clint van der Linde.

CTO brings back Shorts: A Festival of Pocket Operas from 7 to16 March, offering five captivating one-act operas that include collaborations with Opera UCT and workshops on new South African libretti. Notable directors for Shorts are Fred Abrahams, Marcel Meyer, Jackï Job, Christine Crouse and Victoria Stevens. With musical direction by Jan Hugo and José Dias, Shorts presents opera in a fresh and accessible way and sees CTO performing for the first time at The Wave Theatre in Long Street.

Opera Blocks, CTO's initiative that targets children aged 0–5, returns from 29 March to 5 April with a playful, autumn-themed production. The 30-minute show, to be presented in libraries in Langa, Hout Bay and the Cape Town CBD among other venues, combines music, storytelling, captivating design and movement, creating an enriching introduction to opera for receptive young minds.

For a lunchtime treat, don't miss Opera on the Go on 15 April in the Artscape Chandelier Foyer. This free performance will feature beloved arias and a sneak peek of CTO's upcoming Aida, performed by House Soloists and Young Artists with Jan Hugo on piano.

On 19 April, CTO and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra proudly present Gabriel Fauré's Requiem for Easter. The performance will be conducted by Gary Matthewman and will feature as soloists Cape Town Opera Judith Neilson Young Artist Sisikelelwe Mngenela and Cape Town Opera House Soloist Conroy Scott. They will be joined by the Cape Town Opera Chorus and Children's Chorus and the Symphony Choir of Cape Town.
Verdi's monumental Aida takes the stage from 23 to 30 May at Artscape Opera House. This bold, African futurist reimagining directed by Magdalene Minnaar features choreography by Gregory Maqoma and a dynamic cast of South African talent, including CTO House Soloists Nobulumko Mngxekeza and Nonhlanhla Yende, with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under Kamal Khan's baton.

Rossini's beloved comic opera, The Barber of Seville, comes to life at Pieter Toerien's Theatre on the Bay from 5 to 17 August. Directed by the multi award-winning Sylvaine Strike and starring guest artists Megan Kahts and William Berger with CTO stars Brittany Smith and Conroy Scott, and Britain's Got Talent finalist Innocent Masuku, this intimate production promises wit, charm and effervescent energy.

In collaboration with the Aleit Group, CTO will host a spectacular evening at the Zeitz MOCAA on 6 September. Audiences can enjoy immersive vocal performances in the museum's iconic spaces, culminating in an electrifying afterparty.

October brings two standout productions: the Duet Endowment Trust Gala Concert on 4 October, headlined by soprano Golda Schultz and baritone Jacques Imbrailo, and the return of David Kramer's Orpheus McAdoo from 21 October – 2 November, that celebrates the life and music of African American impresario Orpheus McAdoo and his Jubilee choir. In the same month, CTO continues its commitment to opera accessibility with a vibrant schools production of The Magic Flute from 21 to 25 October, reimagined for younger audiences and under the direction of Elizma Badenhorst.

The season concludes with the festive O Holy Night concert at St George's Cathedral on 10, 11 and 12 December, a joyous collection of beloved carols performed by  CTO House Soloists, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and a host of exceptional choirs. 

 Andrew Lloyd Webber's CATS brings 2025 to a close, presented by Pieter Toerien and GWB Entertainment, with support from Cape Town Opera.

Season packages offering a 15% discount are available now, with general bookings opening in late January 2025 through Webtickets and Artscape Dial-A-Seat on 0214217695. For package details, email jenniferr@capetownopera.co.za. Tickets for the opera at Maynardville on February 9, 2025 at 6:30pm are on now sale via Quicket. 

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