Portland Opera Reveals 2025/26 Season Lineup

 Portland Opera will present LOVE THROUGH ADVERSITY, their 25/26 Season. Entering its 61st year, the company will stage a full calendar of performances, presenting a variety of productions to entice seasoned operagoers and new audience members alike. 

Following the recent publication of a move to the World Trade Center, Portland Opera is proud to announce collaborations with established and novel venues, including the Keller Auditorium, The Newmark and Winningstad Theatres, and – for the first time – the World Trade Center Theatre in downtown Portland, and the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton. 

“In a time of transition,” says General Director Sue Dixon, “we are excited for the opportunity to connect with patrons each month of the year, in a variety of settings. This year, we highlight stories that explore the resilience, courage, and transformative power of love in its many forms.”

The season opens with Grammy award winning artist Karen Slack as she brings her celebration of African Queens to the Reser. New works by acclaimed composers including Jasmine Barnes, Shawn Okpebholo, and Portland Opera’s Interim Music Director Damien Geter (among others) will thrill audiences, alongside carefully selected pieces from the traditional repertoire. This captivating vocal recital runs September 13-14, 2025.

Portland Opera to Go will launch its tour of The Elixir of Love at the Dolores Winningstad Theatre on September 19 and 20, prior to visiting schools and community centers throughout the region. A heartfelt, playful journey of self-discovery, Gaetano Donizetti’s much-loved opera is presented as a fifty-minute English language production with full sets and costumes made to travel. This delightful romp is accessible to youth audiences, but captivating for all. 

Next up is the heart wrenching masterpiece La Bohème for three performances at the Keller Auditorium, November 15-23. This story of passionate young artists remains one of the world's most beloved operas and reminds us to find beauty in fleeting moments of joy. Giacomo Puccini’s soaring arias tell the tender tale of Mimi and Rodolfo as they face the perils of poverty in this timeless tale.

In December Opera Parallèle’s unique immersive production of Everest marks Portland Opera’s inaugural World Trade Center Theatre event. Breathtaking and technologically extraordinary, this opera recounts an ill-fated 1996 mountain climbing expedition through a blend of animated storytelling, theatrical projections, and interactive experience. The production runs from December 12-21, 2025.

In the new year, renowned baritone Robert Sims will gather well-known vocalists for a powerful program highlighting the history of the Spiritual and its influence over American musical genres of all types. The Majesty of the Spiritual is presented at the World Trade Center Theatre February 14 & 15, 2026 in celebration of Black History Month. This stirring production is sure to enrich the mind, touch the heart, and inspire the soul. 

March 7-13 the Newmark Theatre will host Portland Opera’s presentation of Fellow Travelers. A powerful and deeply moving historic snapshot, this modern lyric opera is set amidst the Lavender Scare of midcentury McCarthyism, when persecution of LGBTQ+ people in the Federal government was rampant. Gregory Spears and Greg Pierce’s 2015 work is about the bravery it takes to be one’s authentic self, even when society demands secrecy and silence.  

Timeless tales come to life as Stone Soup and Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the World have their West Coast premiere at the World Trade Center Theatre, April 17-26, 2026. This family friendly double bill of short operas about cooperation and courage will delight all ages. Produced with the Portland Opera Resident Artists and Orchestra, with a live set-change and children’s activities.  

Closing out the season will be a one-night-only electrifying performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the Keller auditorium on May 16, 2026. A powerful, emotional journey through life and death, Verdi’s masterpiece carries the weight of his deep personal loss yet speaks universally to the struggles we all face: the pain of grief, the fear of the unknown, and the search for peace. Featured vocalists will perform with the Portland Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

This season’s theme of LOVE THROUGH ADVERSITY captures the essence of all these productions. “Opera is essential to our community” says Director of Artistic Planning and Operations Alfrelynn Roberts, “and we are here making opera intriguing for everyone. All the pieces are about love in some form or fashion, and each love, at some point, meets with some kind of friction or resistance,” she says, “but in the end love always prevails.” 

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