Opera in the East Midlands 2026 - 2027
From Mozart and Rossini to Gilbert & Sullivan and Beethoven - where you can see opera and operetta performed in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire, including fully staged, semi-staged and concert versions of complete operas.
Locations covered include Buxton, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Northampton and Nottingham.
Iolanthe
The Old SavoyAbington Square, Northampton, NN1 4AE
29th Apr 2026 to 2nd May 2026
Fairies clash with the House of Lords in a riotous tale of love, law, and parliamentary absurdity. A whimsical romp through politics, romance, and fairy mischief ? packed with wit, charm, and unforgettable music.
Website
Don Pasquale
Nevill Holt TheatreMarket Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 8EG
29th May 2026 to 7th Jun 2026
Step into the golden age of Italian cinema with this stylish new production by Opera North, directed by James Hurley, and set in an independent film studio in mid-1960s Rome.
Website
The Pirates of Penzance
Medway CentreNew St, Bakewell DE45 1DY
12th Jun 2026 to 13th Jun 2026
Utopia Unlimited proudly presents The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan?s beloved tale of loyal pirates, plucky maidens, and one very confused apprentice, all brought to life by our vibrant youth cast.
Website
Henry Purcell's King Arthur
Wyke ManorPershore WR10 3NS
25th Jun 2026
Building on the tremendous success of our earlier semi-staged Purcell performances, we return with his opera reimagined in true Armonico Consort style - fresh, vibrant, and alive for today's audiences.
Website
The Pirates of Penzance
Chapel Town HallMarket Street, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak SK23 0HP
27th Jun 2026
Utopia Unlimited proudly presents The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan?s beloved tale of loyal pirates, plucky maidens, and one very confused apprentice, all brought to life by our vibrant youth cast.
Website
Buxton International Festival
Buxton Opera HouseWater Street, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6XN
9th Jul 2026 to 26th Jul 2026
The festival returns to Buxton for 2026, including The Merry Widow, Le dernier sorcier, La Traviata and La liberazione di Ruggiero.
Website
The Marriage of Figaro
Doddington Hall & GardensMain Street, Doddington, Lincoln, LN6 4RU
31st Jul 2026
Bursting with glorious melodies - from the fizzing overture to the heart-stopping beauty of 'Dove sono' and the jubilant finale - The Marriage of Figaro is Mozart at his most brilliant. Presented by Wild Arts.
Website
32nd International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival
Buxton Opera HouseWater Street, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6XN
1st Aug 2026 to 15th Aug 2026
An annual feast of Gilbert and Sullivan packed with their popular operas. From professional and amateur productions, concerts and talks, it is everything for G&S fans.
Website
Ruddygore
Castle TheatreCastle Way, Wellingborough NN8 1XA
15th Oct 2026 to 17th Oct 2026
A sparkling new production of the Gilbert & Sullivan's gothic opera.
Website
Eugene Onegin
Theatre Royal NottinghamTheatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
18th Nov 2026 to 21st Nov 2026
Tchaikovsky adapted Pushkin's great verse novel for the stage and set it to music that displays his gift for unforgettable melody. The result is a deeply affecting portrait of love, regret and missed chances.
Website
Rigoletto
Theatre Royal NottinghamTheatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
19th Nov 2026 to 20th Nov 2026
This bold, award-winning production by leading UK theatre artist Feme Elufowoju Jr is opera at its most gripping: a thrilling tale of power, love and revenge that includes one of opera's most famous aria, 'La donna e mobile'.
Website
Don Giovanni
Theatre Royal NottinghamTheatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
17th Mar 2027 to 19th Mar 2027
Mozart's darkest, craziest opera. Sparkling music, vivid characters and dramatic bite combine to create a work that is both endlessly entertaining and profoundly unsettling.
Website
Dead Man Walking
Theatre Royal NottinghamTheatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
20th Mar 2027
Based on the memoir by Sister Helen Prejean, Dead Man Walking is one of the most widely acclaimed and frequently performed operas of the past 25 years.
Website
Orpheus
De Montfort HallGranville Road, Leicester LE1 7RU
18th Apr 2027
Jasdeep Singh Degun's thrilling reimagining of Monteverdi's beautiful baroque masterpiece in a union of uniquely talented singers and musicians from both the South Asian and western classical traditions.
Website Book Tickets Now
Tristan und Isolde
Royal Concert HallTheatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
13th May 2027
A hymn to a love that transcends death, set to some of the most sheerly sensuous music ever composed - and the frank eroticism of the score still has the power to shock. This is the latest in Opera North?s sequence of award-winning concert stagings.
Website