The Atlanta Opera’s 2026–27 season opens with return of Kevin Puts’s Silent Night for first time in a decade

Artwork: Erik Teague; Jubilee image photo credit: Fisk University archive
provided by The Atlanta Opera

Fall season also features musical All is Calm in Discoveries Series, telling same story of Christmas truce of 1914

(November 2026) — The Atlanta Opera – “a powerhouse in the Atlanta arts scene” (ArtsATL) and “one of the most exciting opera companies in America” (OperaWire) – presents its 47th season in 2026-27, with seven productions ranging from war stories and psychological dramas to spiritual journeys, all reflecting the concept of “An Odyssey,” or the pursuit of ideals through the lens of conflict. The fall productions – inspired by The Atlanta Opera’s celebrated Veteran’s Program – explore the ideal of brotherly love that recognizes an enemy’s humanity in wartime. The mainstage season opens with Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun’s iconic production of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Silent Night, which returns to Atlanta for the first time in ten years, telling a story about the Christmas truce of 1914 that saw enemy combatants declare a momentary cease-fire and come together in recognition of commonality despite the violent conflict that otherwise consumed them (Nov 7–15). The same general story is told through a different genre in December as part of the critically acclaimed Molly Blank Discoveries Series, which presents Peter Rothstein’s a cappella musical All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 for 20 performances in a co-production with Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit in that company’s Balzer Theater (Dec 2–27). In the winter and spring, the mainstage season continues with Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Brenna Corner and starring Rihab Chaieb (Jan 30–Feb 7); Zvulun’s productions of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, starring three-time Grammy winner Ryan Speedo Green as the Dutchman and Wendy Bryn Harmer as Senta (March 13–21); and Puccini’s Tosca, with Monica Conesa in the title role (May 1–9). As part of the NOW Festival in June 2027, the company will also present two additional productions at Morehouse College’s Ray Charles Performing Arts Center: Jubilee by NOW Festival Artistic Advisor Tazewell Thompson and Dianne Adams McDowell, a theatrical tribute to the Civil War-era Fisk Jubilee Singers (June 5, 6, 10); and Rosenbaum and Li, winner of 2025’s 96-Hour Opera Project (June 11 & 13).

This traversal through multiple genres, production styles, and venues reflects The Atlanta Opera’s commitment to expanding the definition of what opera can be, and marks the company’s final season before moving into the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts, which will be a physical embodiment of that adventurous spirit and The Atlanta Opera’s boundary-breaking mission.

Silent Night (Nov 7–15)

In the spirit of 2024’s “Bohème Project,” which featured traditional and updated stagings of Puccini’s opera along with the modern perspective of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, this fall The Atlanta Opera devotes both mainstage Discoveries Series productions to different tellings of another resonant story: the famous Christmas truce of 1914, when in the middle of World War I German, French, and Scottish soldiers climbed out of the trenches, exchanged cigarettes and whisky, sang carols, and even played an impromptu soccer match together before returning to the brutal realities of war. This symbolic moment of peace and humanity amidst one of history’s most violent conflicts is one that has attracted multiple storytellers in different genres.

A Wexford Festival/Glimmerglass co-production that won the Irish Times Audience Choice and Best Opera awards after its 2014 Wexford Festival premiere, Zvulun’s now-famous production of Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night – “a tour de force – from conception to execution” (Bachtrack) – has since been seen in a dozen major cities across the U.S. and Europe. First seen in Atlanta in 2016, the production returns this fall as one of the defining stagings of this modern classic. The director comments:

“Ever since I directed the European premiere of Silent Night in Wexford in 2014, this production – seen in eight different cities all over the world – has held a special place in my heart. Bringing Silent Night back to Atlanta, in a world so marked by war and conflict, feels more relevant than ever. We need stories of friendship, camaraderie, and shared humanity, now more than ever. This is also a production that launched our essential veterans program a decade ago, opening our doors by distributing more than 70,000 tickets to veterans and active military that have attended our productions free of charge. This production is dedicated to those who never came back home.”

Silent Night’s November run features Susanne Burgess, called “perfection incarnate” by Broadway World and last seen at The Atlanta Opera in The Pirates of Penzance; along with The Atlanta Opera favorite Kameron Lopreore, most recently seen in the company’s 2025 La bohème. Luke Sutliff, another company favorite who recently sang the Count in The Marriage of Figaro; Aleksey Bogdanov, who sang the role of Alberich in The Atlanta Opera’s recent Götterdämmerung; and Atlanta Opera Studio alum Jonathan Bryan round out the cast. On the podium will be TAO Principal Conductor Iván López Reynoso, who also conducts The Flying Dutchman and Tosca in the spring.

The performance of Silent Night on Tuesday, November 10 will honor the veterans and military personnel in attendance as a Veterans Day salute with a pre-performance champagne toast. In alignment with the company’s commitment to supporting veterans, The Atlanta Opera offers free tickets to the military community through a partnership with The Home Depot. More details can be found here. Additionally, the November 13 performance will be livestreamed to international audiences by The Atlanta Opera Film Studio. Offered free with email registration, the livestream starts with a pre-show at 6:30 p.m. EST followed by the performance at 7:30 p.m. Registration is available here.

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (Dec 2–27)

This season’s Molly Blank Discoveries Series features a December production of Peter Rothstein’s a cappella musical All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which will be co-produced with Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit in a 20-performance run at the company’s Balzer Theater. Originally created as a radio musical docudrama for Minnesota Public Radio in 2007, the show has since toured the U.S. as a stage production. The text is taken from a wide range of sources including letters, journals, official war documents, poetry, grave stone inscriptions, and an old radio broadcast. It premiered off-Broadway in 2018, winning a 2019 New York Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience. The critic for TheaterMania declared it to be “hands down, the most emotionally moving Christmas show I’ve ever seen,” while The New York Times described it as “a beautiful musical recounting of a World War I cease-fire of gifts, poetry, and melody.” The Atlanta production will be directed by Matt Torney, Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit, bringing together the creative strengths of both institutions in an intimate, actor-driven staging (Dec 2–27).

The Atlanta Opera’s Molly Blank Discoveries Series brings opera to new audiences with performances of contemporary and lesser-known works that are both bold and intimate. Held in unique venues across the city, the series offers fresh, experimental takes on opera, spotlighting emerging talent and exploring challenging themes and redefining what opera can be in the 21st century. Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit, co-producer of this season’s All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, is the second-oldest non-profit professional theater in Atlanta, with a mission to produce world-class theatre that starts the conversations that matter, guided by a deep love for the city and a commitment to Atlanta’s myriad artists. The company’s unique voice promotes discussion, reflection, and public discourse.

Winter/spring productions and NOW Festival

The Atlanta Opera’s 2026-27 mainstage season continues in the winter and spring with Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Pacific Opera Victoria’s Brenna Corner and featuring Tunisian-Canadian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb in the title role (Jan 30–Feb 7); Zvulun’s production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, returning to The Atlanta Opera for the first time since 2017 and starring three-time Grammy winner Ryan Speedo Green in the title role, with Wendy Bryn Harmer as Senta (March 13–21); and Zvulun’s new production of Puccini’s Tosca, starring Cuban American soprano Monica Conesa in the title role (May 1–9). The 2027 NOW Festival will also present festival Artistic Advisor Tazewell Thompson’s Jubilee, with vocal arrangements and music direction by Dianne Adams McDowell. Directed by Thompson himself, Jubilee is an a cappella musical that tells the story of the world-renowned Fisk Jubilee Singers. It will be produced at Morehouse College, an iconic Atlanta HBCU, at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center (June 5, 6, 10). The NOW Festival also contains the 96-Hour Opera Project competition showcase, which presents the opera Rosenbaum and Li, developed from the winning scene in the 2025 96-Hour Opera Project by composer Dina Pruzhansky and librettist Hai-Ting Chinn (June 11 & 13).

About The Atlanta Opera

Hailed by The New York Times for “Bringing Opera Back from the Brink,” The Atlanta Opera’s mission is to break the boundaries of opera to create exceptional experiences for audiences everywhere. Founded in 1979, the company has grown to achieve “Tier One” status (Opera America) in 2024 and works with world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and designers who seek to enhance the art form. Under the leadership of internationally recognized stage director and Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. General & Artistic Director Tomer Zvulun – who won a 2025 Georgia Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities – The Atlanta Opera expanded from three to four mainstage productions at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre and launched the acclaimed “Discoveries” event series, as well as the innovative 96-Hour Opera Project. The company has been named among the “Best of” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; was nominated in 2016, 2023, 2025, and 2026 for International Opera Awards; and received ArtsATL’s 2019 Luminary Award for Community Engagement in recognition of its successful Veterans Program in partnership with the Home Depot Foundation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, The Atlanta Opera was one of the only companies in the world to create a full, alternative season, consisting of no fewer than 40 live performances in two different outdoor venues. The same period saw the creation of the “Atlanta Opera Film Studio” streaming platform, which continues to allow The Atlanta Opera to reach a global audience. More recent seasons have seen the production of the company’s first Ring cycle, with a complete Ring Festival announced for spring 2029; the naming of Iván López Reynoso as Principal Conductor; and the launch of the NOW Festival, fostering the development of new works. In February 2026 the company broke ground on the $72 million Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts, scheduled to open along the Atlanta Beltline in late 2027. Reflecting on the company’s achievements over the past decade, Musical America declared, “The Atlanta Opera has arrived.” For more information, visit atlantaopera.org.

Atlanta Opera: 2026-27 season

All performances take place in the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre unless otherwise specified

Nov 7, 10, 13, 15, 2026
Kevin PUTS: Silent Night
Mark Campbell, librettist
Nikolaus Sprink: Kameron Lopreore
Anna Sørensen: Susanne Burgess
Lt. Audebert: Luke Sutliff
Lt. Horstmayer: Aleksey Bogdanov
Lt. Gordon: Jonathan Bryan
Iván López Reynoso, conductor
Tomer Zvulun, director

Dec 2–6, 9–13, 16–20, 23–27
Theatrical Outfit’s Balzer Theater
Discoveries Series
Peter ROTHSTEIN: All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
Vocal Arrangements: Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach
Matt Torney, director
Co-produced with Theatrical Outfit

Jan 30; Feb 2, 5, 7, 2027
BIZET: Carmen
Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, librettists
Carmen: Rihab Chaieb
Don Jose: Joshua Guerrero
Escamillo: Łukasz Goliński
Micaela: Andrea Carroll
El Dancairo: Harrison Hancock
El Remendado: Randy Ho
Mercedes: Ashlyn Brown
Christopher Allen, conductor
Brenna Corner, director

March 13, 16, 19, 21, 2027
WAGNER: The Flying Dutchman
Dutchman: Ryan Speedo Green
Senta: Wendy Bryn Harmer
Erik: Jonathan Burton
Daland: Andrew Potter
Steersman: Wayd Odle
Mary: Aubrey Odle
Iván López Reynoso, conductor
Tomer Zvulun, director

May 1, 4, 7, 9, 2027
PUCCINI: Tosca
Luigi Illica & Giuseppe Giacosa, librettists
Tosca: Monica Conesa
Cavaradossi: Jorge Puerta
Scarpia: Ernesto Petti
A Sacristan: Philip Cokorinos
Spoletta: Wayd Odle
Sciarrone: Harrison Hancock
Iván López Reynoso, conductor
Tomer Zvulun, director

June 5, 6, 10, 2027
NOW Festival
Discoveries Series
Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, Morehouse College

Tazewell THOMPSON: Jubilee
Tazewell Thompson, director
Dianne Adams McDowell, vocal arrangements and music direction

June 11 & 13, 2027
Dina PRUZHANSKY: Rosenbaum and Li
Hai-Ting Chinn, librettist