2026 Festival Announcement
7 - 16 August
Waterperry Opera Festival is delighted to announce the two major headline productions for its 2026 season: Puccini’s La Bohème and Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, both presented in vivid and accessible English translations. Following the Festival’s record-breaking 2025 season, these cornerstone works will take centre stage next summer, performed against the backdrop of Waterperry’s iconic gardens and continuing the Festival’s mission to bring imaginative, world-class opera to audiences of all ages. The full 2026 programme, including family performances and further site-specific productions, will be announced in January.
La Bohème
Puccini
Mainstage, Waterperry House & Gardens
Next summer, Waterperry Opera Festival is proud to present Puccini’s La Bohème in a vivid new production directed by Ruth Knight, following her recent, critically acclaimed triumph with Rodelinda for Garsington Opera. Knight brings her distinctive theatrical imagination and emotional clarity to Puccini’s masterpiece, promising an unforgettable journey through love, art, and sacrifice.
Guiding the musical landscape will be our esteemed Music Director, Bertie Baigent, fresh from his prestigious success conducting Glyndebourne’s iconic production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Baigent’s sensitive musicianship and dynamic leadership will illuminate every nuance of Puccini’s soaring score.
We are also delighted to welcome back designer Jennifer Gregory, whose exquisite work on 2025’s Semele captivated audiences and critics alike. Her visual world for La Bohème will blend intimacy, atmosphere, and artistry - beautifully enhanced by the talent of lighting designer Ben Pickersgill, recently celebrated for his stunning work with Scottish Opera.
A story of love and loss told with breathtaking immediacy - this La Bohème will be a highlight of the season.
Donizetti
The Elixir of Love
Amphitheatre, Waterperry House & Gardens
Following the tremendous success of Waterperry’s 2025 Don Giovanni, we are thrilled to reunite John Wilkie, Charlotte Politi, and Ceci Calf for a sparkling new production of Donizetti’s comic gem The Elixir of Love. No strangers to Waterperry, this creative team returns with a shared artistic chemistry that promises wit, warmth, and irresistible charm.
Joining them is lighting designer Jake Wiltshire, whose masterful recent work with Irish National Opera has garnered widespread praise. His distinctive visual storytelling will bring added vibrancy and atmosphere to this joyful new staging.
Wilkie’s deft comedic direction, Politi’s musical sensitivity, and Calf’s imaginative design will combine once again to create a world brimming with colour, romance, and joy. Their reunion marks one of the Festival’s most anticipated collaborations - an effervescent blend of artistry certain to delight audiences of all ages.
Playful, heartfelt, and gloriously melodic, The Elixir of Love arrives at Waterperry with the creative brilliance of a team already beloved by our audiences.
2026 Booking Dates:
3 March, 9am: Personalised Priority Booking (Platinum Patrons)
10 March, 9am: First Priority Booking (Patron’s Circle and Benefactors)
17 March, 9am: Second Priority Booking (Gold and Silver Friends)
24 March, 9am: Third Priority Booking (Bronze Friends)
31 March, 9am: General Booking
