Led by General Director Timothy O’Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, WNO brings a captivating new season.
WNO Season Sponsor
Washington National Opera
The Cartography Project: Black Futures
Fri. Jan. 10, 2025
The Cartography Project presents two new opera works: The Seer (by Brittini Ward and Levi Taylor) and Future of Dreams (by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton and Jaylin Vinson).
Washington National Opera
American Opera Initiative
Sat. Jan. 18, 2025
Be there for the world premiere of three one-act operas staged in a concert performance, with talented Cafritz Young Artists among the casts.
Washington National Opera
The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
May 2 - 10, 2025
The Grammy®–winning opera explores the life, death, and obsession of an innovator.
Washington National Opera
American Rhapsody
Sat. May 3, 2025
Journey into the heart of America with beloved artists, works, and composers.
Washington National Opera
Porgy and Bess
May 23 - 31, 2025
Gershwin’s “Great American Opera” marries jazz, blues, and gospel.
Led by General Director Timothy O’Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, WNO brings a captivating season featuring Fidelio, Macbeth, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Porgy and Bess, and more!
Led by General Director Timothy O’Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello, WNO brings a captivating season featuring Fidelio, Macbeth, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Porgy and Bess, and more!
Washington National Opera’s new production of Puccini’sTurandot reclaimed the dignity of opera’s icy queen. With her commission of a new finale, director Francesca Zambello brought a Turandot for our times, exploding past cultural appropriation and gender dynamics to reveal deeper, lasting truths about these incomplete characters.
Washington National Opera’s new production of Puccini’sTurandot reclaimed the dignity of opera’s icy queen. With her commission of a new finale, director Francesca Zambello brought a Turandot for our times, exploding past cultural appropriation and gender dynamics to reveal deeper, lasting truths about these incomplete characters.
Grammy®-nominated Carlos Simon is a multi-genre composer and performer who is a passionate advocate for diversity in music. As Composer-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Simon is a unique voice and sought-after cultural ambassador for new music globally.
Beginning with the 2025–2026 season, Spano will provide musical leadership for the company, overseeing the Washington National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and music staff.
Beginning with the 2025–2026 season, Spano will provide musical leadership for the company, overseeing the Washington National Opera Orchestra, Chorus, and music staff.
Grammy Award®–winning composer Christopher Tin, known for his film and video game soundtracks (Civilization 4), and acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Susan Soon He Stanton (Succession) discuss their compelling new world premiere ending to Puccini’s final, unfinished work.
Talented creative teams. Powerful stories. All-original opera. WNO’s acclaimed commissioning program for contemporary American opera enters its 11th exciting season—showing how short opera can move and inspire us!
Singer Emily D’Angelo performs an aria from the world premiere opera “Grounded” which is co-produced by Washington National Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.
Watch the documentary of the making of Blue, an opera commissioned by Washington National Opera.
Watch performances and interviews behind Washington National Opera's innovative short works exploring questions around the stories monuments tell -- the legacies they embody, and the memories they cement.
Watch a stunning performance from Elektra -- a power-packed, “fasten your seatbelt” opera, from its dramatic, harrowing music to its hair-raising finale. This acclaimed international cast includes superstar soprano Christine Goerke singing the title role of a daughter possessed.
Verdi’s melodrama set in 16th century Spain has it all for the “perfect” opera night out, with one rousing aria and chorus after another.
Did you know that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two great passions in life? One was law. The other was opera.
Unfortunately, a lot of people think they don’t, and most of them have never seen one. In this audio story, opera fan Eleni and opera skeptic Samantha discuss how their experiences with opera as children influenced their opinions of the art form as adults.
A soprano is a soprano because they can sing high and a bass is a bass because they sing low, right? Not really...
Opera has always been addicted to love, and its romances can range from the hilarious to the dramatic. But don’t expect a standard “Boy Meets Girl” story when you take your seat at the opera house.
A beginner’s guide to some of opera’s most challenging female roles and a unique look at how opera does girl power.
New Video Series
Through four entertaining and educational episodes, we introduce opera’s history, music, styles, genres, and people. Host Peter Michael Marino provides a comprehensive exploration of the world of opera that results in a greater understanding and appreciation of the art form.
New Video Series
Through four entertaining and educational episodes, we introduce opera’s history, music, styles, genres, and people. Host Peter Michael Marino provides a comprehensive exploration of the world of opera that results in a greater understanding and appreciation of the art form.
World Premiere Recording
Inspired by contemporary events and black literature, including Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me and James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, Blue centers on the hopes and fears of a young black couple in Harlem as they raise a son in 21st-century America.
The WNO and Kennedy Center family share their remembrances of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
To make your visit a memorable one, the Kennedy Center offers many pre-performance activities for you to enjoy.
This resident-training program offers artists on the verge of international careers a course of intensive training, study, career guidance, and performance opportunities in Washington, DC and beyond.
WNO’s Opera Institute is an intensive three-week summer training program for dedicated young singers from around the country who are interested in a career in opera.
WNO Young Associates provides high school students in the Greater Washington, DC area the opportunity to explore opera as an art form and discover the many career possibilities within the field.
Support the Washington National Opera’s impact on audiences and students all over the globe as they perform and take part in unique events.
Official Airline of the WNO Season
, The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation
