The season opens in November with Pagliacci, Leoncavallo’s gripping tale of love, jealousy, and betrayal, performed in Norfolk, Richmond, and Fairfax. This iconic opera blurs the line between performance and reality, building to one of the most famous finales in the repertory.

In early 2027, Virginia Opera presents Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck’s enchanting fairy-tale opera, performed in Norfolk and Richmond. Sung in English, this production brings a fresh and accessible take to the beloved story, making it an ideal introduction to opera for audiences of all ages.

The season concludes with Turandot, Puccini’s grand and powerful masterpiece, performed in Norfolk, Richmond, and Fairfax. Featuring sweeping music and a story of love, courage, and redemption, Turandot delivers a thrilling finale to the season.

“We’re excited to bring together three operas that each offer something completely different for our audiences,” said Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Adam Turner. “From the raw intensity of Pagliacci, to the magic and adventure of Hansel and Gretel, to the epic scale of Turandot, this season showcases the range of all that opera can be. Whether you’re a longtime fan or experiencing opera for the first time, there’s something here that will move you to the core.”

Full season subscription packages in Norfolk and Richmond are available now and offer the best value, priority seating, and start at just $78. Packages in Fairfax will go on sale May 20, 2026. Single tickets will go on sale August 1, 2026. Casting and production details will be announced later this summer.

For more information and to purchase subscriptions, visit vaopera.org.

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About Virginia Opera

Virginia Opera, the official opera company of the Commonwealth of Virginia, is one of the finest regional opera companies in the nation and is the only company to perform regularly in three separate main stage venues: the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, the Carpenter Theatre at the Dominion Energy Center in Richmond, and Center for the Arts at George Mason University in Fairfax. Organized in 1974, Virginia Opera is respected nationwide for the identification and presentation of the finest young artists, for the musical and dramatic integrity of its productions, and for the ingenuity and variety of its education and outreach programs.

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Those accustomed to the grandeur of larger houses like the Metropolitan Opera might approach a performance at the Virginia Opera with moderated expectations, but the company proves such caution unnecessary. While the scale may be smaller and simpler, Virginia Opera consistently delivers excellent vocal talents and imaginative stagings that make the most of their admittedly limited budget. This season’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” is no exception.

The production had recently been announced as a planned opera in concert, which seemed particularly likely after the withdrawal of the NEA grant that was earmarked to support the 2024-25 season world premiere of their brilliant commissioned work, “Loving V. Virginia.” Happily, the company was able to raise enough money for a staged production. With the agreement and commitment of the artists, “Aida” came together in less than two weeks of rehearsal, or a grand total of 240 hours, give or take the time people may or may not have taken to sleep. The carefully embroidered characters each singer brings utterly bely the short rehearsal time they shared, and their coordinated performances far exceed what one might expect from a longer time frame.

Click here to read more!

Those accustomed to the grandeur of larger houses like the Metropolitan Opera might approach a performance at the Virginia Opera with moderated expectations, but the company proves such caution unnecessary. While the scale may be smaller and simpler, Virginia Opera consistently delivers excellent vocal talents and imaginative stagings that make the most of their admittedly limited budget. This season’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Aida” is no exception.

The production had recently been announced as a planned opera in concert, which seemed particularly likely after the withdrawal of the NEA grant that was earmarked to support the 2024-25 season world premiere of their brilliant commissioned work, “Loving V. Virginia.” Happily, the company was able to raise enough money for a staged production. With the agreement and commitment of the artists, “Aida” came together in less than two weeks of rehearsal, or a grand total of 240 hours, give or take the time people may or may not have taken to sleep. The carefully embroidered characters each singer brings utterly bely the short rehearsal time they shared, and their coordinated performances far exceed what one might expect from a longer time frame.

Click here to read the rest!

Now looming large at our own Virginia Opera, “Aida” is grand opera with an equally monumental history: in its origins, its past performances and its theatrical punch. This particular “Aida” is large and grand in a new, technologically modified way. But first let’s look at the show’s daunting history.

According to Schirmer’s Collection of Opera Librettos, “Aida” was originally conceived of as a work to celebrate the completion of the Suez Canal in 1869, but – whoops! – composer Giuseppe Verdi wouldn’t cooperate. He and his librettist, Antonio Ghislanzoni, missed that opportunity but finally completed their own big dig (this opera) in 1871 at the behest of the Khedive of Egypt (and his harem). Other big details of this opera’s history abound. The show was sung in German when it came to The Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1886. When the Met later returned to Italian, the famous Enrico Caruso played Radames, the unlucky hero of this our love story, set in Egypt at the time of the pharaohs.

Click here to read more! 

Virginia Opera is back in Richmond with their final production of the 2025-26 season. It’s the ever popular “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi. “Forbidden love ignites between an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian general as their nations clash in war – a tale of lovers torn between duty and desire, as fate tightens its grip around them.”

The show features Indira Majajan in the lead role, and the Richmond Symphony in the pit. Artistic Director Adam Turner will conduct, and I caught up with him on “Afternoon Classical” for a preview.

Click here to listen! 

Virginia Opera is back in Richmond with their final production of the 2025-26 season. It’s the ever popular “Aida” by Giuseppe Verdi. “Forbidden love ignites between an Ethiopian princess and an Egyptian general as their nations clash in war – a tale of lovers torn between duty and desire, as fate tightens its grip around them.”

The show features Indira Majajan in the lead role, and the Richmond Symphony in the pit. Artistic Director Adam Turner will conduct, and I caught up with him on “Afternoon Classical” for a preview.

Read the rest here!

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Through countless hours of practice and prep work, Virginia Opera got ready to show Aida. Then the COVID pandemic happened, shutting it down in March 2020. Six years later, they are finally bringing opening night of Aida to Harrison Opera House.

“We’d been rehearsing for like, six or seven weeks,” said Adam Turner, Virginia Opera artistic Director and Chief Conductor. “We were all set to go, then on that Friday, one week before the opening night, we had to shut down.”

For director Adam Turner, finally bringing Aida back is a huge moment. In the world of operas, this is one of the big ones.

Read the rest of the article here!

NORFOLK, Va. — Singers Deborah Nansteel and Grant Youngblood join Coast Live to discuss Virginia Opera’s production of “Aida,” bringing the timeless Egyptian tragic romance to life with a stunning rendition of Verdi’s grand spectacle.

Watch the interview here!

From a young age, new Virginia Opera director of development Jacquelyn VandenPlas was enthralled with music and the arts.

“I’ve always been in love with music,” VandenPlas said. “When I was about 5 years old, my mother played an Ella Fitzgerald record for me. I immediately fell in love with jazz music, and to this day, Ella Fitzgerald is my favorite artist. I distinctly remember feeling the music and thinking that she wasn’t just singing notes but singing from her heart. I knew from a young age that I wanted to do that.”

VandenPlas started piano lessons shortly after hearing that record. She would later expand her musical prowess into singing, eventually ending up at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in vocal performance.

After college, VandenPlas took her musical talents to the education sector, where she taught piano and vocals and directed choir.

VandenPlas’s husband is in the military, which has taken them all over the country the past 16 years. They have lived in several states, including New York, South Carolina, and most recently Hawaii.

Read the rest of the article here!