The Metropolitan Opera laid out its plans for next season, and they begin with blood and ambition. The company announced its 2026–27 season with five new productions and 12 revivals, opening on a new staging of Verdi’s “Macbeth” and building toward the world premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s “Lincoln in the Bardo.”

Opening on ‘Macbeth’

The season opens with a new production of “Macbeth” directed by Louisa Proske in her Met debut, with soprano Lise Davidsen as Lady Macbeth and baritone Quinn Kelsey in the title role. Music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. The choice continues the Met’s recent pattern of launching its season with a fresh take on a repertory staple cast with a marquee voice — Davidsen has become one of the company’s biggest draws.

A premiere from a George Saunders novel

The season’s centerpiece is the world premiere of “Lincoln in the Bardo,” composed by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by her frequent collaborator Royce Vavrek, adapted from George Saunders’s Booker Prize–winning 2017 novel. The book — set in a Washington cemetery the night Abraham Lincoln mourns his dead son Willie, narrated by a chorus of ghosts — is an unconventional source for opera, and the production reflects that ambition. Lileana Blain-Cruz directs, Nézet-Séguin conducts, and the cast features baritone Peter Mattei as Lincoln, soprano Christine Goerke and countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo. The premiere extends the Met’s recent push toward contemporary American work, the strategy Gelb has leaned on to court younger audiences.

The rest of the new slate

The other new productions are Kevin Puts’s Pulitzer Prize–winning “Silent Night,” directed by James Robinson and conducted by Dalia Stasevska; Janáček’s “Jenůfa,” directed by Claus Guth with Asmik Grigorian in the title role and Nina Stemme, conducted by Tomáš Hanus in his Met debut; and Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West,” the company’s first new staging of the work in decades, with Sondra Radvanovsky making a role debut as Minnie opposite SeokJong Baek, conducted by Keri-Lynn Wilson. Twelve revivals round out the calendar, including perennials such as “La Bohème” and the family-friendly English-language “Magic Flute.”

Gelb’s 20th year — and an exit on the horizon

The announcement arrived as Peter Gelb marked his 20th anniversary as general manager. Across two decades he has overseen 122 new productions, 41 Met premieres and nine commissions, per the company. He has also said this is roughly the end of the line: Gelb told the Associated Press he plans to retire at the close of the 2030 season, which would make the coming years a long farewell. The Met has not named a successor, though opera-world speculation has circled administrators including Paris Opera’s Alexander Neef.

The 2026–27 season opens at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in the fall.

Verification

Frequently Asked Questions

What opens the Met Opera's 2026–27 season?
A new production of Verdi's 'Macbeth,' directed by Louisa Proske in her Met debut, with Lise Davidsen as Lady Macbeth and Quinn Kelsey in the title role, conducted by music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
What is the season's world premiere?
'Lincoln in the Bardo,' a new opera by composer Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, based on George Saunders's Booker Prize–winning novel.
How many productions are in the season?
Five new productions plus 12 revivals across the 2026–27 season.
Is Peter Gelb retiring?
Gelb, marking his 20th year as general manager, has said he plans to retire at the end of the 2030 season. No successor has been named.