Toledo Opera announces plans to return with the 2026-2027 performance season. Beginning in October, the season will feature two main-stage productions.
Toledo Opera’s 68th season delivers a thrilling journey through epic drama and boundless joy, featuring Aida and H.M.S. Pinafore. From sweeping romance to rollicking nautical comedy, audiences will experience unforgettable stories brough to life with breathtaking music and world-class performances.
For Toledo Opera General Director James M. Norman, the upcoming season represents both a homecoming and a bold celebration of artistic range: “Bringing Verdi's Aida back to our stage for the first time in more than a decade is a thrilling homecoming, and pairing it with HMS Pinafore—our first Gilbert and Sullivan operetta in over twenty years—shows the exciting breadth of what Toledo Opera can offer. Together, these productions celebrate the power of grand opera and the joy of comic operetta, and we can’t wait to share them with our community.”
Toledo Opera artistic director, Kevin Bylsma, added: “What a treat for Toledo audiences to experience the grandness of Aida and the hilarity of H.M.S. Pinafore in the same season! Yet again, Toledo Opera has assembled extraordinary casts, which, with our brilliant chorus, will bring these memorable characters and scenes to life. This is a season not to miss!”
Enhanced subscription packages, standard subscriptions, and single tickets will be available for purchase on March 2, 2026 at toledoopera.org or by phone at 419-255-7464. To learn more about the season, visit toledoopera.org. For media access, please contact Rachael Cammarn at rcammarn@toledoopera.org.
2026-27 Season Schedule
Aida by Giuseppe Verdi
October 16 & 18, 2026
Valentine Theatre
Epic Love. Impossible Choices.
Torn between love and duty, Aida stands at the center of a tempest of passion, loyalty, and impossible choices. Captive in ancient Egypt, the Ethiopian Princess must navigate her love for the heroic Radamès, her devotion to her homeland, and the schemes of the jealous Princess Amneris. Toledo Opera’s original production brings Verdi’s unforgettable arias, soaring duets, and breathtaking choruses to life, immersing audiences in a story of desire, sacrifice, and destiny. Returning to Toledo Opera for the first time in over a decade, Aida is a monumental opera experience not to be missed.
Aida stars soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams (company debut) as Aida, tenor Brendan Boyle (Toledo Opera’s Carmen, Tosca, and Ragtime) as Radamès, contralto Lauren Decker (Toledo Opera’s Suor Angelica & Cavalleria Rusticana) as Princess Amneris, and baritone Nmon Ford as Amonasro (company debut).
Sung in Italian with English Captions
H.M.S. Pinafore by Arthur Sullivan & W.S. Gilbert
February 19 & 21, 2027
Valentine Theatre
All Aboard for Love & Laughter.
After more than four decades, H.M.S. Pinafore returns to Toledo Opera, bringing Gilbert & Sullivan’s signature wit, music, and high-seas hijinks to life. Onboard, the captain’s daughter Josephine hopes for love with the humble sailor Ralph Rackstraw, despite her father’s plans to marry her to the pompous Sir Joseph Porter. Mischievous sailors, scheming relatives, and the bumbling Little Buttercup, whose long-held secret turns everything upside down, ensure laughter, surprises, and joyous music throughout. This original production combines rousing choruses, clever wordplay, and unforgettable characters for an evening of nautical fun the whole family will enjoy.
H.M.S. Pinafore stars tenor Mike Schwitter (Toledo Opera’s South Pacific) as Ralph Rackstraw, soprano Emily Casey (company debut) as Josephine, baritone Keith Phares (Toledo Opera’s South Pacific, Cinderella, and The Merry Widow) as Captain Corcoran, and Nicholas Wuehrman (company debut) as Sir Joseph Porter and stage director.
Sung in English with English Captions
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