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Washington National Opera Washington National Opera is celebrating 70 years and a new chapter as an independent arts organization.

We inspire, connect & enrich our community, shape the future of opera, and illuminate the American and human experience.

New productions mean new costumes 🪡🧵🌸 Our new production of Madama Butterfly features a cast of eight dancers who help c...
10/13/2026

New productions mean new costumes 🪡🧵🌸

Our new production of Madama Butterfly features a cast of eight dancers who help construct the dreamlike-scape of Nagasaki through the eyes and mind of Cio-Cio-San.

WNO Costume Design Manager Timm Burrow has designed brand-new costumes for these dancers, and they’re being created right here in-house at WNO Studio.

Experience these costumes as they come to life onstage in this intimate reimagining of Puccini’s heart-wrenching saga. Get your tickets to Madama Butterfly >> https://washnatopera.org/tickets

Be one of the first to experience O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky at Works & Process at the Guggenheim in New York on October 18,...
10/09/2026

Be one of the first to experience O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky at Works & Process at the Guggenheim in New York on October 18, ahead of our world premiere in March 2027 in DC.

Through both conversation with a world-class creative team and performance excerpts, learn about the making of this new opera-ballet, featuring music by Grammy Award-winning composer Christopher Tin, libretto by Kelley Rourke, direction by Francesca Zambello, and choreography by Jessica Lang.

O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky traces the journey of Georgia O’Keeffe as she becomes one of America’s most iconic creative forces, and the people who shaped her along the way.

Experience vocalist Isabel Leonard, tenor Bill Burden, pianist Tongyao Li, and American Ballet Theatre dancers SunMi Park, Sierra Armstrong, and Tristan Brosnan as they offer a first look at O’Keeffe: Kiss the Sky.

You can purchase tickets to Works & Process at the Guggenheim here >> https://bit.ly/3VCDnr1

Your WNO Chorus is in the building! 🎶 Chorus rehearsals for Nixon in China and Madama Butterfly both kicked off this wee...
10/08/2026

Your WNO Chorus is in the building! 🎶

Chorus rehearsals for Nixon in China and Madama Butterfly both kicked off this week, and we’re so excited to welcome our amazing, local chorus artists to WNO Studio for the start of the 2026/27 season.

The chorus is at the heart of every opera, and we’re so lucky to have such a talented community of local artists helping to bring these stories to life. ✨

Today marks the 1️⃣ month countdown until our Fall Season opens at DAR Constitution Hall. There’s a lot happening on our...
10/07/2026

Today marks the 1️⃣ month countdown until our Fall Season opens at DAR Constitution Hall.

There’s a lot happening on our Revolutionary Stage, so here’s a visual of our November. 🤩

🌸 Madama Butterfly:
Saturday, November 7 at 7pm
Friday, November 13 at 7pm
Sunday, November 15 at 2pm
Wednesday, November 18 at 7pm
Friday, November 20 at 7pm

🇨🇳 Nixon in China:
Saturday, November 14 at 7pm
Thursday, November 19 at 7pm
Saturday, November 21 at 2pm

🇺🇸 We the People:
Sunday, November 22 at 4pm

Secure your tickets >> washnatopera.org/tickets

“The week that changed the world.” In 1972, after more than two decades of estrangement, President Nixon traveled to Chi...
10/06/2026

“The week that changed the world.”

In 1972, after more than two decades of estrangement, President Nixon traveled to China for a landmark meeting with Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.

John Adams’s celebrated 20th-century opera Nixon in China blends political spectacle with intimate human reflection to recount that very week, capturing a pivotal moment in history through the lens of diplomacy, spectacle, and the people behind it.

Immerse yourself in history through these rare archival film stills, then experience the story as it comes to life November 14 (7pm), 19 (7pm), and 21 (2pm) on WNO’s Revolutionary Stage at DAR Constitution Hall >> washnatopera.org/tickets

Archival Film Stills provided by the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum

10/02/2026

By presenting opera in innovative spaces, we can create new opportunities to connect with audiences and remind them that opera is for everyone.

Listen as Classical Music Critic Anne Midgette shares why she’s excited to attend WNO’s Fall Season at DAR Constitution Hall—and why she hopes this presentation of opera can inspire audiences to be “lustily cheering for it like a baseball game.”

Explore tickets >> washnatopera.org/tickets

10/01/2026

Happy International Music Day from WNO! 🎶

As a , we’re pulling a viral gem out of the vault. This flash mob performance of Verdi’s Brindisi from La traviata by Cafritz Young Artists in 2010 has amassed 1.6 million views on our YouTube channel.

Here’s to the music that can happen anywhere ✨

Want more La traviata? It’s coming to The Music Center at Strathmore April 29–May 1. Tickets are on sale soon.

From scale model ➡️ to digital rendering See how Walt Spangler's design for WNO’s Revolutionary Stage at DAR Constitutio...
09/29/2026

From scale model ➡️ to digital rendering

See how Walt Spangler's design for WNO’s Revolutionary Stage at DAR Constitution Hall is taking shape—from a handcrafted working model to a vision of the immersive stage audiences will experience this fall.

See the design come fully to life in a completely reimagined production of Madama Butterfly. Secure your tickets >> washnatopera.org/madama-butterfly

09/25/2026

6 days. 40 motors. 11 projectors. These are just a few of the numbers behind building our Revolutionary Stage at DAR Constitution Hall.

Listen as Director of Production Chelsea Dennis offers insight into just some of the many details that go into constructing a custom stage inside one of Washington’s most iconic venues.

Join us for three transformative productions. Get your tickets to our Fall Season >> washnatopera.org/tickets

09/18/2026

This fall you can experience opera like never before ✨

Our Fall Season at DAR Constitution Hall will completely immerse audiences through three-quarter thrust seating and bold visual projection design.

Listen as Artistic Director Francesca Zambello offers insight into what audiences can expect when they attend Madama Butterfly, Nixon in China, and We The People at DAR Constitution Hall.

Then secure your tickets to these unique productions >> washnatopera.org/tickets

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