Mannes Opera at The New School's College of Performing Arts announces a 2026/27 season that spans more than 400 years of musical storytelling, from Giacomo Puccini and Gian Carlo Menotti to bold new works in development by some of today's most exciting American creators. The season reflects Mannes Opera's commitment to pairing rigorous conservatory training with adventurous artistic exploration, offering New York audiences the opportunity to experience rarely produced repertoire, innovative reinterpretations of operatic classics, and the creation of new work—all performed by the next generation of opera artists.

Under the leadership of Managing Artistic Director Emma Griffin and Music Director Cris Frisco, the season explores enduring themes of faith, family, immigration, memory, and transformation. Productions include a site-specific staging of Puccini's Suor Angelica in the historic sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church; Everything Urgent Quickly Is Gone, an immersive, building-wide reimagining of the Orpheus myth created in collaboration with Parsons School of Design; and a rare New York revival of Gian Carlo Menotti's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Saint of Bleecker Street, a landmark American opera that has been largely absent from New York stages for more than two decades.

Complementing these productions are partnerships that place Mannes students at the forefront of contemporary opera creation. The season includes Lucero, a workshop presentation of a new opera by Grammy-winning composer, pianist, and Mannes faculty member Arturo O'Farrill, developed through Mannes Opera's ongoing commitment to new work and interdisciplinary collaboration. Mannes Opera will also continue its participation in VOX, the landmark consortium of leading opera organizations dedicated to supporting and presenting new American opera.