Blog last updated on 5 Jan 2026.

The Theatre in Paris Guide to Operas to See in Paris

Take a glimpse into the most anticipated opera productions of 2026! From timeless masterpieces like La Traviata to new age adventures like Nixon in China, there’s something to captivate every music lover.

Whether you want to marvel at the costuming and scenery or get lost in the music of a concert opera, we’re here to offer you a range of performance styles. Warm your soul with the power of live music and let these performances transport you to another world…

Classical Operas to See in Paris

Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata

• At Opéra Bastille from 4 June to 13 July 2026
• Violetta falls in love with Alfredo Germont, a sincere young man, and dreams of living a simple, honest life with him. Their happiness is shattered by Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, who pleads with Violetta to leave his son in order to preserve the family’s honour. La Traviata is a deeply moving work, carried by Verdi’s spellbinding music, which explores the fragility of love, the burden of sacrifice and the cruelty of social hypocrisy with striking modernity.
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Georges Bizet’s Carmen

• At Opéra Bastille from 7 February to 19 March 2026
• A troupe of talented singers and dancers will transport you to the heart of Spain, with its bewitching gypsies, spirited cigar makers, cunning smugglers, and flamboyant bullfighters. Arrested after a fight, our hero Carmen - a fiery-tempered gypsy - seduces Brigadier Don José, who is engaged to the gentle Micaëla, and promises him her love if he helps her escape. Chaos ensues when she does not uphold her end of the promise in this enthralling opera. A performance not to miss - though be aware that some scenes may not be suitable for younger audiences.
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Gioachino Rossini’s La Cenerentola

• At Opéra Palais Garnier from 3 June to 11 July 2026
• The story of La Cenerentola begins at Don Magnifico’s household, where his daughters, Clorinda and Tisbe, compete in beauty. Angelina, nicknamed Cenerentola, is mistreated by her family and sings a song about true love. Prince Don Ramiro, disguised as a beggar by his tutor Alidoro, is rejected by Cenerentola’s sisters, but she offers him help and compassion. This joyful two-act drama was composed in 1817 to a libretto by Jacopo Ferretti, based on Perrault’s famous fairy tale of Cinderella. Although Ferretti drew on Perrault’s classic story, expect a few surprises — he reworked several key elements of the original tale!
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Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto

• At Jacquemart-André Museum until 20 June 2026
• Verdi's Rigoletto, a masterpiece of the operatic repertoire, will resonate with particular intensity in the halls of the Musée Jacquemart-André. Verdi's spellbinding music and the poignant drama that is Rigoletto make this opera a timeless work that pierces hearts and inspires tears from even the most insensitive. You can also wander around the Musée Jacquemart-André, a superb town house in the centre of Paris, and admire its splendid collection of paintings.
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Contemporary Operas to See in Paris

John Adams’ Nixon in China

• At Opéra Bastille from 24 February to 20 March 2026
• Nixon in China is an opera by John Adams, a key figure of the minimalist movement. The score is characterised by its repetitive motifs, hypnotic pulses, and evolving harmonies that convey both the political tension and the historical solemnity of Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China. Adams transforms this diplomatic episode into a musical fresco, blending orchestral grandeur with lyrical introspection. Minimalism, far from being cold or mechanical, here serves to express the psychological complexity of the protagonists and the historic importance of East meets West Adams’s musical language follows the movements of History: martial rhythms for official ceremonies, lyrical arabesques for moments of intimacy or uncertainty. The choruses and orchestral textures evoke at times ideological fervour, at others the human fragility behind political postures.
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Philip Glass’ Satyagraha

• At Opéra Palais Garnier from 14 April to 3 May 2026
• Satyagraha is one of Philip Glass’s major operas, a leading figure in minimalist music. This hypnotic work recounts Gandhi’s early years in South Africa and the development of his non-violent philosophy of Satyagraha, or “truth-force.” Written in Sanskrit and inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, the score unfolds in long musical loops where motifs gradually transform, creating a meditative and spiritual effect characteristic of Glass’s style. Here, repetition is never stagnant: it becomes incantation, prayer, commitment.
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Other Opera Events to See in Paris

• CONCERT OPERAS AND ORATORIOS AT THÉÂTRE DES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
• •  Immerse yourself in the world of great composers such as Mozart, Handel, Verdi, Rossini, Bach, Offenbach, Monteverdi, Weber, Pergolese and many others, and let yourself be transported by the beauty and power of classical music with internationally renowned artists.
• Click here to get your tickets!
• VOCAL RECITALS AT THÉÂTRE DES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES
• • Vocal recitals from famous opera starts at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Some of the world's most famous artists will be performing on the grand stage to perform dazzling arias by some of the world's most beloved composers. Vocal pyrotechnics guaranteed!
• Click here to get your tickets!
• PARIS OPERA ACADEMY CONCERT
• • Every year, the artists of the Paris Opera Academy come together to perform upon the storied stage of the Opéra Garnier alongside the Paris Opera Orchestra, with the promise of a stunning show for Parisian locals and visitors alike. This year, the artists in residence at the Académie pay tribute to the sensational Georges Bizet under the direction of Patrick Lange — a true marriage of classic and contemporary greatness.
• Click here to get your tickets!

There's more where that came from...

No matter what opera you choose to see in Paris you’re sure to make memories! Be sure to check out our website to plan your visit to Paris!

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