Teatro alla Scala has announced its 2026–27 season, marking the beginning of a new era under Music Director Designate Myung-Whun Chung, who succeeds Riccardo Chailly and officially takes up the post on 1 January 2027. The season opens, as tradition dictates, on 7 December—Milan’s Feast of Saint Ambrose—with a new production of Verdi’s Otello conducted by Chung.
The opera programme features 13 productions, ranging from core Italian repertoire to twentieth- and twenty-first-century works. Verdi occupies a central place in Chung’s first season, with Otello returning for the opening night and a new production of Macbeth later in the spring. Both productions will be conducted by the Korean maestro.
The season also includes Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Puccini’s La bohème, Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Massenet’s Don Quichotte, Bellini’s I puritani, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
Among the most notable titles is John Adams’ Nixon in China, which will receive its first staging at La Scala. Conducted by Kent Nagano and directed by Valentina Carrasco, the production is set to feature Thomas Hampson and Renée Fleming. Another rarity is Leonora, the opera by Ferdinando Paër that helped inspire Beethoven’s Fidelio. The work will receive its first performance at La Scala, conducted by Roland Böer and performed by singers from the Teatro alla Scala Academy.
Several productions bring together prominent casts. Brian Jagde, Eleonora Buratto and Luca Salsi lead the opening Otello; Juan Diego Flórez appears in Anna Bolena; Alex Esposito stars in both The Rake’s Progress and Don Quichotte; while Emily D’Angelo leads Dido and Aeneas in a production directed by Marcos Morau.
The concert season features appearances by some of today’s leading conductors and soloists. Klaus Mäkelä conducts Mahler, Robin Ticciati leads programmes including Beethoven and Mahler, and Riccardo Chailly returns to conduct Bach’s Johannes-Passion. Chung will also conduct works by Messiaen and Beethoven, as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
Kirill Petrenko returns to La Scala twice during the season: first with a programme featuring Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du printemps, and later with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Guest orchestras also include the Freiburger Barockorchester under Sir Simon Rattle and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Daniel Harding.
Pianists featured in the Great Pianists series include Igor Levit, Yuja Wang, Daniil Trifonov and Alexander Malofeev. Vocal recitals will be given by Diana Damrau, Michael Spyres, Philippe Jaroussky, Jessica Pratt and Brian Jagde.
The season also introduces a revised ticketing strategy under superintendent Fortunato Ortombina. Premium performances, including the opening night, will become more expensive, while the theatre aims to expand access for younger audiences, senior citizens and local residents attending La Scala for the first time.
With Verdi at its core, a rare appearance by Nixon in China, major international casts and the beginning of Myung-Whun Chung’s tenure, the 2026–27 season signals a new chapter for Italy’s most famous opera house.
Subscribe to our newsletter