The Opéra de Monte-Carlo has revealed a compelling 2025/2026 season bursting with myth, passion, and musical innovation, under the visionary direction of Cecilia Bartoli. From grand Verdi masterpieces to an emotional tribute to Josephine Baker, this season promises an exhilarating journey through classic and contemporary opera.
The new season at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, set against the elegant backdrop of the Salle Garnier and Grimaldi Forum, is a bold blend of mythic storytelling and musical intensity. Highlights include the long-awaited return of Verdi’s Aida, Wagner’s Die Walküre, and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, staged for the first time in Monaco in five decades. Bartoli herself will take to the stage as Orpheus in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, further underlining her dual role as artistic director and international star.
Audiences can also anticipate an emotional centenary homage to Josephine Baker with Bonsoir Monte-Carlo, created specially for Monaco’s National Day and featuring a revue-style staging of her unforgettable songs. Bartoli and Plácido Domingo will share the spotlight once more in a recital on 14th February, while opera legends Roberto Alagna and Elīna Garanča are also slated for headline concerts.
For family audiences and musical theatre lovers, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats will pounce onto the Salle Garnier stage this December, marking the Opéra’s continued embrace of musical theatre following the success of The Phantom of the Opera.
The season’s guiding themes—myth, dreams, and feminine power—are deeply rooted in the programming. Wagner’s haunted seafarer in Der fliegende Holländer opens the season with a storm of drama, while La Walkyrie delves into divine conflict and sacrifice. Meanwhile, Così fan tutte returns via the Wiener Staatsoper, rounding out the Mozart-da Ponte trilogy that began in Monaco in 2023.
As the Opéra de Monte-Carlo celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Musiciens du Prince–Monaco in 2026 with special European events, Bartoli’s programming makes one thing clear: Monaco remains one of the most daring and distinguished opera stages in Europe.
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