Opera North

"Considering my background as a British born and bred African, our reference point should be Rigoletto’s ‘otherness’. Tradition treats disability as a by-product of evil. This we know is wrong. Rigoletto is not depraved, sick or evil. His ‘deformity’ is a manifestation of the paranoia of the outsider" — Femi Elufowoju Jr.

When this production of Verdi's opera opened in Leeds four years ago, it celebrated a series of firsts:

✨ it was the first time Femi had directed an opera (he is recognised as the first Black director to stage an opera at a major national opera house in the UK);
✨ the first time Rigoletto had been explored through the lens of Black experience in this country;
✨ and the first time the ethnicity of the singers had been a key consideration during Opera North’s casting process.

The show was hailed as a "landmark" by the press, and went on to win the Sky Arts Award for Opera 2022.

Hear more from Femi as we get ready to bring back the show — link in the comments.

📸: Samantha Toolsie

Happy October – the month we open our 2026-27 opera season (Tchaikovsky - Composer's Eugene Onegin hits the Leeds Grand Theatre stage in just 9 days time ⏳)

Explore the season 👉 bit.ly/ON-2627

Here's some of our favourite first time audience reactions – share YOUR first opera experiences in the comments ✍️

📝 An impassioned letter aria and someone who kills their best friend in an unnecessary duel... .but there's so much more to this opera: who speaks, who hesitates, and what happens when love arrives before we are ready for it?

All you need to know about Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin – the story, musical highlights and our new production, which relocates the action to Russia in the years before and after Perestroika 👇

Eugene Onegin in a nutshell All you need to know about Tchaikovsky's famous opera — the story, the music, this new production and the trivia...

The Sound of Music* has been nominated in the Musical Theatre category at the The International Opera Awards 2026! Huge congratulations to everyone involved 🎉🍾

Also thrilled to see our Melodic Memories programme for those living with Dementia nominated in the Equal Opportunities category, and Love Life with The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music up for the Complete Recording award.

See all nominees 👉 https://operaawards.org/archive/2026/

The ceremony takes place on 21 November🤞

*based on the Curve Theatre, Leicester production

😮 In rehearsal for Tchaikovsky - Composer's Eugene Onegin, which opens at Leeds Grand Theatre on 9 October.

One of opera’s most absorbing coming-of-age stories is re-imagined in 1980s Russia in this brand new production by Patrick Nolan...

Explore 👉bit.ly/46t4nLR

📢 Our next Music Director: We're thrilled to announce that Patrick Lange will succeed Garry Walker when Garry steps down from the role in August 2028.

Having begun his opera conducting career in Zurich and Lucerne, Patrick has become a regular guest conductor at leading opera houses worldwide, including the Vienna State Opera, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich and the Opéra National de Paris.

Patrick made his debut with Opera North last year conducting The Magic Flute (in rehearsal below) to both critical and audience acclaim, and makes a hotly anticipated return this season for Rigoletto:

"I am deeply moved by the extraordinary spirit that prevails in the company – a spirit that unites all the fantastic people within it in the pursuit of creating beautiful, delightful and memorable emotional experiences."
— Patrick Lange

"Patrick's humanity, passion for music and theatre, and knowledge of singers and the international opera scene shine through in his hunger to make vital work which speaks to its community. This makes him the perfect choice to take Opera North forward, building on Garry and his predecessors’ exceptional work"
— Laura Canning, General Director

🤓 Did you know, with famous aria ‘La donna è mobile’, Verdi knew he’d written something so catchy that the cast were forbidden to sing or even whistle the tune outside the theatre before the premiere?!

All you need to know about Rigoletto: heartwrenching story, musical highlights, and this award-winning production by Femi Elufowoju jr...

Opening at Leeds Grand Theatre 18 October...

Rigoletto in a nutshell All you need to know about Verdi's heartbreaking drama – the story, characters, musical highlights, scandalous history and more