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Presented by the new orleans opera association | March 24 - 29, 2026

The birthplace of American Opera...

Reborn.

The inaugural New Orleans Opera Festival will celebrate the city’s rich operatic history
while redefining its present, bringing opera out of the box and into the vibrant heart of
the French Quarter.

From ravishing, romantic Strauss to a spine-tingling, site-specific French drama,
From a Show Boat fantasia to a pilgrim’s passage through music and memory on foot,
And with daily public master classes and lectures,
The 2026 festival promises to enchant, enrich, and inspire.

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THE PERFORMANCES

Tuesday, March 24 / 7:30 pm
Thursday, March 26 / 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 28 / 2:30 pm
Old Ursuline Convent Museum
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Director: Valentina Ceschi

Conductor: Joshua Anand Slater

Paris, 1789: Fear reigns. Faith is tested. The guillotine looms. In a world turned upside down, the destiny of 16 sisters of the Carmelite Order hangs in the balance.

This powerful true story lives on stage in a site-specific production at the oldest building in Louisiana, the Ursuline Convent in the French Quarter.
Wednesday, March 25
OPERA GUILD HOME
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Golda Schultz, soprano

Jonathan Ware, piano
South African soprano Golda Schultz is blessed with “one of the most golden rich-toned voices of her generation” (Opera). With Dark Matter(s), Schultz and pianist Jonathan Ware weave together Strauss, Brahms, and Clara Schumann, offering New Orleans audiences a chance to experience one of today’s most compelling vocal artists at the height of her artistry.
Saturday, March 28
Riverboat city of new orleans
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Show Boat: a sailing concert fantasia on the historic City of New Orleans Riverboat as it steams at sunset on the currents of the Mississippi River.

"Ol' man river, he just keeps rollin' along..." Step aboard for an unforgettable evening as timeless music meets the magic of the Mississippi River. Presented on a dinner cruise along the Crescent City, Show Boat in Concert brings Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s legendary score to life against the backdrop of the waters that inspired it.
Sunday, March 29
Starting: St. Louis Cathedral, 2.30 pm
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n this immersive pairing, Carlisle Floyd’s great song cycle, Pilgrimage and the history of New Orleans jazz intertwine, with 8 concerts across 7 venues twinning Floyd’s centennial masterwork with the luminaries of NOLA’s contemporary jazz, funk and contemporary classical scenes in alternating concerts from the French Quarter to the Bywater. So bring your own beliefs or none and come walk a mile or two in our musical shoes, and discover how deep the culture of New Orleans music really goes.

Featuring: Norman Garrett, Tessa Lark, Anna Laura Quinn, Gladney, LPO, Malcolm Parsons & other special guests.