For Immediate Release

WOLF TRAP ANNOUNCES 2026

CLASSICAL & OPERA SUMMER SEASON 

The National Symphony Orchestra returns to its summer home at the Filene Center for a landmark summer residency, including the return of music director Gianandrea Noseda for two performances, a concert as part of America250, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Wolf Trap Opera soloists, significant pop artists, and films with live orchestra

Wolf Trap Opera presents signature works, including Rossini’s La Cenerentola,

Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and Puccini’s Tosca

Vienna, VA (February 10, 2025) – Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts announces its dynamic 2026 opera and classical season, featuring the return of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) for an impressive summer residency at the Filene Center that includes major symphonic programs, film-with-orchestra events, and collaborations with leading artists. Capping off their residency, Music Director Gianandrea Noseda conducts Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Wolf Trap Opera soloists, and a concert commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States. The season also features three fully staged opera productions by Wolf Trap Opera (WTO), including Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Cinderella), Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, and Puccini’s Tosca. Tickets are on sale Friday, February 27, at 10 AM ET.

“Wolf Trap’s 2026 season brings the full spectrum of orchestral and operatic music to life,” said Lee Anne Myslewski, Vice President of Opera and Classical Programming. “From the National Symphony Orchestra’s expansive summer residency and celebration of America at 250 to Wolf Trap Opera’s artist-driven productions, audiences will experience world-class performances in extraordinary settings.”

National Symphony Orchestra at the Filene Center

The National Symphony Orchestra returns as a cornerstone of Wolf Trap’s summer season with its annual residency at the Filene Center, featuring major symphonic programs, genre-spanning collaborations, film-to-orchestra concerts, and a landmark performance marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Highlights include two concerts conducted by Music Director Gianandrea Noseda.

On August 14, Noseda leads the NSO and Wolf Trap Opera soloists in an all-Beethoven program featuring The Consecration of the House Overture and Elegiac Song, Op. 118 leading into the monumental Ninth Symphony and its momentous Ode to Joy. The following evening, August 15, the orchestra presents an American Mosaic, a sweeping program honoring American music featuring Peter Boyer’s American Mosaic, Leonard Bernstein’s “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story, the Overture from Candide, and George Gershwin’s An American in Paris. 

On June 25, six-time Grammy Award–winning “art-rock experimentalist” St. Vincent will make her Wolf Trap debut and join the NSO for dramatic symphonic arrangements of songs spanning her entire catalog, including selections from MASSEDUCTION and her 2024 release All Born Screaming. On August 21, genre-defying eight-time Grammy Award-winning American composer, singer, arranger, and musician Jon Batiste takes the stage with the NSO for a special orchestral collaboration.



Additional highlights include Gregory Alan Isakov appearing with the NSO under the direction of Christopher Dragon on August 26, as well as two family-friendly film-with-orchestra presentations: Disney's The Little Mermaid on July 11 and Hook on September 5, featuring the NSO.

Wolf Trap Opera 2026 Season

Wolf Trap Opera (WTO)—one of the nation’s premier artist-driven training programs for emerging opera professionals—presents three fully staged productions during the 2026 summer season:

• Rossini’s La Cenerentola (June 18, 21, 25, and 27; The Barns at Wolf Trap)

Conductor: Louis Lohraseb

Director: Joel Ivany

CAST - *In order of vocal appearance

Clorinda: Angela Yam

Tisbe: TBC

Angelina: Sophia Maekawa

Alidoro: Cumhur Görgün

Don Magnifico: Ziniu Zhao

Prince Ramiro: Angel Gomez

Dandini: Korin Thomas-Smith

Chorus: Gentlemen of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio

• Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (July 17, 19, 23, and 25; The Barns at Wolf Trap)

Conductor: Steven White

Director: Emma Griffin

CAST - *In order of vocal appearance

Madame Larina: Aubrey Odle

Filipyevna: Cecelia McKinley

Olga: Elissa Pfaender

Tatiana: Magdalena Kuźma

Lensky: Daniel O’Hearn

Eugene Onegin: Finn Sagal

Monsieur Triquet: Jack Hicks*

Commander: Michael Appiah Kubi Mensah*

Zaretsky: Jack Burrows*

Prince Gremin: Sergio Martinez

Chorus: Wolf Trap Opera Studio

*Wolf Trap Opera Studio Artist

• Puccini’s Tosca (August 7; Filene Center)

Conductor: José Luis Gómez

Directors: Tonya and Ryan McKinny

CAST - *In order of vocal appearance

Cesare Angelotti: Cumhur Görgün

Sacristan: Sergio Martinez

Mario Cavaradossi: Demetrious Sampson Jr.

Floria Tosca: Tessa McQueen

Baron Scarpia: Jonathan Patton

Spoletta: Wayd Odle

Sciarrone: Søren Pedersen*

A Shepherd: Calista Ro-Jei Smith*

Jailer: Christopher Rodriguez Gray*

*Wolf Trap Opera Studio Artist

This season, with the help of Artist Development Advisor Renée Fleming and Grammy Award–winning baritone Will Liverman–a distinguished Wolf Trap Opera alumnus returning as the 2026 Filene Artist-in-Residence–Wolf Trap Opera will offer performance opportunities, immersive mentorship, and tailored repertoire for emerging opera talent.

This year's cohort will feature 17 Filene Artists—emerging professionals on their way to significant careers who have completed their academic or conservatory studies—and 17 Studio Artists—singers with notable potential who are currently or recently enrolled in voice programs. Wolf Trap Opera's artist-centric approach spotlights less than 3% of applicants and showcases a diverse group of emerging singers from six continents, many of whom are alumni of elite international training programs. 

Additional Wolf Trap Opera Events

On May 10, Renée Fleming will host NextGen, a recital featuring three recent alumni of Wolf Trap Opera’s Filene Artist program. This event demonstrates Fleming’s dedication to mentoring the next generation of opera talent. (Note: Fleming will coach the singers in this concert; however, she will not participate as a performer.)

Wolf Trap presents three free public master classes led by highly respected artists, offering audiences a rare opportunity to observe leading performers working closely with the next generation of opera talent. Will Liverman will return to Wolf Trap to lead a public master class on May 31, followed by the acclaimed recitalist and longtime Wolf Trap favorite, Steven Blier, who will conduct a master class focused on song and interpretation with Wolf Trap Opera’s Studio Artists on June 9. The series will conclude on June 23 with a masterclass led by Renée Fleming. All master classes take place at the Center for Education at Wolf Trap and are free and open to the public. Space is limited, and advanced registration is required.

Aria Jukebox returns to The Barns at Wolf Trap on Sunday, June 28, inviting audiences to take control of the program in a high-energy afternoon of opera’s greatest arias. Each singer presents four arias, and the audience votes live to decide what is performed, as the artists charm, persuade, and playfully campaign for their selections. Suitable for both opera beginners and seasoned fans, this interactive event provides surprises, impressive voices, and plenty of enjoyment.

Wolf Trap Opera’s Salon Series also returns to The Barns at Wolf Trap for four limited-capacity, artist-curated evenings on June 8 + 22 and July 6 + 20. These intimate concerts invite audiences to enjoy dinner before remaining at their tables as a bespoke musical journey unfolds just feet away. With programs that vary each night, the Salon Series offers an immersive experience of extraordinary voices in rare proximity.

Ticketing and On-Sale Information

• Wolf Trap members (donors at $100 or more) receive presale access.
• Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday, February 27, at 10 AM ET at wolftrap.org.
• Ticket prices vary by performance and are subject to change.
• Reservations for Ovations at Wolf Trap are now open. Click here



Dan and Gayle D’Aniello, Wolf Trap 2026 Season Underwriters

PNC, Premier Sponsor, 2026 Summer Season

The Boeing Company, Major Sponsor, Boeing Salutes Series

ABOUT WOLF TRAP

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, produces and presents a full range of performance and education programs in the Greater Washington DC area, as well as nationally. Wolf Trap features three performance venues: the outdoor Filene Center including the Meadow Stage, and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, located at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, and The Barns at Wolf Trap, located down the road from the national park and adjacent to the Center for Education at Wolf Trap. The Filene Center, Meadow Stage, and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods are operated in partnership with the National Park Service and annually showcase an extensive array of diverse artists, ranging from pop, country, folk, and blues to classical music, dance, and theatre, as well as multimedia presentations, from May through September. The Barns at Wolf Trap is operated by Wolf Trap Foundation year-round, and during the summer months is home to the Grammy-nominated Wolf Trap Opera, one of America’s outstanding professional training programs for early career opera singers. Wolf Trap’s education programs include the nationally acclaimed Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods, and a nationally recognized internship program.  

ABOUT DISNEY CONCERTS

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company. Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras, choruses and presenters on a worldwide basis. Disney Concerts’ concert packages include a variety of formats, such as “live to picture” film concerts, and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts that range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choirs. Featuring concerts from the largest movie franchises in the world – from Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Pixar and 20th Century Studios – current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series, Toy Story, Aladdin, Disney Princess – The Concert, Coco, The Lion King, Up, The Lion King, Up, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

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Media Information 

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