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The Fourth International Zagreb Opera Festival, taking place from 11 to 20 September 2026, continues through the end of the week with a series of opera performances, international guest appearances, concerts and accompanying programmes. All festival events are sold out, and this year’s edition once again brings together Croatian and international opera houses, ensembles, soloists and a large opera audience.

The Festival opened on 11 September with a performance of Verdi’s Aida on the stage of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. Italian tenor Stefano La Colla, a special guest of the Festival, appeared as Radamès, alongside Kristina Kolar, Sofija Petrović, Ivica Čikeš, Ljubomir Puškarić, Luciano Batinić, Josipa Lončar and Ivo Gamulin. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Croatian National Theatre Opera in Zagreb were conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, and the production was directed by Mario Pontiggia.

Aida was created as an international co-production of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Teatro Massimo in Palermo and the Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen.

The programme continued on 12 September at HNK2 with performances of The Cook Opera! by the French company Compagnie Minute Papillon, created in co-production with the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, while the interactive musical installation Music Cuisine brought part of the Festival programme into the city’s public space, at Ban Josip Jelačić Square.

On 13 September, HNK2 hosted the Inaugural Concert of the Dunja Vejzović Music Centre, featuring the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra conducted by Valentin Egel, with the participation of Croatian and international opera artists.

The following day, 14 September, the Polish Royal Opera appeared on the main stage of the Croatian National Theatre with Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri, conducted by Dawid Runtz and directed by Jitka Stokalska. This marked the Polish Royal Opera’s second appearance at the Zagreb Opera Festival, following its guest performance of Handel’s Rinaldo two years ago.

Further international programmes await audiences before the Festival concludes. On 15 September, HNK2 presents John Blow’s Baroque opera Venus and Adonis, performed by the Spanish ensemble Cantoría, the Croatian Baroque Ensemble, chamber choir and soloists.

On 16 September, the International Forum on Audience Development will bring together Croatian and international experts, alongside the Opera 65+ programme. On the same day, Delibes’s Lakmé will be performed on the stage of the Croatian National Theatre by the Slovene National Theatre Maribor, conducted by Mojca Lavrenčič.

The Festival programme through the end of the week also includes events dedicated to opera heritage, audience development, sustainability and contemporary theatre. These include the presentation of the book Operna ogrlica Jakova Gotovca, edited by Siniša Vuković, the Green Culture Desk conference organised by Creative Europe Desk Croatia at the Ministry of Culture and Media, and the presentation of Darko Lukić’s book Unclaimed Memories, Unsolicited Narratives: Mainstreaming the Marginality in Croatian Drama and Theatre.

The Festival culminates on 20 September with a major Gala Concert featuring one of the world’s leading tenors, Piotr Beczała, and soprano Marigona Qerkezi, alongside Croatian National Theatre Opera soloists Sofija Petrović, Ljubomir Puškarić and Luciano Batinić, and the Croatian National Theatre Opera Orchestra conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi.

Throughout the Festival, the Music Listening Room offers audiences live broadcasts of selected opera performances, accompanied by Opera Quizzes, while the Festival Bar on the eastern side of the Croatian National Theatre serves as a meeting place for audiences and Festival gatherings.

Until 20 September, the Fourth International Zagreb Opera Festival thus continues to bring together major operatic works, international guest performances, educational and professional programmes, and events aimed at broadening and developing opera audiences.