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From 11 to 20 September 2026, Zagreb will once again become a meeting point for the opera world, bringing together leading artists, renowned European ensembles and audiences of different generations. Organised by the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, the fourth International Zagreb Opera Festival will present ten days of major opera productions, guest appearances by renowned European opera companies, new artistic collaborations, and programmes that bring opera closer to the audiences beyond the traditional theatre setting.

Over the course of four years, the Festival has grown into an important platform for artistic collaboration and exchange, contributing to Zagreb’s growing prominence on the European opera scene. This year’s edition further expands the Festival’s reach: for the first time, the programme will take place across three venues – the CNT main stage, its foyer and the new HNK2 stage, thus creating space for a variety of artistic formats and more direct encounters between performers and audiences.

“When we launched the Zagreb Opera Festival, we wanted to create a space where opera is not simply a performance, but a meeting place for artists and audiences and a platform for new international collaborations. Four years on, more than 20,000 audience members, over 1,500 artists and numerous guest appearances by European opera companies confirm that this vision has become a reality and that Zagreb has established itself as a recognised meeting point for the European opera community. With more than thirty events, this year’s Festival takes that vision a step further, connecting outstanding artists and productions with audiences while creating opportunities for new collaborations and experiences,” Dr Iva Hraste-Sočo, General Manager and Artistic Director of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb said.

The Festival will open on 11 September at 11 a.m., when the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will open its doors to audiences, media representatives and partners for the Festival Morning, an informal gathering dedicated to the Festival and major announcements about the future of the CNT Opera Company. That evening, the Festival will officially open with Verdi’s Aida, a major international co-production of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, Teatro Massimo in Palermo and the Csokonai National Theatre in Debrecen. Conducted by Pier Giorgio Morandi, Chief Conductor of the Opera Company of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, and directed by Mario Pontiggia, Aida brings together international and Croatian opera soloists, the CNT Opera Orchestra and Chorus, and the Ballet Company. Italian tenor Stefano La Colla will once again take on the role of Radamès, returning to Zagreb after captivating audiences here this spring.

Festival Events on Three Stages

On 12 September, the Festival will demonstrate its openness to new formats. The CNT foyer will host a performance of Gita and the Hidden World, a children’s opera by Borna Erceg, created in collaboration with Zagreb’s Mala Scena Theatre and directed by Buga Marija Šimić Milošev. The production will be performed again on 13 and 19 September.

HNK2 will host a guest performance by the French Compagnie Minute Papillon with The Cook Opera!, a co-production of Festival Tous en Son and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Combining music, theatre and humour, this production will bring opera closer to audiences in an immediate and unconventional way.

On 13 September, HNK2 will host the Inaugural Concert of the Dunja Vejzović Music Centre, launched at the initiative of the acclaimed Croatian opera singer and musician with the aim of promoting opera and musical culture, particularly by supporting the development of young talented singers and musicians. The inaugural concert will feature Diana Haller, Dora Jana Klarić, Evelin Novak, Marie-Pierre Roy, Dubravka Šeparović Mušović, Tomislav Jukić, Goran Jurić and Krešimir Stražanac, accompanied by the Croatian Radiotelevision Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Valentin Egel. 

Polish Royal Opera Returns to Zagreb Audiences

One of the Festival’s central guest performances will take place on 14 September, when the Polish Royal Opera (Polska Opera Królewska) from Warsaw will return to Zagreb with Rossini’s comic opera The Italian Girl in Algiers. The production will be performed on the CNT main stage, conducted by Dawid Runtz and directed by Jitka Stokalska. This guest performance continues the international collaboration between the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and the Polish Royal Opera, further strengthened this year by the visit of their chamber production named Opera Buffa.

Venus and Adonis – A Meeting of Baroque Music and European Ensembles

On 15 September, Venus and Adonis, an opera by English Baroque composer John Blow, performed by the Spanish ensemble Cantoría together with the Croatian Baroque Ensemble and Chamber Choir, and conducted by Jorge Losana will be presented at HNK2. The title role will be performed by mezzo-soprano Lucija Varšić, born in Zagreb and now based in Vienna. The Zagreb performance will be the first staging of Blow’s Venus and Adonis in Zagreb. The guest performance is part of an important artistic event that brings a rarely performed work of the early English Baroque to Zagreb, while also marking Cantoría’s first opera production. Cantoría’s appearance in Zagreb continues the successful collaboration with the Spanish cultural scene, which began this summer with the presentation of the Zagreb Opera Festival at the Peralada Festival.

Lakmé – A Continuation of Successful Collaboration with the Slovene National Theatre in Maribor

On 17 September, the CNT main stage will host Léo Delibes’ Lakmé, performed by the Slovene National Theatre in Maribor, conducted by Mojca Lavrenčič and directed by Pier Francesco Maestrini. This guest performance continues the successful artistic collaboration between the two Central European opera houses, further strengthened this year by the co-production of Wagner’s Tannhäuser, which premiered in Zagreb in May. The project’s international visibility was further enhanced by its inclusion on the OperaVision platform, where it is still available for viewing.

Grand Gala Concert with Piotr Beczała and Marigona Qerkezi, Opera Soloists and the CNT Orchestra

The fourth international Zagreb Opera Festival will conclude on 20 September with a grand Gala Concert featuring Piotr Beczała, one of today’s most sought-after tenors, and internationally acclaimed soprano Marigona Qerkezi, joined by the CNT soloists and Orchestra, conducted by Chief Conductor Pier Giorgio Morandi. Beczała returns to Zagreb after four years, appearing once again, this time at the beginning of Dr Iva Hraste-Sočo’s second term as General Manager and Artistic Director of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. His return thus symbolically connects the beginning of her first and second terms and brings to a close an important four-year period of artistic and international development of the CNT in Zagreb. Marigona Qerkezi, an acclaimed soprano with an international career who was born in Zagreb will perform together with Beczała.

The Gala Concert is supported by the Zagreb Tourist Board and Orbico.

Opera 65+ – Bringing Opera to Audiences

Opera 65+ makes an important part of the fourth Zagreb Opera Festival as a programme created for residents of homes for older people. Members of the CNT Opera Studio and its scholarship recipients will perform special concert programmes at residential homes, bringing opera directly to audiences who are not always able to attend theatre performances regularly.

The first concert will take place on 15 September at 5 p.m. at the Centre Home for Older People, followed by a second concert on 16 September at 5 p.m. at the Medveščak Home for Older People.

Our Audiences of the Future – International Forum on Audience Development

Following the success of its first edition in 2025, which brought together more than one hundred theatre professionals, experts, researchers and artists from Croatia and abroad, the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will host the second edition of the International Audience Development Forum on 16 September. Entitled “Our Audiences of the Future,” the Forum will explore how to understand and attract new audiences, build long-term relationships with different communities, and make the arts more accessible and relevant to new generations. It will bring together international speakers and experts from the cultural sector.

Numerous Additional Festival Programmes

Alongside opera performances and concerts, the Zagreb Opera Festival will bring a range of programmes for audiences of all generations. During the Festival days, listening sessions and opera quizzes will give audiences an opportunity to discover the opera repertoire in a relaxed and interactive way. On 14 September, the foyer of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb will host the presentation of the recording of The Musical Legacy of Bela pl. Adamović Čepinski, dedicated to the musical heritage and work of this important figure in Croatian cultural life.

On 17 September, HNK2 will host the international conference named Green Culture: From Creative Vision to Systemic Change, dedicated to the role of culture in addressing contemporary environmental and climate challenges. The conference is organised by the Creative Europe Desk – Culture Office at the Ministry of Culture and Media, together with Croatian and international partners. The Festival will also feature a number of book presentations, including Siniša Vuković’s Opera Garland and Fearless Croatian Women published by Profil publishing house.

On 18 September, the Festival will also present Darko Lukić’s new book Unclaimed Memories, Unsolicited Narratives: Mainstreaming the Marginality in Croatian Drama and Theatre, which features eight studies offering portraits of contemporary Croatian playwrights and directors, including Slobodan Šnajder, Ivana Sajko, Tena Štivičić, Dino Pešut, Espi Tomičić and others. These events will bring together authors, artists and audiences, further opening up space for discussion about the performing arts and their role in contemporary cultural life.

During the main programme, the Festival will also feature Opera Quizzes for audiences, as well as Music Listening Sessions, giving visitors to the Festival Café the opportunity to listen to opera performances on the eastern terrace of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb while programmes are taking place on the main stage. The Gala Concert on 20 September will also be accessible to all residents and visitors to Zagreb, with the performance broadcast at Festival Square, which will be set up in front of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.

The Zinka Kunc Milanov Audience Award

This year’s Zagreb Opera Festival introduces a new festival attraction – the Zinka Kunc Milanov Audience Award, which will be presented to the guest production in the main Festival programme with the highest average audience rating. The new award will make audiences active participants in the Festival, with their impressions and ratings directly contributing to the selection of the Festival winner. Voting will be simple and open to all visitors after the performances via a QR code and a short form to be filled in, with the winner announced the day after the Festival closes.