February 26, 2025 – Opéra de Montréal presents with great enthusiasm a bold and thought-provoking 2025-2026 season, exploring the profound impact of choices and their consequences through four operatic masterpieces. In its 46th season, the company remains dedicated to blending timeless repertoire with contemporary works, offering audiences an unforgettable lineup featuring Don Giovanni, Jenůfa, Clown(s), and Carmen.
In a landmark moment for the organization, Opéra de Montréal is also proud to announce a transformative $5 million gift dedicated to artistic creation, generously contributed by visionary young philanthropists Vickie Zhao and Alex Ionescu. This extraordinary investment will provide critical support for local artists and the development of new works, reinforcing the company’s commitment to innovation and artistic excellence.
“This season, we wanted to explore how our actions—both deliberate and hesitant—shape our lives,” says Patrick Corrigan, General Director of Opéra de Montréal. “Opera is not just a reflection of the past; it speaks to who we are today, to the choices that define us. This new season highlights that powerful connection to our own experiences.” Each production in the 2025-2026 season delves into the profound impact of decisions, setting off a chain of events that can be tragic, liberating, or both. Mozart’s Don Giovanni follows a man whose reckless actions inevitably lead to his downfall. Janáček’s Jenůfa is a heart-wrenching tale of love, sacrifice, and moral dilemmas. Clown(s), a new opera by Quebec composer Ana Sokolović, offers a poetic meditation on the triumphs and losses that shape our humanity. And in Carmen, Bizet’s iconic heroine defies convention in her relentless pursuit of freedom. This season invites audiences to reflect on personal and collective responsibility—on how the choices we make ripple far beyond the present moment.
Opera has never been more relevant. As an ever-evolving art form, it thrives on the passion and support of those who believe in its power to inspire and innovate. In this spirit, Opéra de Montréal is thrilled to announce a landmark $5 million donation dedicated to artistic creation, the single largest individual gift directly in support of the artistic mission ever received by a Québec arts organization. “We believe that boldness, innovation, and new works are key to keeping opera vibrant, especially in reaching those who have never experienced it before,” say Vickie Zhao and Alex Ionescu. These forward-thinking philanthropists, both in their thirties, recently returned to Montreal after a decade in Silicon Valley and Seattle. As first-generation immigrants of Romanian and Chinese descent, they have chosen to reinvest in the city that welcomed them and where they grew up. “In recent years, Opéra de Montréal has emerged as a leader in contemporary storytelling—championing new voices, expanding access to the art form, and pushing creative boundaries. Supporting this vision and helping propel it forward means strengthening a major cultural institution that is redefining opera and elevating Montreal on the international stage,” they add.
In recognition of this historic gift, Vickie Zhao and Alex Ionescu will be named Visionary Artistic Patrons of Opéra de Montréal for the next five seasons (2025-2026 to 2029-2030). Additionally, the company’s artistic direction will now bear the title Zhao-Ionescu-Artistic Direction.
THE 25-26 SEASON, IN DETAILS:
DON GIOVANNI Mozart September 27, 30 and October 2, 5, 2025 Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
HIGHLIGHTS
Mozart and Da Ponte’s legendary collaboration gives us Don Giovanni, a maelstrom of tragedy and dark comedy, seduction and self-destruction. The music’s timelessness is on full display, and its full dramatic potency is realized by Stephen Lawless — a name that will perk up the ears and hearts of the Mozart-obsessed. Prepare to witness the downfall of history’s most legendary seducer.
CAST
Don Giovanni : John Brancy
Leporello : Ruben Drole
Donna Anna : Kirsten Leblanc
Ottavio : Anthony Gregory
Elvira : Andrea Nuñez
Zerlina : Sophie Naubert
Masetto : Matthew Li
Commendatore : William Meinert
Conductor : Kensho Watanabe
Stage Director : Stephen Lawless
Sets and costumes : Opéra de Montréal
Production : Opéra de Montréal
Orchestra : I Musici de Montréal
Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal
JENŮFA
Janáček
November 22, 27, 30, 2025
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
HIGHLIGHTS
Renowned Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan takes the helm for this highly anticipated production of Janáček’s Jenůfa, while Montreal’s very own Nicole Paiement leads the Orchestre Métropolitain as conductor.
Jenůfa, a lovestruck young woman from a remote, conservative Czech village, is devastated when her lover proves unfaithful. As she carries his child, she finds herself on the brink of great shame and dishonour — that is, before Kostelnička intervenes. The village’s moral guardian, Kostelnička takes it upon herself to protect the family’s reputation.\
Conductor : Nicole Paiement
Stage Director : Atom Egoyan
Set and Costumes : Debra Hanson
Lighting : Michael Walton
Production : Opéra de Montréal & Pacific Opera Victoria
Orchestre Métropolitain
Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal
CLOWN(S)
Sokolović
January 31, February 3, 5 and 8, 2026
Théâtre Maisonneuve
HIGHLIGHTS
Created by Montreal composer Ana Sokolović, Clown(s) is a moving tribute to the human experience. Clown(s) draws upon the worlds of Sand, Fellini, Chaplin, and Keaton to construct a “favola in musica” — a musical fable — that unfolds across seven spellbinding scenes. Combining an invented language, evocative music, and contemporary stage magic, this production creates a whimsical, circus-inspired world that captivates and touches the hearts of all who experience it.
When a solitary clown opens a suitcase on an empty stage, an entire universe comes into being with all its attendant wonders: birth, discovery, love, joy, conflict, even sorrow. As the comic face paint disappears, our beloved clowns begin to reveal as much about themselves as they do about our greater humanity.
CAST
Soprano : Aline Kutan
Mezzo : Mireille Lebel
Tenor : Andrew Haji
Baritone : Bruno Roy
Conductor : Jiří Rožeň
Stage Director : Martin Genest
Composer & Librettist : Ana Sokolović
Dramaturge : Dáirine Ní Mheadhra
Sets : Anne-Séguin Poirier
Costumes : Sébastien Dionne
Lighting : Laurent Routhier
Production : Productions ODM inc. With the support of SODEC
CARMEN
Bizet
May 2, 5, 7 and 10, 2026
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
HIGHLIGHTS
There is no “opera” without “Carmen”, and there is no more potent Carmen than that which pours forth from the masterful baton of Jean-Marie Zeitouni and the Orchestre Métropolitain. This production will explore the full emotional range of Bizet’s tempestuous masterpiece — its beauty, its intensity, its truth — alongside a cast of operatic luminaries, including Rihab Chaieb, Arturo Chacón-Cruz, Magali Simard-Galdès, and Ethan Vincent.
CAST
Carmen : Rihab Chaieb
Don José : Arturo Chacón-Cruz
Escamillo : Ethan Vincent
Micaëla : Magali Simard-Galdès
Zuniga : Stephen Hegedus
Moralès : Dante Mullin Santone*
Dancaïro : Jamal Al Titi*
Mercédès – Tessa Fackelmann*
Conductor : Jean-Marie Zeitouni
Stage Director : Anna Theodosakis
Sets : Camellia Koo
Costumes : Edmonton Opera
Lighting : David Fraser
Production : Edmonton Opera, créée par Maria Lamont
Orchestre Métropolitain
Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal
*artists currently at the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal
Opéra de Montréal
Firmly rooted in Montreal, at the crossroads of North American and European cultures, the Opéra de Montréal acts as a catalyst for the city’s artistic creativity and celebrates Quebec’s and Canada’s rich vocal heritage by bringing opera to life in its most diverse and daring forms. From great operatic classics to new works from both here and abroad, along with its development program for Canada’s best young singers, and its strong commitment to community and education, the Opéra de Montréal offers unforgettable operatic events where everyone is warmly welcomed and feels at home.
About Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao
Alex Ionescu and Vickie Zhao are immigrants of Romanian and Chinese descent who share a deep passion for Montreal and its cultural development. As a family united by values of generosity and commitment, they actively support a wide range of cultural initiatives across the city. This donation marks the first in a series of contributions reflecting their dedication to cultural innovation in the arts, expanding accessibility to culture for all, and telling the story of a new generation of immigrants leaving their mark on Montreal’s cultural landscape. Through their commitment, they aim to highlight the lasting impact individual donors can have on the growth and vitality of cultural organizations and to help position Montreal as a leading city of arts and culture on the international stage.
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