Pensacola Opera has announced its 44th Season for 2026–27, a dynamic lineup that opens in November with the chamber opera The Falling and the Rising by composer Zach Redler. Mainstage productions follow in January and March with Puccini’s Tosca and Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, both at the historic Pensacola Saenger Theatre.
Opening the season is The Falling and the Rising, an operatic story of service and sacrifice, tracing the inner journey of a soldier who enters a coma after she suffers from a roadside attack. This special production will feature a local voluntary veterans chorus that spans decades of service to our beloved country, as a moving testament to the courage of those who serve. This chamber opera will take place at the University of West Florida Center for Fine and Performing Arts, November 20 + 21, 2026.
The mainstage season opens in January with Tosca, a timeless masterpiece about passion, revenge, and sacrifice. Returning to Pensacola after showstopping debuts in Pagliacci (2025), Amber Monroe and Ben Gulley reunite as Floria Tosca and her lover, the painter Mario Cavaradossi. Dennis Jesse—most recently seen as Germont in last season’s La Traviata—appears as Baron Scarpia, the villainous chief of police. Jerome Shannon conducts. Tosca’s chilling storyline and soaring arias reveal the depth of human emotion that will give you chills and leave you feeling hauntingly tender. Tosca will be performed at the Saenger Theatre on January 22 & 24, 2027.
The bubbly comedy The Elixir of Love returns to the Saenger stage for the first time in over 20 years on March 12 & 14, 2027. Jan Miller Studio Artist alumnus Randy Ho returns as the love-stricken Nemorino, and Helen Zhibing Huang makes her Pensacola Opera debut as his beloved Adina. The pompous Sergeant Belcore is Luis Alejandro Orozco (Carmen, 2021), and Matthew Burns (The Barber of Seville, 2022) plays the smooth-talking “Doctor” Dulcamara. Music Director Cody Martin conducts a production led by Eve Summer in her Pensacola Opera debut. Donizetti’s heartwarming comedy is a whimsical, uplifting finale to a season full of contrast and emotion.
Both mainstage productions will feature members of the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and Pensacola Opera Chorus. Pensacola Opera will once again bring over 200 musicians and artists together to present a season of shows that showcase all sides of human emotion and provide experiences for all to enjoy.
“Pensacola Opera’s 44th Season promises to be one of enduring tradition, celebrating the full range of human emotion, and we cannot wait to share another extraordinary year of opera with the community.” says Chandra McKern, General Director.
Subscriptions are currently available for the 44th Season. More information can be found online at pensacolaopera.com.
