European opera season opens with Bad Orb debut and major festival premieres in Bayreuth and Salzburg

On 8 August 2026 the music pavilion in Bad Orb, Germany, will stage a modernized adaptation of Mozart’s "Die Entführung aus dem Serail". The performance features an internationally assembled ensemble of recent graduates from German music conservatories, conducted by Wolfgang Runkel, with direction and dramaturgy by Rebecca Di Piazza and Jackie Stohwasser. Tickets cost €20 for adults and €10 for children and are sold at the box office.

At the same time, the Bayreuth and Salzburg festivals are launching their summer programmes. Bayreuth marks the 150th anniversary of the Wagner Festspiele with a first‑ever production of "Rienzi" and a new Ring cycle staged by Christian Thielemann, enhanced with AI‑generated imagery. Salzburg opens with a re‑imagined production of Bizet’s "Carmen", starring Asmik Grigorian, directed by Teodor Currentzis and choreographed by Gabriela Carrizo of the Peeping Tom dance company. Additional highlights include new stagings of "Ariadne auf Naxos", "Saint François d’Assise" which incorporates live sheep, and other pieces across the festivals.