Atlanta Opera Opens 2026-27 Season with 'Silent Night'

The Atlanta Opera will open its 2026-27 mainstage season on Nov. 7, 2026 with Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's opera "Silent Night."

Tomer Zvulun directs the production, and Principal Conductor Iván López Reynoso will hold the baton. The run continues through Nov. 15.

The announced cast includes Susanne Burgess, Kameron Lopreore, Nikolaus Sprink, Luke Sutliff, Aleksey Bogdanov, and Jonathan Bryan.

What is the production's history?

Zvulun has carried this staging across continents. In a statement, he said: "Ever since I directed the European premiere of Silent Night in Wexford in 2014, this production – seen in eight different cities all over the world – has held a special place in my heart."

The director tied the revival directly to the present moment. "Bringing Silent Night back to Atlanta, in a world so marked by war and conflict, feels more relevant than ever," Zvulun said. "We need stories of friendship, camaraderie, and shared humanity, now more than ever."

How does the opera honor veterans?

The production carries a decade of institutional memory for the company. Zvulun noted that "this is also a production that launched our essential veterans program a decade ago, opening our doors to more than 70,000 veterans and active military personnel who have attended our productions free of charge."

He added: "This production is dedicated to those who never came back home."

The Nov. 10 performance will honor veterans and military personnel in attendance as a Veterans Day salute, with a pre-performance champagne toast.

Can audiences watch remotely?

Yes. The Atlanta Opera Film Studio will live stream the Nov. 13 performance, extending the run's reach beyond the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre company's home audience.

"Silent Night," with music by Kevin Puts and libretto by Mark Campbell, dramatizes the 1914 Christmas Eve truce among Scottish, French, and German soldiers during World War I — the story of enemies who laid down arms. Its Atlanta return, eight performances after Zvulun's Wexford premiere and staged amid current global conflicts, positions the company's season opener as both an artistic event and a civic one for the city's military community.