Calgary Opera Opens 2026-27 Season with Puccini's 'Tosca'

Calgary Opera will open its 2026-27 season with Giacomo Puccini's "Tosca," running from Oct. 16 to 24, 2026, at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium.

The cast includes Maria Natale, David Esteban, and Boaz Daniel. Jonathan Brandani, Calgary Opera's Artistic Director, conducts the production, staged by Joshua Borths.

Borths frames the work as a study of what survives when everything else collapses. "Tosca asks what remains when every illusion falls away," the stage director said in a statement. "It's a story where beauty exists alongside brutality, and love is tested against power at every turn. What makes this opera timeless is that, despite all of its darkness, Puccini leaves us believing that art, love, and hope are stronger than fear – even if it costs everything we have."

Brandani points to the score's sustained emotional force. "This is one of the most emotionally gripping operas ever written," he said. "Puccini masterfully blends romance, suspense, and breathtaking music into a story that keeps audiences captivated from beginning to end, where every moment is emotionally charged. The lush orchestral writing and breathtaking melodies will take the listeners by hand into an unparalleled emotional journey which will leave them inspired and craving more."

The announcement follows Calgary Opera's unveiling of its full 2026-27 season, which also includes productions such as "The Barber of Seville," led by Grisha Martirosyan and Siphokazi Molteno.

"Tosca" gives the Alberta company a season opener built on Puccini's most volatile mix of politics, desire and violence, delivered by a conductor-director team that has placed the opera's emotional stakes at the center of its pitch to audiences. Calgary audiences have six performances' worth of window, Oct. 16 to 24, to judge whether the production delivers on that promise.