Opera Santa Barbara Returns to the Granada with Turandot and Samson and Delilah

Opera Santa Barbara will stage Puccini's "Turandot" on Oct. 1 and 3, 2027, opening a 2027-28 season that marks the company's return to The Granada Theatre after four years.

The season holds two productions. The first is "Turandot" in the fall. The second is Saint-Saëns' "Samson and Delilah" in the spring, on April 7 and 9, 2028. Both will be new productions, and both play at The Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara.

Who sings in "Turandot"?

Alexandra Loutsion takes the title role of the ice princess Turandot. Adam Diegel sings Calaf, the unknown prince who attempts her three riddles. The company announced the pair as the headline leads for the opening production.

Alexandra Enyart conducts. Octavio Cardenas and Daniel Chapman lead the new production.

Who sings in "Samson and Delilah"?

The spring production centers on Robert Stahley as Samson and Sarah Saturnino as Delilah. Ben Lowe joins them as the High Priest of Dagon. Kostis Protopapas conducts. Crystal Manich and François-Pierre Couture lead the new production.

The casting pairs each opera with a named conductor and a two-person production team. The company has set the creative leadership for both titles in full.

What does the return to The Granada change?

The 2027-28 season ends a four-year absence from The Granada Theatre, the company's announced venue for both productions. The return gives Opera Santa Barbara two dates in the fall and two in the spring, a compact four-performance calendar across the season.

For audiences, it means a single downtown stage for both the Puccini and the Saint-Saëns. For the singers, it places Loutsion, Diegel, Stahley and Saturnino in the leading roles of two canonical works staged as new productions rather than revivals.

The announcement names the casts, conductors and production teams well in advance of the October 2027 opening, giving the company a two-season runway to sell tickets and build subscriptions around the Granada homecoming.