If the earth seems gloomy and dark, look up to the splendour of the heavens! Nicolaas Beets
Grand and united
Artemis II took humans back to the Moon for the first time in decades; never before in our history have humans been so far from Earth. And yet, in a figurative sense, we have never been ‘further from home’.
The mission yielded breathtaking new images of our Earth, and the astronauts once again sent home the overwhelming realisation: ‘We are all one people’. We are connected to one another on this Earth, with this Earth.
Opera Zuid’s 2026–2027 season brings connection to life and explores new and breathtaking perspectives. The perspective of (young) people who raise their voices together out of love for our planet. The satirical perspective of earthlings who discover an alternative society on the moon, serving as a cheerful, distorted mirror of our world below. The disarming perspective of a child, for whom the search for a home opens up countless worlds of imagination. The perspective of people who want to connect their neighbourhood with the world.
Connecting through imagination and experience – that is Opera Zuid’s mission.
We invite you to join us in dreaming, singing, laughing, being moved and enjoying unforgettable moments.
With Uprising by Jonathan Dove and Frau Luna by Paul Lincke, we present two unique productions that together form a breathtaking journey to our own earth, our own world – in all its beauty and grandeur, and in its need for hope.
Jonathan Dove’s stunning new opera, Uprising, is a work of immense urgency. Dove’s masterpiece allows us to feel the power of collective action: voices rising and resonating together, people taking action, generations coming together. A compelling community opera in which professional singers and creators come together with voices from the community, deeply moving a wide audience. With his exciting, immediately accessible and energetic music, Jonathan Dove – one of the most frequently performed opera composers in the world – demonstrates just how powerful, inspiring and immensely impactful opera can be today. Uprising was awarded the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award for its social impact and is already a classic for the future. Opera Zuid is exceptionally proud to bring this important work to the continent for the first time, in collaboration with our partners.
Frau Luna then lifts us, both literally and figuratively, above the earth. Paul Lincke’s effervescent operetta opens up a new perspective: by taking a step back, our world becomes visible in all its absurdity and frivolous fragility. With affectionate humour, fantasy and irresistible musical flair, Frau Luna in Steef de Jong’s new production reminds us that ‘dreaming’ is not an escapist flight, but a necessary flight of fancy, which makes us look anew: at the ‘strange’ planet that sustains us, at ourselves as ‘strange’ inhabitants of Earth, and at the ‘togetherness’ of our society.
Opera Zuid shares Steef’s conviction that laughter runs at least as deep as tears, and that a shared, exuberant laugh at the world is world-changing!
On our own earth, the young At in Atman! – a creation by composer Leonard Evers and master storyteller Bart Moeyaert – is searching for his home. For the little boy Atman is – as we all often are – ‘lost’. The odyssey that Atman undertakes on his wanderings whilst buying a loaf of bread, his quest between ‘being lost’ and coming home, is a journey at least as fantastic as that of Artemis II. We are proud to be able to bring this production back next season. The play aims to reflect on and pay tribute to all children on earth who are searching for a home. Bart Moeyaert’s libretto won the Woutertje Pieterse Prize for Children’s Literature 2026.
Claude Debussy paints an elusive world with his mysterious musical narrative of Pelléas et Mélisande, the work at the heart of the talent opera Impressions de Pelléas. With this production, we are continuing our collaboration with the Dutch Reisopera and The Dutch National Opera on talent development. Six young talents will be exploring Debussy’s enchanting, impressionistic soundscape and Maurice Maeterlinck’s story.
In a world fraught with tension, opera offers no easy answers, but it does offer something wonderful and profound: the realisation that we must enjoy our world, and the realisation that change is only possible when we recognise one another and dare to sing, enjoy ourselves and laugh together – in short, to listen to the splendour of heaven!
We have a wonderful season in store for you and hope to welcome you in large numbers to our performances!
Waut Koeken
Artistic and General Director of Opera Zuid
Team Opera Zuid
