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In the summer of 2026, the Margaret Island Theatre will present four opera performances: Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Il Trovatore and Nabucco are also part of the rich program.
The Margaret Island Theatre will stage new opera performances in the 2026 season. The audience will be able to see outstanding foreign and Hungarian artists who regularly perform in the world's most important opera houses in the season's performances. Regular and celebrated performers of international stages will take to the stage in the main roles of the new productions of Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, and The Il Trovatore, as well as last year's hugely successful opera Nabucco: Yusif Eyvazov, Marina Rebeka, Judit Kutasi, Adam Plachetka, Mihály Kálmándy, Csilla Boross, Gyula Nagy, Riccardo Gatto, Brigitta Kele, Zsuzsa Barabás, Boldizsár László, Szilvia Vörös – to name just a few of those who will bring the most dramatic, beautiful and cathartic moments of opera to life this summer.
Visitors to the Margaret Island Summer Theatre can choose from a rich programme every year. Fans of the Margaret Island Theatre can enjoy a wide range of sumptuous operas, jazz concerts, musicals, ballet performances and film concerts. This will also be the case in the 2026 season. The program prepared for the Advent season has already announced a number of exciting and famous performers and new shows, which deserve special attention in the season from May to September.
Nearly 100 thousand spectators enjoy a summer theater experience with a special atmosphere on Margaret Island every year. In the 2026 season, the unique features of the Margaret Island Theater – the 500 square meter stage and the 3,000-seat auditorium – create a special atmosphere, which, through the combination of performers and productions, elevates the performances and concerts to the most outstanding.
The famous and prominent artists performing in the summer theater ensure that they appeal to fans with different interests during the season from May to September. The experience is unique, the view is attractive and the soundscape is unparalleled.
More than theatre. An experience at the Margaret Island Theatre
It can be clearly said about the opera premieres of the 2026 season that operas that are the most popular in opera literature and are of international interest will be presented. In accordance with the characteristics of the monumental stage, the large choirs and renowned orchestras participating in the staged operas, as well as the ensemble of excellent soloists, complete the musical experience of the opera tales.
“The slogan of the Margaret Island Theatre is: More than a theatre. An experience!, which I would add to our opera premieres in 2026 by thinking of: “Not just for opera lovers”. In this spirit, four new opera productions are being prepared next summer, for which the theatre management has contracted singers known and celebrated on international stages.” – said Teodóra Bán, the theatre’s executive director and artistic director.
June: Two evenings, two Italian passion dramas: Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci
The first opera premiere of the summer is a one-act opera by two iconic Italian composers, who have been a couple since birth and together create a complete evening.
Pietro Mascagni – a composer born in 1863 – is the wonderfully melodic work Cavalleria Rusticana. The tragic love story is interpreted by excellent artists.
Zsuzsa Barabás, a soloist of the Hungarian Opera of Cluj, will be seen in the role of Santuzza, while the brilliantly voiced László Boldizsár will play Turiddu, who has performed on both Hungarian and international opera stages. successfully performs, as does Adam Platchetka, who plays Alfio. Mária Farkasréti in the role of Lucia and Eszter Balogh as Lola will take the stage, with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir Debrecen, conducted by Zsolt Jankó.
Ruggero Leoncavallo – an Italian composer born in 1857 – will also perform Pagliacci, a work by László Boldizsár, and after his international successes, lyric soprano Brigitta Kele will return to the Hungarian stage; Sándor Balla will strengthen the dramatic tension with his distinctive voice. Also seen and heard in the performance will be: Ninh Duc Hoang Long and Gergely Halász. The Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir Debrecen. Conductor: Zsolt Jankó.
July: Verdi's blazing masterpiece, Il Trovatore
One of the most anticipated productions of the 2026 season is Verdi's The his opera Il Trovatore, in which the title role is sung by one of his most sought-after dramatic tenors, Yusif Eyvazov — his voice is powerful and passionate, capable of bringing to life every twist of fate, betrayal and passion.
The audience will see no less talented singers in the female lead roles, such as Rebeka Marina as Leonora, known for her breathtaking voice and subtlety of performance, and Judit Kutasi as Azucena, who was most recently admired as Amneris in the Metropolitan Opera's Aida. Count Luna is sung by Gyula Nagy, who is coming to Margaret Island for the first time and who can also claim the greatest roles in operatic literature.
Opera singers coming to Margaret Island after performances at La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera, the Teatro Real, the Royal Opera House in London, the Opéra National in Paris and the Liceu in Barcelona, will arrive in Hungary on the wonderful stage of Margaret Island. Featuring: the National Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Choir. Conductor: Péter Halász.
August: Nabucco – last year’s standing ovation success is back on stage
One of the highlights of the season is one of the biggest successes of last season, Verdi’s opera Nabucco, which will resound on Margaret Island in 2026, in the classic direction of Teodóra Bán. The power of the production is provided by two exceptional artists and the chorus of slaves.
In the role of Nabucco: Mihály Kálmándy, the Kossuth and Liszt Ferenc Award-winning baritone, a lifelong member of the Immortals Company, who has made a lasting impression on the opera stages of Rome, Naples, London, Vienna and Stockholm, will take the stage.
His partner, Csilla Abigél Boross, is a soprano celebrated in the international opera world, winner of the Thalia Award and the Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit, who has performed the role of Abigél more than 140 times worldwide with overwhelming success.
In the role of Fenena, we can see the Gundel Award-winning, Junior Prima Award-winning opera singer, Szilvia Vörös, a member of the Vienna State Opera. The grandiose cast is completed by András Palerdi, Riccardo Gatto, Boldizsár Zajkás, Ágnes Kristófi and Gergely Ujvári and the choir, also the “main character”. Also performing: the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra and the Kodály Choir Debrecen. Conductor: István Dénes.
Advent gift card: tickets at a meaningful discount
In the summer of 2026, opera at the Margaret Island Theatre is not only a genre, but also an experience: world-class singers, historically significant operas, breathtaking outdoor scenery, and an atmosphere that only the Margaret Island night can create. Anyone who visits Margaret Island in the summer of 2026 will not only see performances — they will also be part of the bright opera season of the year.
If you have not yet decided which opera to choose for yourself or as a gift for your loved ones for Christmas, you can take advantage of the theatre’s Advent gift card purchase option. With its exclusive, unique opportunity, Margaret Island Theatre offers a 33% discount, allowing the recipient to purchase tickets for the 2026 season for HUF 20,000 and HUF 30,000.
Source and photos: Margaret Island Theatre
