Longborough 2026: Handel, Verdi and Wagner return to the Cotswolds hills
The Gloucestershire festival unveils three new productions and a revival of its acclaimed Tristan und Isolde, running 30 May to 8 August 2026.
Longborough Festival Opera has announced its 2026 season, confirming four major works for the summer programme in its 500-seat theatre overlooking the Evenlode valley.
The Cotswolds festival will present new stagings of Handel’s Orlando, Verdi’s Macbeth and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, alongside a revival of its 2017 production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, widely regarded as a milestone in the company’s development as a destination for Wagner in the UK.
The season opens with Orlando from 30 May to 7 June, marking Longborough’s first Handel opera since 2017. Sinéad O’Neill directs, with mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor taking the title role in a notable departure from the more usual countertenor casting. The Academy of Ancient Music makes its festival debut under Christopher Moulds.
Photos ©Matthew Williams-Ellis
Wagner returns from 20 June to 18 July with Tristan und Isolde, conducted by Longborough’s music director Anthony Negus. The revival brings back a cast of leading British and British-trained Wagnerians, with Peter Wedd as Tristan and Catharine Woodward making her role debut as Isolde.
July centres on Verdi’s Macbeth, the company’s first staging of the opera. Karolina Sofulak directs, with Nil Venditti making her UK operatic debut in the pit. Baritone Mark Stone sings the title role opposite Ukrainian soprano Viktoriia Balan as Lady Macbeth.
The festival closes with Hansel and Gretel from 30 July to 8 August. Directed by Lucy Bailey and conducted by Karen Kamensek, the production combines established names with singers from the company’s Emerging Artist programme and its Youth Chorus.
Founded in 1991 and long associated with ambitious Wagner productions, Longborough has expanded its repertory in recent seasons while maintaining its reputation for large-scale works mounted in an intimate rural setting. The 2026 programme continues that balance, pairing baroque, romantic and late-romantic repertoire across a ten-week summer run.
Booking for members opens on 16 February, with general booking from 2 March. Full programme details and performance dates are available at the festival’s website.
For more information, please visit: https://lfo.org.uk/
Featured image: Stuart Pendred (Kurwenal) – LFO Tristan und Isolde 2017. Photo by Matthew Williams-Ellis
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.