Three sopranos take centre stage in Verdi’s La traviata at Covent Garden
Jaho, Yende and Willis-Sørensen dazzle as Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata at Covent Garden.
Three of the world’s leading sopranos Ermonela Jaho, Pretty Yende and Rachel Willis-Sørensen will share the role of Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La traviata at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The production directed by Richard Eyre runs on the Main Stage from 8 January to 17 February 2026 and will be broadcast live in cinemas on 14 January with encores from 18 January.
For Ermonela Jaho the role of Violetta is deeply personal. Having performed it more than 300 times she describes the opera as the work that inspired her lifelong passion for singing. “Violetta has accompanied me through many stages of my artistic life,” Jaho says. “She is a woman who loves fiercely, suffers quietly and ultimately transforms through the purity of her sacrifice. Singing this music awakens her heartbeat inside me.”
The production features three casts conducted by Antonello Manacorda and Giacomo Sagripanti with Alfredo Germont performed by Giovanni Sala, Bekhzod Davronov and Charles Castronovo and Giorgio Germont by Aleksei Isaev, Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Christoph Pohl. Sala and Davronov make their house debuts.
Supporting roles include Veena Akama-Makia and Renata Skarelyte (Annina), Barnaby Rea (Doctor Grenvil), Ellen Pearson and Jingwen Cai (Flora Bervoix), Sam Hird and Siphe Kwani (Baron Douphol), Giorgi Guliashvili and Emyr Lloyd Jones (Gastone de Letorières) and Ossian Huskinson and Freddie Tong (Marquis d’Obigny). Several of these performers are Jette Parker Artists, part of the Royal Opera’s two-year professional residency programme.
Richard Eyre’s production brings Verdi’s world of romantic grandeur to life with designs by Bob Crowley, lighting by Jean Kalman and choreography overseen by Jane Gibson.
Accessibility is central to this season. Performances from 14 January to 7 February will be audio described with a Touch Tour on 14 January and a British Sign Language performance on 11 February.
Tickets are available from £1 and can be booked at rbo.org.uk. Performances are suitable for ages five and above and run approximately three hours with two intervals. The opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles.
La traviata – Giuseppe Verdi
Venue: Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
Dates: 8 January – 17 February 2026
Cinema broadcast: 14 January 2026, encores from 18 January
Audio description: 14 January – 7 February
Touch Tour: 14 January
BSL performance: 11 February
Tickets: rbo.org.uk
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.