Greeting
DEAR LOVERS OF OPERA AND SUMMER OPEN-AIR FESTIVALS!
The Vienna Opera Summer enters its third round with Bizet's unsurpassed masterpiece CARMEN! It is my great pleasure to invite you to the Vienna Opera Summer in July 2026, Vienna's only open-air opera festival.
The festival will once again take place where people skate in winter. Right in the center of the city is the Vienna Ice Skating Club, which we transform every summer into an enchanting OPERNARENA AM HEUMARKT, with the beautiful side façade of the Vienna Concert Hall as an atmospheric stage backdrop, accompanied by impressive light projections.
We will give 12 performances between July 1 and 18, 2026, and similar to our La Traviata production, the spirit of the composer, this time Georges Bizet instead of Verdi, will appear and guide the audience through the plot in an entertaining way. His narration will replace the dialogues in French, but all the music in the opera will be reproduced authentically and true to the original. In this way, we create an easily understandable opera experience that can delight both connoisseurs and newcomers alike.
We have once again been able to engage outstanding artists to help us realize this ambitious project: internationally renowned soloists, the Philharmonia Chorus Vienna, sixteen dancers, and last but not least, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra will also be participating again. The elaborate, very large stage construction was designed by the internationally acclaimed set designer Manfred Waba.
My team and I will work very hard to offer you an unique open-air opera experience and we truly hope to see many happy faces after each performance.
I would like to express my special thanks to the Mayor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Ludwig, for his trust in our work and for once again acting as patron of the festival in 2026. I would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our private patrons and sponsors, without whose generous support this festival would not be possible.
With best regards,
Joji Hattori
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - VIENNA OPERA SUMMER
