LA Opera celebrates its 40th anniversary season with Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. In fact this is Music Director James Conlon’s 20th and final season. Then he will assume the title of Conductor Laureate, therefore he will return as a guest conductor. President and CEO of LA Opera Christopher Koelsch remarked that it is not an ending as Conlon will conduct in future seasons. He continued, “It is especially fitting that his last two productions as Music Director are Verdi’s Falstaff, which is now on our stage, and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.”
LA Opera Mozart’s The Magic Flute
This imaginative staging transforms Mozart’s beloved opera into a surreal fantasy experience. Furthermore, the production celebrates love, courage, and human connection through inventive theatrical design. Acclaimed director Barrie Kosky created the production alongside the British theater collective 1927. Together, they developed a visually groundbreaking interpretation unlike traditional opera presentations.
The performers sing before an enormous projection screen throughout the production. Meanwhile, animated images surround the cast and interact with every movement in real time. Consequently, the opera resembles a living graphic novel unfolding directly onstage. The combination of animation, music, and choreography creates a fast-moving theatrical spectacle.
Originally, the production premiered at the Komische Oper Berlin in 2012. Soon afterward, audiences worldwide embraced the inventive reinterpretation of Mozart’s masterpiece. Since then, nearly one million viewers across five continents have attended performances. In 2013, LA Opera introduced the production outside Berlin for the first time. Later, the company revived the acclaimed staging again in 2016 and 2019.
Soprano Sydney Mancasola returns as Pamina after debuting with LA Opera in 2023. Previously, she appeared as Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande. Meanwhile, several principal performers will make their company debuts during this production. Tenor Miles Mykkanen portrays Tamino, while baritone Kyle Miller performs Papageno. Additionally, soprano Aigul Khismatullina appears as the Queen of the Night, and bass Kwangchul Youn portrays Sarastro.
Several emerging artists from LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program also join the cast. Furthermore, members of the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus will perform the roles of the Three Spirits throughout the production.
Shows/Tickets
Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 7:30pm; Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 7:30pm; Thursday, June 11, 2026, at 7:30pm; Sunday, June 14, 2026, at 2pm; Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 7:30pm (Pride Night*); Sunday, June 21, 2026, at 2pm
*The June 17 performance will mark LA Opera’s annual Pride Night in partnership with the Opera League of Los Angeles, hosting a special post-performance gathering for attendees at Massilia at The Grand LA. For details, please visit the LA Opera website HERE.
Admission begins at $49; Tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
What: LA Opera, The Magic Flute
Where: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Avenue, LA, 90012
When: Select Performances through June 21, 2026 (see above for details)
Website: LAOpera.org
