Pinchgut Opera
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: ERIN HELYARD
2026 Season at City Recital Hall
Where music and theatre meet in unforgettable ways — timeless works, extraordinary artists, and opera as you’ve never experienced it before.
In 2026, Pinchgut Opera presents unmissable experiences at City Recital Hall. The season begins in March with Bach & Telemann I: Concertos & Sonatas, and Pinchgut's first-ever orchestral concert, featuring the Australian premiere of Telemann’s exquisite five-part sonatas. In September, the continuation of the Bach & Telemann series with, Coffee and a Dead Canary, Pinchgut's “tiny opera” for 2026, brimming with wit, satire, and charm. The year concludes in November and December with Handel’s Semele, a sensual masterpiece brought to life in a stunning new staging by celebrated director Neil Armfield.
Together, these works reveal the depth, variety, and emotional power of music at its finest — from intimacy to spectacle, from humour to heartbreak. These performances are available as a part of a Pinchgut Opera 2026 Season Subscription.
Bach & Telemann I: Concertos & Sonatas
Sat 28 March & Sun 29 March
Experience dazzling virtuosity as Erin Helyard and the Orchestra of the Antipodes illuminate Bach’s brilliant concertos and Telemann’s rare five-part sonatas in an unforgettable musical event.
Bach & Telemann II: Coffee and a Dead Canary
Sat 12 Sep & Sun 13 Sep
Experience Bach’s playful Coffee Cantata and Telemann’s touching Canary Cantata as Pinchgut brings these “tiny operas” vividly to life — inventive, heartfelt, and brimming with Baroque theatrical spark.
Semele by Handel
Thu 26 Nov - Wed 2 Dec
Pinchgut Opera’s season finale: Handel’s Semele. Desire, drama, and dazzling music ignite in Neil Armfield’s thrilling new staging with the Orchestra of the Antipodes and Cantillation.