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Los Angeles Opera will announce its 2026\u2013\u20602027 season Tuesday \u2014 the first to be led by incoming Music Director<\/a> Domingo Hindoyan after longtime Music Director James Conlon steps down. <\/p>\n Hindoyan, who is also the chief conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, will maintain that position as he joins L.A. Opera in July, nearly two years after making his company debut with \u201cRom\u00e9o et Juliette.\u201d In his inaugural season, set to launch Oct. 17, Hindoyan will conduct two of five mainstage productions: Bizet\u2019s Sevillian tragedy \u201cCarmen\u201d and Verdi\u2019s biblical epic \u201cNabucco.\u201d<\/p>\n Rounding out the season are Leonard Bernstein\u2019s \u201cCandide,\u201d helmed by resident conductor Lina Gonz\u00e1lez-Granados, and Puccini\u2019s \u201cTurandot,\u201d led by guest conductor Diego Matheuz. Conlon, who will be named conductor laureate upon his departure, is set to close the season on a high note with Mozart\u2019s madcap comedy \u201cThe Marriage of Figaro.\u201d <\/p>\n Hindoyan begins his tenure in L.A. as his fellow El Sistema music program alum Gustavo Dudamel caps off a 17-year run<\/a> with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The two were childhood friends, and in a recent interview Hindoyan said he has gleaned creative wisdom from Dudamel. He\u2019s also taken notes from the L.A. Phil leader about managing an L.A. post from an ocean away \u2014 Hindoyan and his wife, renowned opera singer Sonya Yoncheva, currently keep a primary residence in Switzerland.<\/p>\n \u201cHis advice was, L.A. will follow your imagination … push boundaries. L.A. will follow. They love it, and they need it,\u201d Hindoyan said, adding that as the city navigates ongoing political and social turmoil, it needs the arts to imagine a path forward.<\/p>\n \u201cOpera has always been in that position of trying to make people dream for a better future, and at the same time put it in our face, the wars of the human being,\u201d Hindoyan said. <\/p>\n The conductor added that opera not only reveals societal ills but can model what an ideal society can look like. <\/p>\n Hindoyan said the new season lineup was inspired by his dual goals of reanimating the operatic canon and honoring L.A.\u2019s multicultural spirit \u2014 the season features selections from the American, Italian and French repertoires. <\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to make these classics feel new,\u201d the conductor said, adding that \u201cCarmen\u201d is an ideal opener. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a title that is fun, [but] it\u2019s danger at the same time. It\u2019s great music, but with fantastic possibilities,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n As for \u201cNabucco,\u201d Hindoyan said, \u201cI wanted to do a big, important Verdi,\u201d one that challenged both the chorus and the orchestra: \u201ctwo of the main elements of the house that I want to really get to work with as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Award-winning stage director Thaddeus Strassberger will direct and design both Hindoyan-led productions. A news release about the upcoming season noted that Strassberger also staged a 2017 version of the show and that in his hands, the upcoming rendition will retain the opulence of its predecessor<\/a>, which transported \u201cthe hanging gardens of Babylon to the gilded theaters of Milan.\u201d \u201cCarmen,\u201d the release said, will be reborn \u201cdrenched in Spanish Gothic splendor.\u201d<\/p>\n While many international productions of \u201cCarmen\u201d have historically minimized Spain by centering its titular femme fatale, Hindoyan said this version puts the Mediterranean country back in the picture. <\/p>\n The conductor added that the production will transport audiences through time and space to \u201cfeel Spanish flavors, Spanish essence.\u201d <\/p>\n Despite his high ambitions, Hindoyan said he isn\u2019t going full steam right away \u2014 hence his modest two-production slate, although that number will increase in future years, he said. <\/p>\n When the chemistry between conductor and company is there, he added, \u201cthe innovation will come on its own.\u201d <\/p>\n