Central City Opera announces 95th season with ‘La Bohème,’ ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’ and ‘End of the Rainbow’

The 2027 festival runs June 26-Aug. 1 in Central City.

Central City Opera has announced its 95th festival season, which will run June 26-Aug. 1, 2027. The lineup is Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore and Peter Quilter’s End of the Rainbow.

La Bohème opens the season. It is the company’s first production of the opera in 15 years. Puccini’s story follows young love and loss among a group of Parisian artists.

H.M.S. Pinafore, the comic operetta that premiered in 1878, returns to Central City after nearly 150 years. It satirizes love, class and naval hierarchy.

End of the Rainbow, a play with music that was nominated for an Olivier Award, follows Judy Garland during her 1968 run of concerts at London’s Talk of the Town. It follows the company’s staging of Master Class in 2026 and continues its recent practice of pairing plays with music with its mainstage operas.

The festival’s extras will also return, including the St. James Chamber Series. In it, CCO Orchestra musicians perform themed concerts at St. James Church in Central City.

Adam Scurto, the company’s managing director of external affairs, said the season offers variety, from tragic young love to British humor to a look at the fame of a 20th-century icon.

Festival subscriptions of two or more productions are available for renewal, starting at $26 per ticket. Subscribers receive premium seating and access to additional festival events. People who want a new 2027 subscription can join a waitlist at centralcityopera.org/subscriptions. Individual tickets go on sale in April 2027, starting at $32.

Central City Opera was founded in 1932 and performs in the historic mining town of Central City.

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