Opera Siam prepares for its 2026–2027 season with Wozzeck, Fidelio, Così fan tutte, and the premiere of Prince Vessantara.
Opera Siam is quietly preparing for a major return to full-scale opera with its forthcoming 2026–2027 season, marking the 27th year since the pioneering company was founded in 2001 by Thai-American composer, novelist, and conductor Somtow Sucharitkul.
The coming season represents more than a new lineup of productions. For Somtow, it signals the return of the full-service opera company vision that defined Opera Siam before the economic upheavals and Covid-19 crisis interrupted its momentum.
“The 2026-7 season is going to be an exciting one for Opera Siam as we plan to return to the full service opera company vision that was in place before twin catastrophes of economic collapse followed by Covid crisis,” Somtow explained.
The company’s last production before the pandemic was Helena Citronova in 2020. Since then, Thailand’s opera landscape has changed considerably, with productions increasingly coming from a range of organizations, including student groups and community-based companies.
Somtow sees that growth not as competition, but as an opportunity.
“I am grateful that so many producing entities have moved in because we no longer have to be all things to all people,” he said.
That shift has given Opera Siam room to pursue the kind of ambitious and distinctive programming that has long characterized the company.
A Season Built Around Ambition
Among the productions being planned is Alban Berg’s Wozzeck, one of the three operas remaining on Somtow’s personal list of works he has always wanted to conduct but has not yet tackled.
“I feel less of a need to do ‘top ten’ popular operas,” Somtow said. “There are only three operas on the bucket list of operas I wish I had conducted and haven’t yet, so next season I am planning to produce one of them – WOZZECK.”
The season will also look toward Beethoven, with Fidelio on Opera Siam’s list. Despite Beethoven’s importance to the classical repertoire, Somtow notes that the opera has never received its Bangkok premiere.
Mozart will also have a place in the plans. Opera Siam previously presented the Thai premiere of Così fan tutte approximately two decades ago, but Somtow is interested in seeing what conductor Trisdee na Patalung, known for his exceptional understanding of the Classical period, can bring to the work.
The two have also discussed a radically different directorial interpretation of the opera’s relationships, one Somtow believes can offer something new while remaining faithful to Mozart’s understanding of human nature.
Somtow’s “Bhuridat” – Part VI of his ten-opera sequence “DasJati” portrays a battle in the air between a sea-serpent and a bird-deity
The Final Chapter of a 25-Year Project
Perhaps the most personal undertaking of the forthcoming season will be the premiere of Prince Vessantara, the final major chapter of Somtow’s ten-opera DasJati cycle based on the ten Jataka tales.
The project has occupied Somtow for approximately 25 years and explores stories surrounding the previous lives of the Buddha. The final opera draws on the story of Prince Vessantara, one of the most important and widely known Buddhist stories in the Theravada tradition.
The timing carries additional significance. The coming period coincides with the centenary of the birth of Thailand’s beloved King Rama IX, giving the premiere an added cultural dimension.
“I finally plan to premiere the epic final chapter of my 10-opera series about the 10 Jataka Tales, DasJati, with the most popular Buddhist story in Theravada Buddhism, PRINCE VESSANTARA,” Somtow said. “This will conclude a 25-year project except for a few short odds and ends which I hope to complete by the time we are able to produce the whole cycle in one go.”
For an artist whose career has repeatedly crossed boundaries between Western classical music and Thai culture, the completion of the cycle represents a particularly significant milestone.
From Opera to Film, Fiction, and Music
The renewed activity at Opera Siam comes at a moment when Somtow’s creative work is receiving attention well beyond the opera world.
This year, his music video “Doorway in the Dark” has collected multiple international honors, including Best Original Song from the Florence Film Awards, Gold Awards for Best Music Video from both the London Movie Awards and Milan Gold Awards, and the Best Music Video Critics’ Circle Award from the Bangkok Movie Awards.
The piece was composed and directed by Somtow as a tribute to his adopted son, Mikey, and has become the theme song for Club X: Vampire in the Closet, an upcoming web series based on Somtow’s fiction.
The project reflects another side of the artist’s career. Alongside his work in opera, Somtow has spent decades writing fiction, composing music, conducting orchestras, and developing projects that move between genre and artistic traditions.
That versatility has long been central to his identity. Born in Bangkok and educated at Eton and Cambridge, Somtow began his career as a pioneering composer before establishing himself internationally as a novelist. He has published dozens of books, won the World Fantasy Award, and developed a body of work spanning science fiction, fantasy, horror, music, and opera.
He later returned to Thailand and founded Opera Siam, as well as the youth orchestra Siam Sinfonietta. The orchestra has performed at major venues including Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, and the Musikverein.
In August 2023, Thailand’s Ministry of Culture named Somtow a National Artist.
Opera Siam’s production of “Aida” was moved to the Thai-Burmese Wars of the 17th Century
Opera Siam’s Next Chapter
Opera Siam has existed for roughly a quarter of a century, but its influence has extended well beyond Thailand. Leading international opera publications including Opera Now, Opera News, and Opera have described the company as an “operatic hub of Southeast Asia.”
Now, after the disruptions of the pandemic and economic crises, Somtow believes the company is ready for another transformation.
The changing Thai opera landscape means Opera Siam no longer needs to attempt to provide every kind of production for every audience. Instead, the company can focus on works that reflect its particular artistic identity, including major international repertoire, adventurous interpretations, and ambitious original projects rooted in Thai culture.
The 2026–2027 season therefore represents both a return and a reinvention.
For Somtow, the goal is not simply to restore what existed before the pandemic. It is to use what has changed in Thailand’s cultural landscape as an opportunity to build something more diverse, more ambitious, and more distinctly Opera Siam.
And with Wozzeck, Fidelio, Così fan tutte, and the long-awaited Prince Vessantara among the projects being planned, the company’s next chapter promises to be one of its most ambitious yet.
Explore More About Somtow Sucharitkul
Connect with Somtow, Opera Siam, and watch the music video.