Opera Matinee

WETA Classical is Washington's home for opera year round. From December through early June, experience the power and passion of the Metropolitan Opera's Saturday Matinee Broadcasts. The rest of the year features performances from leading opera houses around the world.

Next Episode

Pelléas et Mélisande

August 29, 2026 1:00 pm

Claude Debussy

Debussy's innovation opera is a mood piece, steeped in sensuality and atmosphere, about a mysterious young woman and her ill-fated love affair with her husband's brother. A recorded performance from La Scala in Milan, conducted by Maxime Pascal.

  • Faust

    Faust

    September 5, 2026 1:00 pm

    Charles Gounod

    The Faust legend -- a man, disillusioned by life, makes a bargain with the devil to gain knowledge and power -- is treated in this opera of Charles Gounod, considered to be his masterpiece. A recorded performance from the Bavarian State Opera, conducted by Nathalie Stutzmann.
  • Luisa Miller

    Luisa Miller

    September 12, 2026 1:00 pm

    Giuseppe Verdi

    From Verdi's middle period, this emotional family drama explores a love torn by family and societal obligations based on disparate social classes, as well as malevolent and selfish forces. A recorded performance from Vienna State Opera, starring Nadine Sierra in the title role.
  • Die Fledermaus

    Die Fledermaus

    September 19, 2026 1:00 pm

    Johann Strauss II

    A most Viennese operetta, Die Fledermaus is a cheerful, comic tale, based on French Vaudeville, a fun farce about revenge, suspicion, disguises and two friends who engage in a battle of pranks -- with lots of waltzes. A recorded performance by Vienna State Opera.