American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Season 2026 at the Metropolitan Opera House – from 17 June to 18 July – will feature a new staging of Don Quixote, as well as the return of Onegin, Swan Lake, and Sylvia.
The new staging of Don Quixote by Susan Jaffe and Susan Jones will premiere on Monday 29 June 2026, with Catherine Hurlin as Kitri and Isaac Hernández as Basilio. With choreography after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, the ballet will have scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Natasha Katz. Don Quixote will be given ten performances.
The Summer season opens with seven performances of Kevin McKenzie’s Swan Lake, with Skylar Brandt as Odette/Odile and Herman Cornejo as Prince Siegfried on 17 June. Swan Lake will return for eight performances in the fifth week of the season with Christine Shevchenko as Odette/Odile and Calvin Royal III as Prince Siegfried. This production of Swan Lake premiered on 24 March 2000 with Julie Kent and Angel Corella.
John Cranko’s Onegin returns on 23 June with Heo Seo and James Whiteside in the leading roles. Onegin received its World Premiere on 13 April 1965 by Stuttgart Ballet, and received its premiere with American Ballet Theatre on 1 June 2001 with Julie Kent (Tatiana), Robert Hill (Onegin), Vladimir Malakhov (Lensky), and Maria Riccetto (Olga).
Sylvia will open on 9 July with Isabella Boylston as Sylvia and Joo Won Ahn as Aminta. With choreography by Frederick Ashton and music by Léo Delibes, Sylvia is set in mythical Greece and tells the story of the chaste nymph Sylvia who is united by the deity Eros with the lovelorn shepherd Aminta. Sylvia has scenery and costumes by Christopher and Robin Ironside, with additional designs by Peter Farmer and lighting by Mark Jonathan. This production was first presented by American Ballet Theatre on 3 June 2005.
2026 Summer Season Celebratory Evenings
Throughout the 2026 Summer season, the Company will celebrate the artistry and legacy of American Ballet Theatre through a series of post-performance toasts. Admission is extended to that evening’s ticketholders with the purchase of an additional reception ticket for $98. For more information, visit abt.org/SummerEvents.
Saturday, June 20: Isabella Boylston 20th Anniversary
Friday, June 26: ABT Conductors Celebration
Tuesday, June 30: Pride Night
Tuesday, July 7: Irina Kolpakova Celebration
Tuesday, July 14: Special Guest Artist Evening
Principal Dancers for the 2026 Summer season include Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, Isabella Boylston, Skylar Brandt, Daniel Camargo, Herman Cornejo, Thomas Forster, Isaac Hernández, Catherine Hurlin, Chloe Misseldine, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Christine Shevchenko, Cory Stearns, Devon Teuscher, James Whiteside, and Roman Zhurbin.
For more information, please visit www.abt.org.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.