Dates

4 – 28 June 2026

Location

Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Main Stage

Running time

TBA

Tickets

From € 34

Simon Boccanegra
Photo: Hugo Thomassen

Power, love, and betrayal in Verdi’s masterpiece

Dutch National Opera brings Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra to Amsterdam. This opera, full of political intrigue, love, and betrayal, tells the story of Simon Boccanegra, who is declared leader of politically divided Genoa shortly after losing both his beloved and his daughter. Verdi paints a portrait of a father and politician who longs in vain for peace and freedom. 

For this final opera of our season, a stellar cast has been assembled, including baritone George Petean and soprano Amelia Grimaldi. Renowned Verdi conductor Fabio Luisi leads the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra through the dramatic score. Combined with the powerful choral passages, this promises to be a gripping operatic experience.

Duty and personal desires 

Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra revolves around two central themes: the relationship between father and daughter and the conflict between public responsibility and personal desires. These emotions resonate in vocal lines full of feeling and colourful orchestral accompaniment with dramatic contrasts. 

Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen returns to our theatre for a new production after her compelling interpretation of Donizetti’s Tudor Trilogy. Mijnssen’s remarkable ability to explore the emotional depth of characters makes her ideally suited to handle the intricate dynamics of Simon Boccanegra and his long-lost daughter Amelia.  

World-class Verdi interpreters

A dazzling cast of Verdi interpreters has been engaged for this final opera of the season. George Petean, a world-class Verdi baritone, returns to Amsterdam to sing the multi-faceted title role of Simon Boccanegra. The role of Boccanegra’s daughter, Amelia Grimaldi, will be performed by the celebrated soprano Federica Lombardi, who received great praise in Amsterdam for her part in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem. Tenor Joshua Guerrero – renowned for his glowing sound – will take the stage as Amelia’s lover, Gabriele Adorno. Bass Georg Zeppenfeld lends his warm voice to the role of Boccanegra’s opponent, Jacopo Fiesco.

Ticket sales start

Ticket sales for Simon Boccanegra start on 28 August 2025 at 12 noon. Don’t want to miss this on-sale moment? Sign up for our ticket alert and receive a notification when ticket sales open.

Performance information

New production 

Opera with a prologue and three acts

Sung in Italian

Music  Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto  Francesco Maria Piave 

Musical direction  Fabio Luisi 
Stage direction  Jetske Mijnssen
Set design  Etienne Pluss 
Costume design  Hannah Clark 
Lighting design  Valerio Tiberi 
Movement direction  Jean-François Kessler
Dramaturgy  Laura Roling

Simon Boccanegra  George Petean 
Amelia Grimaldi  Federica Lombardi 
Jacopo Fiesco  Georg Zeppenfeld 
Gabriele Adorno  Joshua Guerrero 
Paolo Albiani  Germán Olvera 

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Chorus of Dutch National Opera 
Chorus Master  Edward Ananian-Cooper 

Part of the Holland Festival

Order tickets

Ticket sales for Simon Boccanegra start on 28 August 2025 at 12 noon. Don’t want to miss this on-sale moment? Sign up for our ticket alert and receive a notification when ticket sales open.

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Federica Lombardi

In love with the character

Soprano Federica Lombardi on Simon Boccanegra

It is one of Federica Lombardi’s favourite roles, that of Amelia Grimaldi in Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. “Amelia has to reconcile two conflicting forces, and in the end, she manages to do so. I think we could use Amelia’s qualities in today’s world.”