The Gran Teatre del Liceu closes the 2025/26 season with 282,000 spectators, a €55.8 million budget and a balanced financial result. The new productions of 'Tristan und Isolde' and 'Le nozze di Figaro', the growth of young audiences through LICEUNDER35, increased philanthropic support, and the progress of the Liceu Mar project have consolidated a record-breaking season with growing international projection.
The Gran Teatre del Liceu closes the 25/26 season with a balanced budget of €55.8 million, €0.4 million higher than the previous year. The Foundation reaffirms its strong financial position and the stability of its artistic project, bringing to completion the objectives set out in the 2023–2026 Strategic Plan.
The shared commitment of the four public administrations and civil society continues to be the cornerstone of the Institution’s financial stability. This co-responsibility model is reflected in a balanced revenue structure, with 51% generated through the Liceu’s own resources and 49% provided by public administrations.
The Gran Teatre del Liceu closes the 2025/26 season with 282,000 spectators, maintaining attendance levels in line with recent seasons while surpassing pre-pandemic figures. The season’s two major new in-house productions received an outstanding response from audiences, confirming the success of the Liceu’s commitment to original productions.
The 2025/26 season has also been marked by the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Petit Liceu, officially designated an Event of Exceptional Public Interest. This recognition highlights the value of the Theatre’s educational project and its commitment to developing new audiences, promoting arts education and expanding access to culture, with the support of public institutions and philanthropic partners.
Corporate and philanthropic support for the Gran Teatre del Liceu continues to grow. Philanthropic contributions secured for the 2025/26 season have reached €9.2 million, confirming the upward trend of recent years and reinforcing the private sector’s commitment to the Theatre’s cultural project.
This growth reflects the increasing confidence of companies and individual donors in the Liceu’s artistic vision and in its educational, social, new creation and youth-focused programmes, including the Under35 initiative.
The Liceu’s philanthropy programme, which continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of its corporate partners, has become a fundamental pillar of the institution’s cultural development. In this context, the number of Benefactors has also reached a record high of 307 members.
The Liceu therefore reinforces its position as a leading cultural institution and a model of strategic partnership between the public and private sectors.
Opera continues to lead attendance with 170,000 spectators
Opera performances attracted nearly 170,000 spectators, with an average attendance rate of 85%. L’elisir d’amore and Le nozze di Figaro were the season’s most popular titles, drawing almost 58,000 spectators between the two productions.
The 2025/26 programme featured 198 performances across 44 titles: 15 opera productions—including concert operas and newly created micro-operas—, 4 dance productions, 14 concerts and recitals, and 11 Petit Liceu productions.
In 20 performances, the Theatre either sold every available seat or achieved a technical sell-out (98–99% occupancy). Highlights included Tristan und Isolde, which achieved an average attendance rate of 98%, with five of its seven performances completely sold out and 15,700 spectators, as well as Le nozze di Figaro, which reached an average occupancy of 93%, attracting 29,600 spectators across its fourteen scheduled performances.
The season’s two major new in-house productions therefore received an outstanding response from audiences, confirming the success of the Liceu’s commitment to original productions. These results demonstrate the artistic return generated by investment in new productions, one of the Liceu’s strategic priorities.
All exclusive LICEUNDER35 performances also sold out, including Akhnaten, La Gioconda, Werther, Le nozze di Figaro and Balkan Erotic Epic, as did all five performances of Balkan Erotic Epic, the New Year’s Concert, the recital by Juan Diego Flórez, Music Director Josep Pons’ farewell concert featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, and the two family performances of La petita flauta màgica.
The dance programme achieved an average attendance rate of 89%, its highest level in the past decade, attracting 32,000 spectators. Highlights included 94% occupancy for the Gran Gala de Dansa del Liceu and near sell-outs for every performance of Balkan Erotic Epic. Concerts and recitals also recorded a record average attendance of 88%, with standout performances including the recital by Roberto Alagna (94%) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 (94%).
The rest of the programme also maintained very strong attendance figures. Petit Liceu productions welcomed 58,000 spectators across family and school performances, while the dance programme attracted 32,000 spectators and concerts and recitals 22,000.
The season recorded an average attendance rate of 87%. Opera performances achieved an 85% attendance rate, while the rest of the programme averaged around 90%, confirming the strong audience response across all artistic formats.
The average age of the audience remains around 50 years, a sustained trend that reflects the Liceu’s ability to attract new audiences. The average age of subscribers is 65, while that of non-subscribers is 45. Audiences under the age of 35 continue to grow and now account for 26% of all spectators, compared with less than 20% five seasons ago.
In terms of audience origin, half of all spectators come from the city of Barcelona, 28% from the metropolitan area or elsewhere in the province of Barcelona, and 7% from the rest of Catalonia. Visiting audiences account for 16.5% of total attendance, including visitors from the rest of Spain (5.1%) and international audiences (11.4%).
The number of subscribers remains stable at 10,500, with 16,000 in-person subscriptions. Flexible subscription packages continue to grow, having doubled since the 2018/19 season and now exceeding 1,000 subscribers, while fixed-seat subscriptions remain the majority, with more than 9,500 subscribers.
LICEUNDER35 surpasses 19,000 spectators and consolidates its growth
The 2025/26 season welcomed 9,400 young people to the five exclusive LICEUNDER35 performances—Akhnaten, Balkan Erotic Epic, La Gioconda, Werther and Le nozze di Figaro—all of which sold out. This represents an increase of nearly 1,000 young attendees compared to the previous season. Since the launch of these exclusive preview performances for audiences under the age of 35 in the 2018/19 season, almost 51,000 young people have attended the 32 performances organised specifically for this audience.
In addition, nearly 10,000 young people attended other Liceu performances this season using discounted tickets reserved for the Under35 community. Altogether, more than 19,000 people under the age of 35 enjoyed the Theatre’s programme through this initiative, the highest figure since its launch and 21% higher than the previous season.
Since the programme began, the Liceu has made nearly 95,000 discounted tickets available to the Under35 community, establishing the initiative as one of its main channels for attracting new audiences.
The LICEUNDER35 community continues to grow, welcoming nearly 10,000 new members this season. Since its launch in 2018, it has reached 50,000 registrations, of which almost 45,000 are currently active members. The average age of the community is 28: 25% of members are under 26, 35% are between 26 and 30, and the remaining 40% are between 31 and 35 years old.
An artistic project that reinforces the Liceu as a leading opera house, open to the world and connected to contemporary creation
The 25/26 season has strengthened the role of the Gran Teatre del Liceu as a leading centre for artistic creation, production and audience engagement. The season featured a diverse and ambitious programme that combined major works from the international operatic repertoire with fresh perspectives, contemporary proposals and original productions bearing the Theatre’s own artistic signature.
The season comprised 198 performances: 88 opera performances, 16 dance performances, 23 concerts and recitals, and 71 Petit Liceu performances. This wide-ranging programme brought together leading international artists, fostered contemporary creation and offered productions for audiences of all ages.
Among the highlights of the season was the world premiere of the new production of Tristan und Isolde by Wagner, staged by Bárbara Lluch, which marked the world debut of soprano Lise Davidsen as Isolde. This landmark artistic achievement placed the Gran Teatre del Liceu at the forefront of the international opera scene. Equally significant was the world premiere of the new production of Le nozze di Figaro by Mozart, directed by Marta Pazos, which transformed the Liceu stage into a vibrant and colourful visual universe centred around a giant wedding cake.
The season also featured the Spanish premiere of Akhnaten by Philip Glass, the third opera in his celebrated trilogy, starring Anthony Roth Costanzo. The production became one of the season’s major artistic events, reinforcing the Liceu’s commitment to landmark works of contemporary opera. Another major highlight was the presence of Marina Abramović, the season’s featured artist, who presented the stage adaptation of Balkan Erotic Epic at the Liceu. One of her most iconic and provocative works, it explores the relationship between eroticism, folklore and Balkan mythology.
Productions such as Werther by Massenet, staged by Christof Loy and featuring the acclaimed role debut of Xabier Anduaga in the title role; Manon Lescaut by Puccini, staged by Àlex Ollé and starring Asmik Grigorian; and La Gioconda by Ponchielli, directed by Romain Gilbert and featuring Saioa Hernández in the title role, were among the defining moments of the season, delivering performances of exceptional vocal and dramatic intensity that will remain in the Theatre’s memory.
The season was marked by the farewell of Josep Pons as Music Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu after fourteen years leading the company, a decisive period in the Theatre’s artistic transformation and the consolidation of the Orquestra Simfònica del Liceu. Pons opened the season with La guineueta astuta by Janáček, in Barrie Kosky’s production, and concluded it with one of the most emotional moments in the Theatre’s recent history: performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 and Symphony No. 8 (Symphony of a Thousand), bringing both the artistic season and the Univers Mahler project to a close before completely sold-out audiences. Among his final milestones were also a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" at the Festival de Música del Mil·lenari, held at the Basílica de Santa Maria de Montserrat, as well as the participation of the Orquestra and Cor del Liceu in the recording of the music for the blessing and inauguration of the Tower of Jesus Christ at the Sagrada Família. From the 2026/27 season onwards, Josep Pons will serve as Honorary Music Director of the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
Another of the season’s most moving moments was the return of one of the audience’s most beloved productions, L'elisir d'amore by Donizetti, in the now legendary staging by Mario Gas, celebrating 20 years of captivating Liceu audiences with an outstanding cast led by Javier Camarena, Pretty Yende, Serena Sáenz and Michael Spyres.
In the field of new creation, one of the season’s major milestones was the premiere of Els estunmen, a co-production between the Liceu, Teatre Lliure, Teatros del Canal and the Teatro Real, created by Nao Albet and Marcel Borràs, with music by Fernando Velázquez. Presented at the Teatre Lliure, the production reaffirms the Theatre’s commitment to fostering new theatrical languages.
This commitment to contemporary creation was further strengthened through the fifth edition of Òh!pera, held at Fabra i Coats: Fàbrica de Creació under the mentorship of Àlex Ollé, once again bringing together emerging and established creators from a wide range of artistic disciplines. Featuring artists such as Pol Guasch, Marc Salicrú, Alicia Kopf, Anna Colom, Pablo Macho Otero and Lucia del Greco, the project presented new works exploring themes including artificial intelligence, identity, classical myths and the fusion of opera with flamenco through contemporary artistic languages. The potential of Òh!pera is also evident in the continued life of its productions beyond their premieres. This season, one of last year's micro-operas, Estètica i massacre—staged by Oriol Pla, with music by Carles Prat and a libretto by Carlota Gurt—was expanded into a 60-minute version and toured several venues across Spain. The production was presented at the Festival de Peralada and the Ópera a Quemarropa festival in Madrid, and will premiere this September as part of the Palau de les Arts season in Valencia.
In concert version, the season presented three major works from the operatic repertoire, with a particular focus on musical heritage and the Baroque: Orlando by Händel, performed at the Liceu for the first time under the musical direction of Marc Minkowski; Semiramide by Rossini, conducted by Paolo Arrivabeni; and Aci, Galatea e Polifemo by Händel, also receiving its Liceu premiere under the direction of René Jacobs. The season also introduced a new annual event with the New Year's Concert, starring Xabier Anduaga, Alexandra Zabala and Laura Brasó, accompanied by the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu and, for the first time, the Orchestra of Teatro La Fenice, under the baton of Riccardo Frizza. The concert was met with outstanding audience enthusiasm, selling out completely and establishing itself as a new highlight of the artistic season.
The Liceu also hosted major dance productions, presenting a programme that brought together some of the world's leading companies and performers. Audiences enjoyed the classic Giselle by the Bayerisches Staatsballett; Nijinsky by the Hamburg Ballet, created by John Neumeier, which also marked Jonathan Nott's debut conducting the Orquestra del Liceu; and the Gran Gala de Dansa, featuring some of the most celebrated stars of international dance. This in-house production returned to the Liceu, reaffirming the Theatre's commitment to dance as an essential part of its artistic programme.
Recitals once again became one of the season's major highlights, with a programme featuring some of the finest voices on today's international stage. The Gala Lírica, starring Xabier Anduaga and Pretty Yende, together with recitals by Nadine Sierra, Roberto Alagna, Asmik Grigorian, Matthias Goerne and Juan Diego Flórez, delivered exceptional evenings that further established the Liceu as the Theatre of Voices.
In its fifth edition, Liceu de les Arts, the project launched by Víctor Garcia de Gomar following his arrival at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in 2019, has reaffirmed the Theatre's ambition to become a creative hub where opera engages in dialogue with a wide range of artistic disciplines. Coinciding with the renewal of Garcia de Gomar as Artistic Director until the 2030/31 season, the project brought together leading artists including Joan Jonas, Marina Abramović, Enric Casasses, Penique Productions, Santi Moix, Eulàlia Valldosera and Gonzalo Guzmán. Interventions in the Saló dels Miralls, the dialogue between Joan Jonas's work and the poetry of Enric Casasses during the concert Bestiari, Santi Moix's illustrations for Festa Criolla by Jordi Savall, and the recent immersive transformation of the Theatre by Penique Productions, which received widespread acclaim, have expanded the boundaries of the Liceu's artistic experience. One of the season's most internationally significant moments was the world premiere of the stage adaptation of Balkan Erotic Epic by Marina Abramović, once again placing the Liceu at the forefront of contemporary artistic creation and reinforcing its position as one of Europe's leading cultural institutions, capable of developing landmark projects beyond the field of opera.
The Cor del Gran Teatre del Liceu, under the direction of Pablo Assante, once again demonstrated its artistic excellence and remarkable versatility throughout a season of exceptional musical and theatrical demands. The production of Akhnaten by Philip Glass represented one of the company's greatest challenges, both because of its vocal complexity and its demanding physical and dramatic requirements, once again highlighting the Choir's ability to perform productions of the highest international standard. Its performances in La Gioconda by Ponchielli and L'elisir d'amore by Donizetti were also particularly noteworthy, as were performances of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff at Park Güell, El Prat de Llobregat and Sant Cugat del Vallès, bringing the Liceu Choir to new audiences. Another of the season's highlights was the premiere of Al cor del Liceu, a new family production created to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Petit Liceu, which will return next season following its enthusiastic reception.
At the same time, the Constel·lacions series, held in the Theatre's Foyer, continued to showcase the talent of the musicians of the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu through chamber music performances. This commitment was further strengthened by the chamber music series at the Teatre de Sarrià, reinforcing the Liceu's commitment to bringing music to new venues and audiences.
The new era of LiceuOPERA+ under the artistic direction of Igor Cortadellas
The 25/26 season has been marked by the consolidation of a new chapter for the digital platform LiceuOPERA+, redefined under the artistic direction of Igor Cortadellas through a fresh audiovisual approach and a more cinematic vision. The project has embraced a more immersive and narrative visual language, bringing audiences closer to the stage experience while expanding the possibilities of recording opera for digital platforms.
This new chapter establishes LiceuOPERA+ as a leading platform for bringing opera to wider audiences. During the 25/26 season, subscribers enjoyed new recordings of La guineueta astuta, Le nozze di Figaro, Tristan und Isolde, Akhnaten, L’elisir d’amore, La Gioconda and Manon Lescaut, alongside titles added from the previous season: Lady Macbeth de Mtsensk, Madama Butterfly, La traviata, Lohengrin, Rusalka and La sonnambula.
LiceuOPERA+ continues to provide on-demand access to content from both the current and previous seasons, while expanding its catalogue with special features including production videos, behind-the-scenes content, documentaries—such as the one dedicated to Ros Marbà—the beach concert and other audiovisual productions added throughout the season. The platform also includes additional recordings created in collaboration with audiovisual partners, including Werther (with RTVE, pending broadcast), Falstaff (with OperaVision, available from 24 July 2026 to 24 January 2027) and Òh!pera (with 3Cat and LiceuOPERA+).
The 26/27 season will add six new titles to LiceuOPERA+: Aida (digital premiere on 25 October 2026), I Capuleti e i Montecchi (22 November 2026), La bohème (31 January 2027), La fanciulla del West (11 April 2027), Jenůfa (5 May 2027) and La flauta màgica (25 July 2027).
The platform's growth confirms the success of the Gran Teatre del Liceu's digital strategy. Subscriptions have increased from 2,500 in July 2023 to 7,590 by the end of the 25/26 season—an increase of more than 200%—reinforcing LiceuOPERA+ as a stable, accessible and international gateway to opera.
More than 100,000 Instagram followers: the Liceu strengthens its digital ecosystem
During the 2025/26 season, the Liceu's Instagram account surpassed 100,000 followers, becoming the Theatre's leading platform for storytelling and audience development. Meanwhile, YouTube strengthened its role as the Theatre's main open-access audiovisual archive, recording more than 3.2 million views, with 74.1% of viewers being new audiences. Facebook also maintained a highly engaged community, generating 2.49 million organic views (+45.9%) and continuing to play a key role in driving traffic to the Liceu's digital channels.
The editorial strategy built around audiovisual content—particularly Reels, production highlights and artist-led video features—has been the main driver of the season's digital growth. At the same time, TikTok has strengthened the Theatre's connection with younger audiences, LinkedIn has become a key platform for institutional positioning within the professional sector, and the new @liceuperatothom profile has established itself as the main channel for showcasing the Theatre's social, educational and community initiatives. Together, these results confirm an increasingly segmented digital strategy, with each platform playing a distinct role within the Gran Teatre del Liceu's communications ecosystem.
During the 25/26 season, the Gran Teatre del Liceu website attracted 942,369 unique users, representing a 13.7% increase compared with the previous season.
The Liceu of the Future: Liceu Mar
This season, the Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Port de Barcelona have taken another major step forward in the development of the Liceu Mar project with the announcement of the five finalist teams in the international architectural competition for the Theatre's future second venue. The shortlisted teams are the consortium formed by SANAA Jimusho Ltd and Camps Felip Arquitectura; the consortium of Batlle i Roig Arquitectura and Snøhetta Oslo; the consortium comprising Estudio Barozzi Veiga, MAIO Architects and Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos; the consortium of Sou Fujimoto Architects, GRAS Reynés Arquitectos and AldayJover Arquitectos; and the consortium formed by David Chipperfield Architects Santiago de Compostela, b720 Arquitectura and CreuSeCarrasco Arquitectos. These teams will develop proposals for a strategic project that will shape the future expansion of the Liceu and strengthen its presence on Barcelona's waterfront.
The international architectural competition, launched in July 2025, has been organised in two stages. Following an initial open selection process based on the participating teams' experience and professional track record, the five finalists are now preparing their architectural and urban design proposals. The winning project, to be announced at the beginning of next season, will be commissioned to produce the preliminary and basic design plans, while all finalist proposals will be publicly exhibited as part of the 2026 World Capital of Architecture programme. Liceu Mar, the future second venue of the Gran Teatre del Liceu at Port Vell, is expected to open in 2032, subject to the project's development.
The main objective of Liceu Mar is to create an open, accessible and inclusive space for all citizens, becoming both a cultural landmark and a driving force for the city's cultural life. The project will strengthen the Petit Liceu educational programme while fostering contemporary creation through the establishment of the International Centre for New Opera Creation. It also envisions a permanent dance season and a programme featuring opera in a variety of formats, including Baroque opera, chamber opera and musicals. Designed as a flexible, multi-purpose venue, the space will support a wide range of public programmes while embracing sustainability and a management model that includes philanthropy, venue hire and hospitality as complementary sources of funding.
The President of the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu, Salvador Alemany, and the General Director, Valentí Oviedo, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and the entire Gran Teatre del Liceu team, would like to thank everyone who has contributed to making this season possible and look forward to welcoming audiences back in September for the opening of the 2026/27 season.