Ballet Theatre Foundation Inc.

03/18/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/18/2026 08:59

Four Full-Length Classics to be Featured During American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Season at the Metropolitan Opera House, June 17 – July 18, 2026

Cory Stearns to Give Farewell Performance With ABT on Saturday, June 27

Natalia Osipova to Return as Guest Artist in Don Quixote On Monday, July 6

Box Office Opens Monday, April 6, 2026 at 12:00 P.M.

Catherine Hurlin in Don Quixote. Photo: Rosalie O'Connor Photography.

NEW YORK, NY - Tickets for American Ballet Theatre's 2026 Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House go on sale Monday, April 6 at 12:00 P.M. Running June 17-July 18, the season will feature a new staging of Don Quixote, as well as the return of the classic productions of Onegin, Swan Lake, and Sylvia.

Principal Dancers for the 2026 Summer season include Joo Won Ahn, Aran Bell, 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.

Natalia Osipova, principal dancer with The Royal Ballet will return to ABT as a Guest Artist during the Summer season.

Full-Length Productions

The 2026 Summer season will open with seven performances of Kevin McKenzie's Swan Lake, led by Skylar Brandt as Odette/Odile and Herman Cornejo as Prince Siegfried at the matinee on Wednesday, June 17 at 2:00 P.M. Swan Lake will return for eight performances in the fifth week of the season, beginning Monday, July 13 at 7:30 P.M., with Christine Shevchenko as Odette/Odile and Calvin Royal III as Prince Siegfried. Set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake is choreographed by Kevin McKenzie after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and features scenery and costumes by Zack Brown and lighting by Duane Schuler. This production of Swan Lake premiered on March 24, 2000, at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. led by Julie Kent as Odette/Odile and Angel Corella as Prince Siegfried.

John Cranko's Onegin returns on Tuesday, June 23 at 7:30 P.M. led by Christine Shevchenko as Tatiana, Cory Stearns as Onegin, Zimmi Coker as Olga, Jake Roxander as Lensky, and Roman Zhurbin as Prince Gremin. Stearns will give his final performance with ABT as Onegin on the evening of Saturday, June 27. Set to music by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky, arranged and orchestrated by Kurt-Heinz Stolze, Onegin is based on the verse-novel Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. Onegin received its World Premiere on April 13, 1965, by Stuttgart Ballet in Stuttgart, Germany. The ballet received its Company Premiere by American Ballet Theatre on June 1, 2001, at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York led by Julie Kent (Tatiana), Robert Hill (Onegin), Vladimir Malakhov (Lensky), and Maria Riccetto (Olga). This new production, with sets and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by James F. Ingalls, was premiered by National Ballet of Canada on June 19, 2010, at the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts, Toronto, Canada, and was first performed by ABT on June 4, 2012, at the Metropolitan Opera House. Onegin will receive seven performances through June 27.

A new staging of Don Quixote by Susan Jaffe and Susan Jones will premiere on Monday, June 29 at 7:30 P.M., led by Catherine Hurlin as Kitri and Isaac Hernández as Basilio. Guest Artist Natalia Osipova will dance the role of Kitri on Monday, July 6, opposite Daniel Camargo as Basilio. With choreography after Marius Petipa and Alexander Gorsky, the ballet is set to music by Ludwig Minkus and features scenery and costumes by Santo Loquasto and lighting by Natasha Katz. Don Quixote will be given ten performances through July 7.

Sylvia will return for five performances beginning Thursday, July 9 at 7:30 P.M. led by Christine Shevchenko as Sylvia and Calvin Royal III 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 features scenery and costumes by Christopher and Robin Ironside, with additional designs by Peter Farmer and lighting by Mark Jonathan. This production received its revival premiere by The Royal Ballet on November 4, 2004, at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. American Ballet Theatre presented the United States Revival Premiere on June 3, 2005.

ABTKids

ABTKids, American Ballet Theatre's one-hour introduction to ballet for families, is scheduled for Saturday, June 27 at 11:00 A.M., hosted by Misty Copeland. ASL interpretation will be provided. A limited number of $175 VIP tickets will be available for purchase and will include premium seating, a souvenir gift bag, and a post-performance meet-and-greet with an ABT dancer. All other tickets for the ABTKids performance are $25-$40.

The 2026 Summer season will also include an ABTKids Pre-Performance Workshop at the Metropolitan Opera House. Young fans will have the opportunity to participate in an hour of hands-on activities, designed as an introduction to the works they will see on the Met stage. The workshop will take place at 9:15 A.M. before the ABTKids performance on Saturday, June 27. Workshop tickets are $20 and require a corresponding performance ticket. For more information, visit abt.org/ABTKids.

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: Irina Kolpakova Celebration

Friday, June 26: ABT Conductors Celebration

Tuesday, June 30: Pride Night

Monday, July 6: Special Guest Artist Evening Celebrating Natalia Osipova

ABT Masters Series

ABT will hold two ABT Masters Series programs during the 2026 Summer season. Designed for adults 20 years or older with beginner to advanced-beginner ballet experience, participants will spend the day at ABT's 890 Broadway studios for body conditioning, ballet technique, and a 90-minute repertoire workshop. That evening, participants will attend a pre-show talk before watching the corresponding ABT performance at the Metropolitan Opera House. The day-long experience can be purchased for $350 and will run on Saturday, June 27 (Onegin) and Saturday, July 18 (Swan Lake). For more information, please visit abt.org/ABT-Masters-Series.

Single Tickets

Single tickets for American Ballet Theatre's 2026 Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House will be on sale beginning Monday, April 6 at 12:00 P.M. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 212-362-6000, in person at the Met Box Office, or online at ABT's website. Tickets start at $30. The Metropolitan Opera House is located on Broadway between 64th and 65th streets in New York City.

Ticket holders for the 2026 Summer season at the Metropolitan Opera House may exchange tickets up until noon the day of the performance for a $20 per ticket exchange fee, plus any difference in the ticket price. The exchange fee is waived for Subscribers (Full Series and Create-Your-Own) and ABT Members at the Patron level and above. We regret that there are no refunds or cancellations.

Discounted Tickets and Student Ticket Policy

American Ballet Theatre offers $12-$30 advance tickets and day of rush tickets for any full-time undergraduate or graduate student. A valid student ID is required. Tickets are subject to availability and require advance registration on the Met website. Limit two tickets per person, per performance.

American Ballet Theatre offers $35 orchestra day-of rush tickets to the general public for all performances. Two tickets may be purchased for one performance every seven days. Tickets are subject to availability and require advance registration on the Met website.

American Ballet Theatre offers theatergoers under 30 years old $30 advance tickets to select performances. A limited number of tickets are available. Tickets are subject to availability and require an ID for pick up. Limit two tickets per person, per performance.

*All casting, programming, and pricing are subject to change.

ABOUT AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT's repertoire includes full-length classics from the nineteenth century, the finest works from the early twentieth century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company®.

Swan Lake is generously underwritten by R. Chemers Neustein.

Don Quixote is supported, in part, by an endowed gift from Anka K. Palitz, in memory of Clarence Y. Palitz, Jr.

Sylvia is generously supported through an endowed gift from Monica, Stefano, Cosima, and Tassilo Corsi.

Leadership support of ABT's New Works Initiative is provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, and through an endowed gift from The Toni and Martin Sosnoff New Works Fund.

Commissions and presentations of new works by women choreographers are supported by the ABT Women's Movement, sparked by funding from the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Champion support for the ABT Women's Movement is provided by Jenna Segal.

A special thanks to Denise Littlefield Sobel for her leadership gifts to the ABT Today Fund and ABT RISE, which are advancing the Company's mission to create a more vibrant and welcoming future for ballet.

ABT is supported, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of The Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.

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Ballet Theatre Foundation Inc. published this content on March 18, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 18, 2026 at 14:59 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]