Music Director James Conlon conducts the company premiere of Leonard Bernstein's musical theater landmark

(Los Angeles) August 18, 2025 — LA Opera will launch its 40th Anniversary Season with the company premiere of West Side Story, one of the greatest masterpieces of musical theater, with performances from September 20 through October 12, 2025.

Created by playwright Arthur Laurents, composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim and choreographer Jerome Robbins, West Side Story transforms the timeless tragedy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet into a harrowing tale of warring gangs in the streets of New York City.

"We have wanted to present West Side Story for well over a decade, and all of the elements—including a cast featuring both opera stars and incredible musical theater performers—have finally come into place,” said Christopher Koelsch. “James Conlon, who is celebrating his 20th and final season with us as music director, has long been eager to conduct this hugely innovative and quite unusual score. Under his baton, West Side Story will likely surprise audiences no matter how well they think they may know it. Stage director Francesca Zambello, who has a long and rich history with LA Opera, has spent her career elevating American works, which makes her the ideal artist to stage this production."

About West Side Story
New York City’s West Side is split between the Jets and the Sharks—but these warring gangs never imagined that two of their own could fall in love. Tenor Duke Kim is Tony, a former Jet who finds himself falling for Maria (the radiant Gabriella Reyes). But Maria is promised to another, and her brother Bernardo is more than willing to rally his Sharks to keep it that way.

Meet the Cast
Two young opera stars take on the leading roles of the star crossed lovers. Nicaraguan American soprano Gabriella Reyes—whose many Metropolitan Opera roles include both Mimì and Musetta in La Bohème and Margarita Xirgu in Ainadamar—will make her LA Opera debut as Maria. Korean tenor Duke Kim, who recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute, returns to Los Angeles as Tony after his company debut last season as Romeo in Romeo and Juliet.

Amanda Castro will be featured as Anita, a role she has performed at the Glimmerglass Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago and elsewhere. Taylor Harley will appear as Riff, a role he recently performed on an international tour through Europe and Asia. Yurel Echezarreta, who will portray Bernardo, has appeared in numerous Broadway shows including West Side Story, and he was also seen in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of the musical. David Prottas, performing the role of Action, was a longtime member of the New York City Ballet who made his Broadway debut in the most recent revival of Carousel.

The Creative Team
The production, directed by Francesca Zambello and associate director Eric Sean Fogel, features sets designed by Peter J. Davison, costumes by Jessica Jahn and lighting by Mark McCullough, recreated by A.J. Guban. Joshua Bergasse will reproduce the original choreography by Jerome Robbins.

Click here to download production photos and artist headshots.

Performance Dates, Times and Address
There will be ten performances of West Side Story presented at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, located at 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012:

• Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 6pm
• Sunday, September 21, 2025, at 2pm
• Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, September 28, 2025, at 2pm
• Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, October 5, 2025, at 2pm
• Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 7:30pm
• Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 2pm

Tickets
Tickets begin at $27.50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at LAOpera.org, by phone at 213.972.8001, or in person at the LA Opera box office at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012). For disability access, call 213.972.0777 or email LAOpera@LAOpera.org.

More information about the production is available at: LAOpera.org/WestSideStory.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Through imaginative new productions, world premiere commissions, and inventive performances that preserve foundational works while making them feel fresh and compelling, LA Opera has become one of America’s most exciting and ambitious opera companies.

In addition to its mainstage performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the company explores unusual repertoire each season through the LA Opera Off Grand initiative, featuring performances in a variety of venues throughout Los Angeles. The LA Opera Connects initiative offers a robust variety of educational programming and community engagement offerings that reaches people throughout every corner of Los Angeles County. Learn more at LAOpera.org.

LA Opera Media Contact
Marlene Meraz
Director of Communications
mmeraz@laopera.org
213.972.7554

Production made possible by generous support from
Terri and Jerry Kohl
Alfred and Claude Mann Fund
The Blue Ribbon

LA Opera Orchestra generously underwritten by
Terri and Jerry Kohl

This production is dedicated to the memory of
LA Opera Life Trustee, Ambassador Frank Baxter

LA Opera is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.