1886
On 1886-12-16, Émile Paladilhe’s grand opera "Patrie!" premiered at the Paris Opéra (Palais Garnier).
December 16 — On This Day in Opera
This page lists notable events in opera history that happened on December 16, including world premieres, composer births, deaths, and important milestones.
1894
On 1894-12-16, Franz von Suppè–influenced composer Franz von Reznicek’s opera "Donna Diana" was first performed at the Neues Deutsches Theater in Prague.
1919
On 1919-12-16, Italian librettist Luigi Illica (collaborator on "La bohème", "Tosca", and "Madama Butterfly") died in Colombarone near Castell'Arquato, Italy.
1922
On 1922-12-16, Ildebrando Pizzetti’s opera "Dèbora e Jaéle" premiered at La Scala in Milan.
1927
On 1927-12-16, Darius Milhaud’s opera "Le pauvre matelot" (libretto by Jean Cocteau) premiered at the Opéra-Comique (Salle Favart) in Paris.
1932
On 1932-12-16, Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin was born in Moscow; he later wrote several operas including "Lolita" and "The Left-Hander".
1939
On 1939-12-16, English tenor Philip Langridge was born in Hawkhurst, Kent; he became a leading interpreter of Britten and English opera.
1975
On 1975-12-16, Viktor Ullmann’s opera "Der Kaiser von Atlantis" ("The Emperor of Atlantis") received its world premiere in Amsterdam (Bellevue Theater), decades after being written in Theresienstadt.
2025
On 2025-12-16, Menotti’s holiday opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" opened in a new Lincoln Center Theater production in New York, with Joyce DiDonato as Amahl’s mother.