Rusalka, a water spirit, lives with her family in the pure waters of the forest lake. When she falls in love with a Prince, she sacrifices her voice and leaves her home in the hope of finding true love in a new world – a world that does not love her back.

Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee create a poetic, contemporary new staging of Dvořák’s lyric fairy tale, revealing our uneasy relationship with the natural world and humanity’s attempts to own and tame it. Semyon Bychkov conducts an all-star cast featuring Asmik Grigorian (Jenůfa) in the title role.

Music Antonín Dvořák 

Conductor Semyon Bychkov 

Created by Natalie Abrahami and Ann Yee 

Directors Ann Yee and Natalie Abrahami 

Set designer Chloe Lamford 

Costume designer Annemarie Woods 

Lighting designer Paule Constable 

Choreographer Ann Yee


Rusalka Asmik Grigorian 

The Prince David Butt Philip 

Vodník Aleksei Isaev

The Duchess Emma Bell 

Ježibaba Sarah Connolly 

Kuchtík Hongni Wu 

Hajny Ross Ramgobin 

First Wood Spirit Vuvu Mpofu

Second Wood Spirit Gabrielė Kupšytė

Third Wood Spirit Anne Marie Stanley

Lovec Josef Jeongmeen Ahn



Royal Opera Chorus

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House