The Zurich Opera is a magnificent building near the lake shore built in 1891 by Austrian architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. Check out the programme on their website. You can also buy tickets on the opera's webpage, by phone or at the ticket office on site (open from 11:00 until the performance starts, Sun from 90 minutes before the show). Plays are usually with German and English subtitles. The shows of the Zurich Ballet Company directed by Christian Spuck take place here too.