Karita Mattila in The Makropulos Case. Photo: Ken Howard/The Metropolitan Opera
SINGLE TICKETS FOR SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 88TH SEASON
GO ON SALE SUNDAY, JULY 11 AT 10 A.M.
2010–11 Season Opens September 10 with Verdi’s Aida Conducted by Nicola Luisotti and Starring Micaela Carosi, Marcello Giordani, Dolora Zajick, Marco Vratogna and Hao Jiang Tian
Single Tickets Available for Five Operas:
Aida with Micaela Carosi and Marcello Giordani
Werther with Ramón Vargas and Alice Coote;
Madama Butterfly with Svetla Vassileva, Daniela Dessì and Stefano Secco;
The Makropulos Case with Karita Mattila and Miro Dvorsky; and
Le Nozze di Figaro with Danielle de Niese and Luca Pisaroni
Complete Cycle Subscriptions Available for
Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in Summer 2011:
Donald Runnicles Conducts Three Cycles of Francesca Zambello’s New Production;
International Cast Includes Nina Stemme, Mark Delavan, Ian Storey, Anja Kampe,
Larissa Diadkova, Brandon Jovanovich, Stefan Margita and Gordon Hawkins
San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances Co-Present
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann in Recital, Zellerbach Hall, March 13, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO (July 2, 2010)—Single (non-subscription) tickets for San Francisco Opera’s Fall 2010 Season, running from September 10 through December 5, 2010 at the historic War Memorial Opera House, will go on sale to the public on Sunday, July 11 at 10 a.m. Single tickets will be available for Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, Jules Massenet’s Werther, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Leoš Janá?ek’s The Makropulos Case and for the stand alone performances of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried (May 29) and Götterdämmerung (June 5). The San Francisco Opera Box Office, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco, will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for in-person sales or by phone at 415.864.3330; tickets will also be available for online purchase at sfopera.com.
Get yours bestowed . . .
Subscriptions are currently available for San Francisco Opera’s Fall 2010 Season and for Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, which will be presented in three complete cycles from June 14 through July 3, 2011. Due to popular demand, tickets for Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac starring Plácido Domingo are available only as part of a Fall 2010 Season subscription and tickets for Wagner’s Ring Cycle are available in complete four-opera cycles only.
Wagner's Die Walkure Americanized and updated by Francesca Zambello
Below, Placido as Cyrano.
San Francisco Opera’s 2010–11 Season opens with Giuseppe Verdi’s classic masterpiece Aida. A compelling tale of conflicting loyalties and forbidden passions, this spectacular production, previously seen at English National Opera and Houston Grand Opera, is designed by Zandra Rhodes and directed by Jo Davies. The cast features Italian soprano Micaela Carosi making her Company debut in the title role, renowned Verdian mezzo-soprano and former Adler Fellow Dolora Zajick as Amneris and Marcello Giordani making his role debut as Radames. Returning after his highly-praised performance in last season’s Otello is Marco Vratogna as Amonasro; baritone Hao Jiang Tian returns to San Francisco Opera as Ramfis after his 2008 Company debut as Chang the Coffinmaker in The Bonesetter’s Daughter. Music Director Nicola Luisotti leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus.
The September 10 opening-night celebrations include San Francisco Opera Guild’s Opera Ball and BRAVO! CLUB’s Opening Night Gala. Hailed as one of the City’s premier philanthropic cultural events, Opera Ball raises funds to benefit San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Opera Guild’s education and outreach programs. The weekend culminates with the beloved free San Francisco Opera in the Park on Sunday, September 12 in Golden Gate Park’s Sharon Meadow, featuring acclaimed artists from the Company’s Fall 2010 Season and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra conducted by Maestro Luisotti. Also in celebration of the new season, San Francisco Opera presents a free live simulcast of Aida to AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team, at Webcor Builders Presents Opera at the Ballpark on Friday, September 24. Below, Ramon Vargas as Werther.
Bringing one of his signature roles to San Francisco Opera, renowned Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas appears in the title role of Jules Massenet’s Werther, the story of a poet who cannot bear the pain of unfulfilled love. Also returning to San Francisco Opera as Werther’s beloved Charlotte is acclaimed British mezzo-soprano Alice Coote. Soprano Heidi Stober makes her Company debut as Charlotte’s sister Sophie and baritone Brian Mulligan returns as Albert, Charlotte’s betrothed. Massenet’s opera, which is based on Goethe’s novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, was last presented at the War Memorial Opera House in 1985. This new co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago, directed by Francisco Negrin, debuts in San Francisco and is led by French conductor Emmanuel Villaume.
Elena Garanca bowed out and was replaced by Alice Coote the Brit mezzo back in March of 2009.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s eternally popular comedy Le Nozze di Figaro features a cast of vivid characters headlined by young Italian bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni as Figaro and soprano Danielle de Niese in her highly-anticipated Company debut as Susanna. American soprano Ellie Dehn debuts as the Countess Almaviva and former Adler Fellow Lucas Meachem is her philandering husband. Making her Company debut as Cherubino is Canadian mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier. Performing in the final three performances of this production are Kostas Smoriginas as Figaro, Heidi Stober as Susanna and Trevor Scheunemann as Count Almaviva. Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts the Company’s beloved production directed by John Copley. PIcturd below, Danielle de Niese.
Giacomo Puccini’s tragic love story Madama Butterfly stars Bulgarian soprano Svetla Vassileva as the geisha Cio-Cio-San, a role she will share with Italian soprano Daniela Dessì; former Adler Fellow Daveda Karanas is Butterfly’s maid and confidante, Suzuki. Following his Summer 2010 appearances in the title role of Faust is tenor Stefano Secco as Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton, with baritone Quinn Kelsey as the American Consul Sharpless, a role he shares with Brian Mulligan. Here is a video of Quinn Kelsey in SFO's La Boheme.
Quinn Kelsey replaces Dmitri Hvorostovsky in last performances of Il Trovatore at SFO
This production from Lyric Opera of Chicago, which is presented at San Francisco Opera for the first time and directed by Jose Maria Condemi, was created by legendary Tony Award winning Broadway stage director Harold Prince and inspired by traditional Japanese theater. San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti and Julian Kovatchev conduct.
Trivia: last year Svetla Vassileva was replaced in Otello by Zvetelina Vassileva as the doomed wife (no relation).
The Fall 2010 Season is highlighted by the return of legendary tenor Plácido Domingo in his first performances at San Francisco Opera after a 10-year absence. Domingo will sing the title role of Franco Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac, the tale of a swordsman-poet with an enormous heart and even larger nose. Domingo, who made his San Francisco Opera debut in 1969, has appeared in more than a dozen roles with the Company over the past forty years. This production marks the Company premiere of Alfano’s opera, based on the famed play of the same name written by French poet Edmond Rostand. Roxane, the beautiful object of Cyrano’s affection, is sung by Spanish soprano Ainhoa Arteta, and Thiago Arancam makes his San Francisco Opera debut as Christian de Neuveville. French conductor Patrick Fournillier and director Petrika Ionesco are reunited to lead to this large-scale production that premiered at Paris’s Théâtre du Châtelet in May 2009. Tickets for Cyrano de Bergerac are only available as part of a Fall 2010 season subscription.
Following her triumphs in the title roles of Jen?fa and Ká?a Kabanová, Finnish soprano Karita Mattila returns to San Francisco Opera to star in one of Leoš Janá?ek’s most intriguing operas—The Makropulos Case. Making her role debut as the mysterious Emilia Marty, Mattila reunites with Olivier Tambosi, director of her triumphant San Francisco Opera Manon Lescaut in 2006. Tenor Miro Dvorsky returns to the Company as Albert Gregor and bass-baritone Gerd Grochowski makes his San Francisco Opera debut as Baron Jaroslav Prus. Czech conductor and Janá?ek expert Ji?í B?lohlávek conducts these performances, which mark the premiere of this co-production with Finnish National Opera.
San Francisco Opera will present five additional performances of Verdi’s Aida in November-December 2010. These performances feature the San Francisco Opera debuts of Canadian soprano Michele Capalbo as Aida and Chinese mezzo-soprano Guang Yang as Amneris. Tenor Carlo Ventre returns as Radames after his recent Company appearance in 2009’s Tosca; Quinn Kelsey and Eric Owens return as Amonasro and Ramfis, respectively. Assistant Music Director Giuseppe Finzi conducts.
In Summer 2011, San Francisco Opera presents director Francesca Zambello’s highly anticipated new presentation of Der Ring des Nibelungen, featuring an internationally renowned cast. Wagner’s epic four-opera cycle explores the lust for power, the lure of gold, the sacred beauty of nature and the power of redemption and renewal despite the destructive impulses of mankind, through the gradual unfolding of a timeless mythical tale. The four operas will be presented in three complete cycles, each over the course of one week. In advance of the complete cycles, the Company will present one performance of Siegfried (May 29) and one performance of Götterdämmerung (June 5). Swedish soprano and Wagner specialist Nina Stemme sings Brünnhilde in her first complete Ring cycle after performing 2010’s Die Walküre to great acclaim. Baritone Mark Delavan returns to sing Wotan after his triumphant appearances with the Company in 2008’s Das Rheingold and 2010’s Die Walküre.
Tenor Ian Storey makes his Company debut singing his first Siegfried and Gordon Hawkins also makes his Company debut as Alberich, a role he sang to great acclaim at Washington National Opera. Russian mezzo-soprano Larissa Diadkova appears as Fricka and David Cangelosi returns as Mime. Soprano Anja Kampe sings Sieglinde, which she recently performed at Washington National Opera and Los Angeles Opera; American tenor Brandon Jovanovich makes his role debut as Siegmund. Maestro Donald Runnicles will be on the podium for these cycles. Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried are co-productions with Washington National Opera, and Götterdämmerung is a new San Francisco Opera production premiere.
San Francisco Opera partners with Cal Performances to present the Bay Area debut of celebrated tenor Jonas Kaufmann in recital at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall on Sunday March 13, 2011 at 7 p.m. Hailed by London’s The Guardian as "arguably the finest tenor Germany has produced in the past half-century," the tenor is known for his exceptionally diverse repertoire ranging from the major roles of Mozart and Wagner to those of Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, Massenet and Berlioz. Kaufmann will be accompanied by Austrian pianist Helmut Deutsch.
On December 1, 2010, the San Francisco Opera Center presents its resident young artists, the Adler Fellows, in The Future is Now: Adler Fellows Gala Concert. Accompanied by the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, the Adler Fellows will perform an array of opera scenes and arias at the Herbst Theatre.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Single tickets for the 2010–11 Season go on sale Sunday, July 11 at 10 a.m. and will be available for online purchase at sfopera.com, through the San Francisco Opera Box Office located at 301 Van Ness Avenue, or by phone at (415) 864-3330. Patrons ordering online seating through the San Francisco Opera website will be able to choose exact Opera House seat locations before completing each online purchase. Casting, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change.
On Sunday, July 11 the San Francisco Opera Box Office will be open from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Regular Box Office hours are Monday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. During the performance season, the Box Office is also open on Saturdays 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Single tickets for San Francisco Opera’s 2010–11 Season operas range from $20 to $360 and are available for Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, Jules Massenet’s Werther, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Leoš Janá?ek’s The Makropulos Case and for the stand alone performances of Richard Wagner’s Siegfried (May 29) and Götterdämmerung (June 5).
Tickets for The Future is Now: Adler Fellows Gala Concert are priced from $25 to $60.
Tickets for the Jonas Kaufmann recital are priced from $40 to $100.
Tickets for Cyrano de Bergerac are only available as part of a Fall 2010 season subscription.
Tickets for Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen are offered in complete four-opera cycles only. Complete cycles are priced from $300 to $2,800 and may be purchased through the San Francisco Opera Box Office.
The September 12 San Francisco Opera in the Park concert is free, no tickets are required. The September 24 Webcor Builders Presents Opera at the Ballpark live simulcast of Aida to AT&T Park is free, however advance online registration at sfopera.com/simulcast assures early entrance into the ballpark for preferred seating and entry into a special prize drawing.
All War Memorial Opera House performances (except the September 10 season-opening) will feature an informative Opera Talk 55 minutes prior to curtain; Opera Talks are presented free of charge to patrons with tickets for the corresponding performance.
Opera Guild Preview Lectures are scheduled in communities throughout the greater Bay Area by local Guild chapters. Renowned musicologists lead presentations to familiarize the audience with repertoire from the current season. Admission prices vary.
The War Memorial Opera House is located at 301 Van Ness Avenue. Patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Opera performances. The War Memorial Opera House is within walking distance of the Civic Center BART station and near numerous bus lines, including 5, 21, 47, 49 and the F Market Street. For further public transportation information, visit www.bart.gov and www.sfmuni.com.
For more info: www.SFOpera.com
Botha straight from the Met to open "Otello" at SF
Johan Botha in Verdi's Aida: Captain loves a slave
Met's live HD broadcast of Aida enlivened by Renee Fleming's backstage interviews
Patricia Racette and John Relyea of Faust to perform at Stern Grove on Fourth of July
Patricia Racette divine in Guonod's Faust; John Relyea a dandy Mephistopheles
Slideshow: Faust runs through July first
SF Opera presents Charles Francois Guonod's Faust with Secco, Racette, Relyea
Peoples' diva Renee Fleming offers Dark Hope on new age, pop rock CD
Wagner's Die Walkure Americanized and updated by Francesca Zambello
Die Walkure director Francesca Zambello appointed at Glimmerglass
Wagner's Die Walkure: SF presents international cast with Stemme, Delavan, Westbroek
Berkeley Opera announces major stars to perform abridged Ring Cycle (in one evening)
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