GENERAL DIRECTOR MATTHEW SHILVOCK AND MUSIC DIRECTOR
NICOLA LUISOTTI ANNOUNCE SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 2017–18 REPERTORY SEASON AND CASTING INCLUDING WORLD PREMIERE OF
GIRLS OF THE GOLDEN WEST BY COMPOSER JOHN ADAMS WITH LIBRETTO BY DIRECTOR PETER SELLARS AND THREE CYCLES OF WAGNER’S DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN LED BY DONALD RUNNICLES AND DIRECTED BY FRANCESCA ZAMBELLO
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 95TH SEASON WILL FEATURE NEW PRODUCTIONS OF STRAUSS’ ELEKTRA WITH CHRISTINE GOERKE AND STEPHANIE BLYTHE;
MASSENET’S MANON STARRING NADINE SIERRA AND MICHAEL FABIANO
REPERTORY REVIVALS OF PUCCINI’S TURANDOT WITH MARTINA SERAFIN AND
NINA STEMME; VERDI’S LA TRAVIATA WITH DEBUTING ARTISTS
AURELIA FLORIAN, ATALLA AYAN AND ARTUR RUCIŃSKI
SEASON OPENS SEPTEMBER 8 WITH TURANDOT AND
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA GUILD’S OPERA BALL 2017,
HONORING NICOLA LUISOTTI IN HIS FINAL YEAR AS COMPANY MUSIC DIRECTOR; OPENING WEEKEND INCLUDES ANNUAL
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA IN THE PARK CONCERT SEPTEMBER 10
Nicola Luisotti and Matthew Shilvock [photo by Drew Altizer]; Massenet’s Manon [Martynas Aleksa/Lithuanian National Opera]; John Adams and Peter Sellars (Girls of the Golden West) [Scott Wall]; Wagner’s Das Rheingold [Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera]
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 17, 2017) — San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock and Music Director Nicola Luisotti today announced plans for the 2017–18 repertory season. The Company’s 95th season will open Friday, September 8 with a gala performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot led by Mr. Luisotti and an international cast starring Martina Serafin, Maria Agresta and Brian Jagde. On the occasion of this special evening, San Francisco Opera Guild will produce their signature event Opera Ball 2017, presented in honor of Nicola Luisotti, who concludes his tenure as the Company’s music director at the end of the 2017–18 Season.
San Francisco Opera’s new season features the highly anticipated world premiere of Girls of the Golden West by composer John Adams; the return of Francesca Zambello’s production of Richard Wagner’s epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung); bold new productions of Richard Strauss’ gripping music drama Elektra and Jules Massenet’s sensual Manon; and revivals of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot and Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. All performances will be presented at the War Memorial Opera House.
Today’s public announcement was held at San Francisco Opera’s Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera before an audience of the Bay Area press corps, cultural and civic community leaders and special guests. Director Francesca Zambello, composer John Adams and librettist/director Peter Sellars joined Matthew Shilvock for the live-streamed press conference.
“Our 2017–18 Season encapsulates the power of opera to tell the great stories of humanity, whether about us as individuals or as a society. The diverse sweep of engaging productions features many of the world’s finest artists, including some very exciting debuts,” said Matthew Shilvock. “The season was planned by David Gockley, and it represents the tenets of excellence that defined his incredible tenure with the Company, including the commissioning of John Adams’ Girls of the Golden West. We are so proud to premiere this new opera in the fall as a culmination of the worldwide events honoring John’s 70th birthday year.”
Shilvock continued: “Beginning in September, we also honor Nicola Luisotti in his final season as our distinguished music director. The energy and vitality he has brought to us will resonate long into our future. The esteemed forces of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus, Dance Corps and Crew will create spectacular worlds on the War Memorial Opera House stage, worlds that will move, transport and thrill audiences. At the apex of this is the summer Ring Cycle, the most monumental celebration imaginable of the Company and the community that we serve. I am incredibly excited for what lies ahead.”
The 2017–18 Season marks Matthew Shilvock’s second as general director of San Francisco Opera. Shilvock is the Company’s seventh General Director in its 94-year-history, following in the footsteps of Gaetano Merola who founded San Francisco Opera in 1923, Kurt Herbert Adler (1953–1981), Terence A. McEwen (1982–1988), Lotfi Mansouri (1988–2001), Pamela Rosenberg (2001–2005) and David Gockley (2006–2016). Due to the necessity of long-term artistic planning and contracting of artists, David Gockley planned the 2017–18 Season. Shilvock’s first planned season as general director will be the 2018–19 repertory season.
At the conclusion of the 2017–18 Season, Nicola Luisotti will formally step down as music director. Mr. Luisotti made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2005 conducting Verdi’s La Forza del Destino and became music director in 2009. During his tenure with the Company, he has led over 40 opera productions and concerts, including a historic performance of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem that united the orchestras and choruses of San Francisco Opera and Teatro di San Carlo of Naples on the War Memorial Opera House stage. During the fall season, Luisotti will conduct performances of Turandot, La Traviata and the annual San Francisco Opera in the Park concert. As an expression of San Francisco Opera Guild’s appreciation of Nicola Luisotti’s artistic contributions, Guild President Jane Mudge designated the Italian maestro as their distinguished honoree for Opera Ball 2017.
“I am deeply honored to be on the podium for the gala opening of San Francisco Opera’s 2017–18 Season and to lead such an important cast of singers in Turandot,” commented Nicola Luisotti. “I’m very proud of the work we have accomplished during my time with San Francisco Opera. As I will be stepping down from the post of music director at the end of next season, it will certainly be an emotional year for me. I believe strongly in our Company and that we will continue to make extraordinary music each night. My wife, Rita, and I both thank the entire Company, the San Francisco Opera Guild and the Bay Area community from the bottom of our hearts.”
For the 2017–18 Season, San Francisco Opera has invited many of the world’s leading singers, as well as emerging artists, to perform at the War Memorial Opera House. They include: Maria Agresta, Jamie Barton, Stephanie Blythe, J’Nai Bridges, Julia Bullock, Melissa Citro, Leah Crocetto, Aurelia Florian, Christine Goerke, Evelyn Herlitzius, Hye Jung Lee, Karita Mattila, Ronnita Miller, Adrianne Pieczonka, Martina Serafin, Nadine Sierra, Nina Stemme; Raymond Aceto, Paul Appleby, Atalla Ayan, Daniel Brenna, David Cangelosi, Michael Fabiano, Greer Grimsley, Soloman Howard, Brian Jagde, Brandon Jovanovich, Elliot Madore, Štefan Margita, Ryan McKinny, Brian Mulligan, David Pershall, Artur Ruciński, Andrea Silvestrelli, Falk Struckmann, Davóne Tines and Alfred Walker.
Featured conductors, directors and designers include: Patrick Fournillier, Christopher Franklin, Grant Gershon, Nicola Luisotti, Henrik Nánási, Donald Runnicles; Vincent Boussard, Garnett Bruce, Anja Kühnhold, Shawna Lucey, Peter Sellars, Keith Warner, Francesca Zambello; John Conklin, David Gropman, David Hockney, Vincent Lemaire and Michael Yeargan. Ian Robertson is San Francisco Opera Chorus Director.
FALL 2017 SEASON
Puccini: Turandot (September 8–30; November 18–December 9)
The 2017–18 Season opens Friday, September 8 with Turandot, Giacomo Puccini’s 1926 unfinished masterpiece of fantasy and romanticism set in legendary Peking (last duet and finale by Franco Alfano). San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts an international cast led by the acclaimed Viennese soprano Martina Serafin as Princess Turandot. A frequent performer with the Vienna State Opera, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and the Opéra National de Paris, Serafin sang her first performances in North America with San Francisco Opera in 2007 as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier. American tenor Brian Jagde, who was praised by The Mercury News for his “ardent and expressive” role debut as Radames in Aida last November, returns in 2017 to take on Calaf, another new role which is known for the famous aria “Nessun dorma.”
Italian soprano Maria Agresta will debut as the tragic heroine Liù on September 8, 12, 15 and 21. Heralded for her artistry in a variety of roles, Agresta’s performance as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra with Rome Opera led Opera News to observe: “her voice is exquisitely focused and freshly attractive in coloration, her legato impeccable and her soft singing as effortless as her fortissimos above the staff.” Last season at London’s Royal Opera, Agresta was praised for her portrayal of Violetta Valéry in La Traviata, which featured conductor Luisotti on the podium. American soprano and current San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Toni Marie Palmertree will perform Liù on September 24 and 30. Palmertree thrilled San Francisco Opera audiences in November 2016 when, with two hours’ notice, she stepped in for an ailing colleague to perform as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly. American bass Raymond Aceto sings the role of Timur. Director Garnett Bruce stages this revival of David Hockney’s colorful production and Company Chorus Director Ian Robertson prepares the San Francisco Opera Chorus.
Turandot returns to the stage in November and December with a cast led by Swedish soprano Nina Stemme in the title role. Admired for her Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Ring cycle at San Francisco Opera in 2011, Stemme gives an equally accomplished stage portrayal of Turandot, for which the New York Times praised her “powerful, luxuriant voice [which] retained its warmth throughout the evening, with blazing high notes.” American soprano Leah Crocetto sings Liù, a role which she first performed with San Francisco Opera in 2011 and subsequently at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2015–16 Season. American bass Soloman Howard makes his Company and role debut as Timur, and American conductor Christopher Franklin bows for the first time with the Company leading the Opera Orchestra and Chorus in the November and December performances. Brian Jagde returns as Calaf and Joo Won Kang (Ping), Julius Ahn (Pang), Joel Sorensen (Pong), Brad Walker (a Mandarin) and Robert Brubaker (Emperor Altoum) complete the cast in all performances.
Strauss: Elektra (September 9–27)
On September 9, Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal’s 1909 opera Elektra surges back onto the War Memorial Opera House stage for the first time in two decades in a provocative new production by celebrated English director Keith Warner. This psychologically complex and vocally formidable opera requires lyric artists of the first rank and San Francisco Opera has assembled a superlative cast that includes soprano Christine Goerke, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, along with bass-baritone Alfred Walker in his Company debut and tenor Robert Brubaker. The staging of this co-production with the National Theatre in Prague and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe will be directed in revival by Anja Kühnhold. The creative team features the work of set designer Boris Kudlička, costume designer Kaspar Glarner, lighting designer John Bishop and video designer Bartek Macias.
American soprano Christine Goerke returns to San Francisco Opera in one of her most celebrated roles as the deranged and vengeful Elektra. Her portrayal of the part with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall led the New York Observer to proclaim: “To the rarefied society of superb interpreters of Elektra, consisting of perhaps two or three singers in each generation, we can now welcome Ms. Goerke.” American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, “who boasts one of the most powerful voices in opera” (New York Times), makes her role debut as Elektra’s embattled mother, Klytemnestra. Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, renowned for her interpretation of Chrysothemis, returns to the Company for the first time since performing Tosca in 2009. In his first appearance with San Francisco Opera, American bass-baritone Alfred Walker sings Orest and tenor Robert Brubaker is Aegisth. Hungarian conductor Henrik Nánási, General Music Director of Komische Oper Berlin, makes his podium debut with the Company leading Strauss’ intricate and explosive score.
Warner’s setting of this opera based on the classic Greek tragedy brings Elektra into the present day. The British director commented: “On one hand, Elektra is really an amazingly complex, deep piece and on the other it is an almost horror movie kind of thriller. Dreadful, terrible deeds are happening in this family: there have been murders in the past and there will be more murders on the day when the story is taking place. We have decided to set the piece in a modern museum where a girl is going through and reading about Sophocles’ Electra and Carl Jung’s Electra complex. The artifacts and information trigger a series of memories in her and we go back into her story. She must confront the truth by confronting the terrible events that started this whole chain reaction of murder and mayhem.”
Verdi: La Traviata (September 23–October 17)
A revival of Verdi’s enduring classic La Traviata opens on September 23 with Mr. Nicola Luisotti leading a cast that includes three artists making their Company debuts in leading roles. Romanian soprano Aurelia Florian, who has performed Violetta Valéry in Berlin, Munich, Oslo and Tel Aviv, will sing her first performances in the United States as the courtesan who sacrifices everything for love. Brazilian tenor Atalla Ayan debuts as Alfredo Germont, a role which he will also sing this year in March and April at the Metropolitan Opera and in June at Covent Garden. Polish baritone Artur Ruciński will portray Giorgio Germont. Since his 2010 breakout performances in the title role of Eugene Onegin at Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Ruciński has been heard in many of the world’s leading opera houses and has performed Germont in Berlin, Verona and London. John Copley’s elegant production returns and will be directed in revival by Shawna Lucey. Flamenco performer and Artistic Director of Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco Carola Zertuche contributes new choreography in her Company debut.
Massenet: Manon (November 4–22)
Soprano Nadine Sierra and tenor Michael Fabiano headline a new production of Jules Massenet’s opera of young love and reckless passion, Manon, which returns to the Company’s repertory on November 4 after an absence of 19 seasons. Sierra sings the title role for the first time in her career, which in 2016 included acclaimed debuts with the Metropolitan Opera, Milan’s La Scala and Opéra National de Paris where her “lithe soprano masterfully soared with tones of exceptional grace” in Cavalli’s Eliogabalo (Musical America). Hailed as “a sensational performer” by The Guardian for his role debut as Lensky in Eugene Onegin and last heard with San Francisco Opera in June 2016 performing the title role in Don Carlo for the first time, Fabiano premieres another new role with the Company in 2017 with Chevalier des Grieux. At a recent San Francisco Opera gala, the duo of Sierra and Fabiano were featured in the “vocally steamy” St. Sulpice scene from the opera. The San Francisco Chronicle declared “nothing got the audience quite so jazzed as the incendiary duet from Massenet’s Manon.”
Baritone David Pershall, who made his first appearance with the Company in September 2016 as Roucher in Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, returns as Lescaut. Bass James Creswell is Comte des Grieux, baritone Timothy Mix is De Brétigny and tenor Robert Brubaker portrays Guillot de Morfontaine. Parisian-born conductor and Massenet specialist Patrick Fournillier, who made his Company debut in 2010 conducting Alfano’s Cyrano de Bergerac and who also led the 2013 new production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann, returns to conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus in Massenet’s plush score.
Vincent Boussard, whose production of Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi was presented at San Francisco Opera in 2012, returns to direct this new interpretation of Manon, a co-production with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Israeli Opera, featuring sets designed by Vincent Lemaire, costumes designed by Boussard and lighting by Gary Marder.
Boussard noted: “Manon is a specific play from 18th-century France, rewritten by Massenet in the 19th century, who was dreaming about that earlier time. So, we have to find all the crispy colors of all those periods of time. I tried to make it as pure as possible in terms of setting, not too much decoration. It is a style that requires the singers to be great performers because Manon is a very intimate piece. I believe that the story of a young lady who wants to listen to a call for freedom and pleasure belongs to our period of time.”
Adams: Girls of the Golden West (November 21–December 10)
On November 21, the War Memorial Opera House will play host to one of the musical season’s most eagerly anticipated events: the world premiere of Girls of the Golden West, the newest opera by composer and California resident John Adams, written expressly for San Francisco Opera. With a libretto by director Peter Sellars, Girls of the Golden West explores the dramatic and often brutal stories of pioneers on California’s Gold Rush frontier during the 1850s.
Initiated by the Company’s former General Director David Gockley, this auspicious opera debut will be the culmination of the yearlong, worldwide celebrations honoring the American composer’s 70th birthday. A co-commission and co-production between San Francisco Opera, The Dallas Opera, Nationale Opera and Ballet Amsterdam and the Teatro La Fenice, Venice, Girls of the Golden West will premiere in San Francisco, a mere 200 miles away from the opera’s setting in the historic mining sites of Rich Bar and Downieville. The opera is presented by arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., a Boosey & Hawkes company, publisher and copyright owner.
Adams, whose previous operas Nixon in China, The Death of Klinghoffer and Doctor Atomic have all been produced by San Francisco Opera, began work on the score in June 2015. He said, “I have a cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains not far from where these events in the opera took place. I know the terrain. I have hiked through those valleys and along those hillsides. This is home to me. Not many composers can hope to be as lucky as I to have this connection to the historical reality.”
The libretto by Sellars is drawn from period sources including The Shirley Letters, vivid accounts of life at Rich Bar written by Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe, using her pen name “Dame Shirley”; speeches by civil rights champion Frederick Douglass; poetry of Argentinian, Chilean and Chinese miners; songs of the period; and the journalistic writings of Mark Twain.
Reflecting on these historic writings, Sellars commented: “The true stories of the Forty-Niners are overwhelming in their heroism, passion and cruelty, telling tales of racial conflicts, colorful and humorous exploits, political strife and struggles to build anew a life and to decide what it would mean to be American. And let me add that I’m hugely stimulated by the dynamic, high-spirited and deeply moving music that John is creating. I am in high anticipation in my eagerness to bring this new work to life, first in San Francisco, and later around the world.”
“One of the key elements in the opera,” Adams remarked, “is the trove of original Gold Rush song lyrics that I’ve set. These are lyrics that, in their frank and homely simplicity, describe the hardships, wild expectations and crushing realities these miners experienced.”
Adams continued, “I am unusually excited about our cast for this world premiere. They are, in a lot of ways, a slam dunk.” Soprano Julia Bullock will make her Company debut as Dame Shirley. Earning acclaim for her performances in contemporary works by Adams, Kaija Saariaho and Tyshawn Sorey, Bullock’s performance in Purcell’s The Indian Queen with the English National Opera was admired by The Telegraph for its “moments of heart-stopping beauty.” Bass-baritone Davóne Tines makes his first local operatic appearance as Ned Peters, an African-American cowboy and former slave who is drawn to the promise of the frontier. At age 30, Tines has had three operas composed with his voice in mind, and was hailed in a tweet by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross as a “great, electrifying singer.”
Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges returns to the Company as Josefa Segovia, a young Mexican woman who serves drinks and entertains the miners at The Empire Hotel in Rich Bar. Along with her 2016 San Francisco Opera debut as Bersi in Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, Bridges, whom the Los Angeles Times and Opera News have declared a “rising star,” also won acclaim last year for her portrayal of Nefertiti in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten with LA Opera. Bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, who recently portrayed Amfortas in Parsifal at the Bayreuth Festival, will make his Company debut in Girls of the Golden West as Clarence King.
Tenor Paul Appleby, who last appeared with the Company as Tamino in Mozart’s The Magic Flute in 2015, returns to sing the pivotal role of Joe Cannon, a miner whose desire for Josefa leads to a crisis in the camp. Having previously appeared with San Francisco Opera as Madame Mao Tse-tung in Nixon in China in 2012 and Olympia in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann in 2013, Korean soprano Hye Jung Lee returns to portray Ah Sing, the Chinese courtesan who wishes to marry Joe. Baritone Elliot Madore, who first appeared with the Company as Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, portrays the bartender of The Empire Hotel, Ramón. San Francisco Ballet principal dancer Lorena Feijoo will portray the mid-19th-century entertainer and celebrity Lola Montez, who was known for her provocative “Spider Dance.”
Sellars, who “has created a body of work that will transcend epoch and place, style and fad” (Opera News), anchors a creative team that is drawn from the worlds of opera, theater and cinema, including set designer David Gropman, costume designer Rita Ryack, lighting designer James F. Ingalls, sound designer Mark Grey and choreographer John Heginbotham. Conductor Grant Gershon, currently in his sixteenth season as the artistic director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, will lead the cast, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Dance Corps in this new work.
The collaboration between San Francisco Opera and John Adams began with the co-commission of The Death of Klinghoffer and presentation of its West Coast premiere in 1992. The Company commissioned the composer to create Doctor Atomic, presenting that work’s world premiere in 2005. Adams’ collaboration with Sellars extends back to 1987 when Sellars directed the world premiere of Adams’ first opera, Nixon in China, with a libretto by Alice Goodman, at Houston Grand Opera. San Francisco Opera presented Nixon in China in a production by Michael Cavanagh in 2012.
SUMMER 2018 SEASON
Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (June 12–July 1)
(The Ring of the Nibelung)
From June 12 through July 1, 2018, San Francisco Opera will present one of the greatest and most ambitious works of music, theater and stagecraft ever created: Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). When first unveiled as a full cycle at San Francisco Opera in 2011, Francesca Zambello’s production was hailed by the New York Times as “boldly contemporary” and the San Francisco Chronicle observed: “San Francisco Opera’s most ambitious undertaking in years also turned out to be the company’s greatest triumph.”
The 2018 Ring Festival will revive the acclaimed production in three complete cycles of the tetralogy: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung. Director Francesca Zambello returns to direct and introduce several new features, including technologically advanced projections, new imagery and restudied stage action that were not part of the production’s earlier incarnation at San Francisco Opera in 2011. Utilizing visuals from various periods of American history in each of the four operas, Zambello commented: “Since directing the Ring again in 2016 in Washington, D.C., the power of the work feels even more contemporary. We are presenting a world in some ways familiar to our audience but also one that will feel very mythic as we look to our country’s rich imagery. The characters seem known to us as we have placed more emphasis on the role of the family and the role of redemption through all the female characters. The great overarching themes of the Ring—nature, power and corruption—resound through America’s past and haunt our present.” Renowned Wagnerian conductor Donald Runnicles returns to lead cast, orchestra and chorus in all three cycles.
An international cast of the world’s leading Wagnerians has been assembled for this production of the Ring, including a trio of exceptional artists who are new to the Company. German soprano Evelyn Herlitzius will portray Brünnhilde in Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung; American tenor Daniel Brenna will bow as Siegfried in both Siegfried and Götterdämmerung; and German bass-baritone Falk Struckmann, who has performed most of the low-voiced roles in the Ring, makes both his Company and role debuts as Alberich in Das Rheingold, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung.
Known throughout the world for his interpretation of Wotan King of the Gods, American bass-baritone Greer Grimsley brings his celebrated portrayal to the War Memorial Opera House stage for the first time. Finnish soprano Karita Mattila will sing Sieglinde in Die Walküre. American tenor Brandon Jovanovich reprises the roles he performed in the 2011 production: Froh in Das Rheingold and Siegmund in Die Walküre. Triumphant in her Company debut as Adalgisa in the 2014 performances of Bellini’s Norma, American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton will sing the roles of Fricka in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, and Waltraute and the Second Norn in Götterdämmerung. Štefan Margita and David Cangelosi reprise the roles of Loge and Mime respectively, portrayals for which the two tenors were highly praised in the Company’s 2011 Ring. Bass Raymond Aceto sings the roles of Fafner (Das Rheingold and Siegfried) and Hunding (Die Walküre); baritone Brian Mulligan portrays Donner (Das Rheingold) and Gunther (Götterdämmerung); and bass Andrea Silvestrelli is Fasolt (Das Rheingold) and Hagen (Götterdämmerung).
As part of today’s announcement, San Francisco Opera revealed additions to the roster of artists who will be featured in the four Ring operas. Soprano Julie Adams joins the previously announced cast as Freia in Das Rheingold and Gerhilde in Die Walküre. Mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton and incoming Adler Fellow soprano Sarah Cambidge will portray the three Norns in Götterdämmerung. The Valkyries in the third act of Die Walküre, who sing the memorable “Ho-jo-to-ho”s following Wagner’s iconic “Ride of the Valkyries,” will be performed by Adams, Cambidge, Melissa Citro, Laura Krumm, Lauren McNeese, Renée Rapier and Renée Tatum.
All artists will perform their roles in each of the three cycles, which are scheduled for June 12–17, June 19–24 and June 26–July 1, 2018. Ring cycle performances take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. To provide Ring aficionados and those who are new to the work additional points of engagement, San Francisco Opera will partner with Bay Area cultural institutions to present myriad activities during the 2018 Ring Festival, including lectures and other events. The full calendar of ancillary programs will be announced at a later date. For more information, visit sfopera.com/ring.
Regarded as one of the world’s leading companies in presenting the Ring, San Francisco Opera first produced Wagner’s masterwork in 1935 with Friedrich Schorr (Wotan), Lauritz Melchior (Siegmund/Siegfried), Elisabeth Rethberg (Sieglinde) and Kirsten Flagstad (Brünnhilde). Later stagings followed in 1972, 1985, 1990, 1999 and 2011.
For details of past San Francisco Opera presentations of Turandot, Elektra, La Traviata, Manon and the Ring, visit the online performance archive at archive.sfopera.com.
TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Subscriptions for San Francisco Opera’s Fall 2017 Season are priced from $105 to $1,890 for Full Series (five operas) and $63 to $1,449 for Half Series (three or four operas). For information about subscriber benefits and special series subscriptions, including the Out of Town Series offering two or three operas over a 2–3 day period, the Student & Teacher Series offering 50% off select Full and Half Series, and San Francisco Opera’s Rainbow Series for the LGBTQ community, visit sfopera.com/subscribe. Fall 2017 Season subscriptions go on sale to new and renewing subscribers beginning January 17, 2017 at 1 p.m. PST at the San Francisco Opera Box Office by calling (415) 864-3330 or online at sfopera.com. San Francisco Opera Box Office hours: Monday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (Saturdays phone only). San Francisco Opera Box Office hours: Monday 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (Saturdays phone only).
Tickets for Wagner’s Ring cycle, available in complete four-opera cycles only, are priced from $190 to $3,420 (tickets include a tax-deductible contribution to provide extra support for this monumental production). Ring cycle tickets are sold separately from the fall season subscription series. All Ring cycle subscribers will receive a Festival packet with details about Ring Festival activities, lectures and events. San Francisco Opera will partner with hotels, restaurants and museums to accommodate out-of-town subscribers, as well as Bay Area patrons looking to immerse themselves in the Ring Festival. For more information, visit sfopera.com/ring. Ring cycle tickets, previously available to San Francisco Opera subscribers and donors only, go on sale to the general public beginning January 17, 2017 at 1 p.m. PST at the San Francisco Opera Box Office by calling (415) 864-3330 or online at sfopera.com.
Single tickets for San Francisco Opera’s Fall 2017 Season will go on sale beginning Monday, June 26. A $2 per-ticket facility fee is included in Balcony 1, Balcony 2 and Balcony 3 section prices; all other sections include a $3 per-ticket facility fee.
All War Memorial Opera House performances (except the September 8 season opening) feature an informative Pre-Opera Talk beginning 55 minutes prior to curtain. Pre-Opera Talks are free of charge to patrons with tickets for the corresponding performance. Visit sfopera.com/learn for information about all of our opera talks, preview events and enrichment programs.
OperaVision screens, suspended from the ceiling of the balcony section at selected performances, show close-ups of the action on stage in high-definition video. English subtitles appear at the bottom of each screen. OperaVision is made possible by the Koret/Taube Media Suite.
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 bart.gov and sfmta.com.
All casting, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change. For further information about San Francisco Opera’s 2017–18 Season, visit sfopera.com.
2017–18 SAN FRANCISCO OPERA DEBUTS
Maria Agresta Liù, Turandot
Atalla Ayan Alfredo Germont, La Traviata
John Bishop Lighting Designer, Elektra
Daniel Brenna Siegfried, Siegfried
Robert Brubaker Emperor Altoum, Turandot
Julia Bullock Dame Shirley, Girls of the Golden West
Lorena Feijoo Lola Montez, Girls of the Golden West
Aurelia Florian* Violetta Valéry, La Traviata
Christopher Franklin Conductor, Turandot
Grant Gershon Conductor, Girls of the Golden West
Kaspar Glarner Costume Designer, Elektra
David Gropman Set Designer, Girls of the Golden West
John Heginbotham Choreographer, Girls of the Golden West
Evelyn Herlitzius Brünnhilde, Die Walküre
Soloman Howard Timur, Turandot
Boris Kudlička Set Designer, Elektra
Anja Kühnhold Revival Director, Elektra
Bartek Macias Video Designer, Elektra
Ryan McKinny Clarence King, Girls of the Golden West
Henrik Nánási Conductor, Elektra
Artur Ruciński Giorgio Germont, La Traviata
Rita Ryack Costume Designer, Girls of the Golden West
Falk Struckmann Alberich, Das Rheingold
Davóne Tines Ned Peters, Girls of the Golden West
Alfred Walker Orest, Elektra
Keith Warner Production, Elektra
Carola Zertuche Choreographer, La Traviata
*United States debut
2017–18 SPECIAL EVENTS
OPERA BALL 2017
Friday, September 8, 2017
San Francisco Opera Guild’s annual gala to celebrate the opening of the San Francisco Opera season, Opera Ball, will be co-chaired by Courtney Labe and Maryam Muduroglu. Pre-performance cocktails and dinner are followed by a gala performance of Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot. Dancing and further celebration follows the performance. Opera Ball 2017 will honor Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti. For tickets and more information, contact the San Francisco Opera Guild at (415) 565-3204 or visit sfopera.com/operaball2017.
BRAVO! CLUB OPENING NIGHT GALA
Friday, September 8, 2017
The BRAVO! CLUB’s annual black-tie gala will celebrate the opening of San Francisco Opera’s 95th Season with pre-performance cocktails and late night dancing following the opening night performance of Puccini’s Turandot. The gala will be hosted by event co-chairs Alex Petalas and Victoria Weatherford. A group for opera-loving professionals ages 21–40, BRAVO! CLUB members enjoy ticket discounts throughout the year, as well as educational and social events. For tickets and membership information, visit sfopera.com/bravo.
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA IN THE PARK
Sunday, September 10, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.
San Francisco Opera in the Park features artists from the Company’s Fall 2017 Season in concert with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra conducted by Music Director Nicola Luisotti. This annual concert, held at Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park, is free and open to the public; no tickets required.
EXPLORATION WORKSHOP: ALL ABOUT TURANDOT
Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 11 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
Experience Puccini’s Turandot in two interactive, multi-generational workshops based on the themes, story, characters and music of the opera. Designed for families by San Francisco Opera’s Education Department, the workshop is led by Teaching Artists and recommended for families with children ages 8 and older. Children should be accompanied by at least one parent or guardian. Tickets are $10 (scholarships available) and will be available this summer. For more information, visit sfopera.com/education or call (415) 551-6294.
AN EVENING ON THE STAGE
Monday, December 4, 2017 at 6 p.m.
San Francisco Opera Guild presents the fifth annual gala dinner on the stage of the War Memorial Opera House honoring a community leader for their exemplary and extraordinary advocacy for San Francisco Opera. For more information, visit sfoperaguild.com.
THE FUTURE IS NOW: ADLER FELLOWS GALA CONCERT
Friday, December 8, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
This annual concert showcases the artists from San Francisco Opera Center’s young artist training program in a gala performance of opera scenes and arias with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. For more information, visit sfopera.com/operacenter.
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA GUILD INSIGHT PANELS
San Francisco Opera Guild presents moderated panel discussions with cast and creative team members from Richard Strauss’s Elektra, Jules Massenet’s Manon, and John Adams’s Girls of the Golden West. Hear directly from the artists as they share insights about bringing these operas to life. Insight Panels are free to Opera Guild members, San Francisco Opera subscribers and students; $5 for general public admission. Dates and locations will be announced at a later date; visit sfopera.com/insights for more information.
2017–18 OPERA SEASON CASTING AND CALENDAR
*San Francisco Opera Debut **United States Debut ♪Role Debut
†Current Adler Fellow ●OperaVision Performance
All performances take place at the War Memorial Opera House.
FALL 2017 SEASON
TURANDOT by Giacomo Puccini
(Last duet and finale by Franco Alfano)
September 8 (8 p.m.), 12● (7:30 p.m.), 15 (7:30 p.m.), 21 (7:30 p.m.), 24● (2 p.m.), 30 (7:30 p.m.);
November 18 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (7:30 p.m.), 28 (7:30 p.m.); December 3 (2 p.m.), 6● (7:30 p.m.), 9● (7:30 p.m.), 2017
Co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago
Libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Based on Friedrich Schiller’s version of a play by Carlo Gozzi
Approximate running time: 3 hours including two intermissions
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
First performance: Milan; April 25, 1926
First SFO performance: September 19, 1927
Most recent SFO performances: November 2011
Cast:
Turandot Martina Serafin (Sep.)
Nina Stemme (Nov./Dec.)
Calaf Brian Jagde♪
Liù Maria Agresta* (Sep. 8, 12, 15, 21)
Toni Marie Palmertree†♪ (Sep. 24, 30) Leah Crocetto (Nov. Dec.)
Timur Raymond Aceto (Sep.)
Soloman Howard*♪ (Nov./Dec.)
Ping Joo Won Kang♪
Pang Julius Ahn
Pong Joel Sorensen
A Mandarin Brad Walker†♪
Emperor Altoum Robert Brubaker*♪
Creative Team:
Conductor Nicola Luisotti (Sep.)
Conductor Christopher Franklin* (Nov./Dec.)
Production and Design David Hockney
Director Garnett Bruce
Costume Designer Ian Falconer
Original Lighting Designer Thomas J. Munn
Lighting Designer Gary Marder
Chorus Director Ian Robertson
Choreographer Lawrence Pech
Fight Director Dave Maier
San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus and San Francisco Opera Dance Corps
ELEKTRA by Richard Strauss
NEW PRODUCTION
September 9 (7:30 p.m.), 13● (7:30 p.m.), 17● (2 p.m.), 19 (7:30 p.m.), 22 (7:30 p.m.), 27● (7:30 p.m.), 2017
Co-production with National Theatre in Prague and Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe
Libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal after Sophocles’ Electra
Approximate running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes with no intermission
Sung in German with English supertitles
First performance: Dresden; January 25, 1909
First SFO performance: October 24, 1938
Most recent SFO performances: November 1997
Cast: Elektra Christine Goerke
Klytemnestra Stephanie Blythe♪
Chrysothemis Adrianne Pieczonka
Orest Alfred Walker*
Aegisth Robert Brubaker
Tutor of Orest Anthony Reed†♪
Maidservant Jill Grove
Maidservant Laura Krumm♪
Maidservant Sarah Cambidge*†♪
Trainbearer Amina Edris†♪
Young Servant Kyle van Schoonhoven*†♪
Creative Team:
Conductor Henrik Nánási*
Production Keith Warner*
Revival Director Anja Kühnhold*
Set Designer Boris Kudlička*
Costume Designer Kaspar Glarner*
Lighting Designer John Bishop*
Video Designer Bartek Macias*
Chorus Director Ian Robertson
San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus
LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi
September 23 (7:30 p.m.), 26 (7:30 p.m.), 28● (7:30 p.m.); October 1● (2 p.m.), 3 (7:30 p.m.), 6 (7:30 p.m.), 8 (2 p.m.), 11● (7:30 p.m.), 14 (7:30 p.m.), 17 (7:30 p.m.), 2017
San Francisco Opera production
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave after the play La dame aux camellias by
Alexander Dumas, fils
Approximate running time: 3 hours including two intermissions
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
First performance: Venice; March 6, 1853
First SFO performance: October 4, 1924
Most recent SFO performances: July 2014
Cast:
Violetta Valéry Aurelia Florian**
Alfredo Germont Atalla Ayan*
Giorgio Germont Artur Ruciński*
Flora Bervoix Renée Rapier
Gaston Amitai Pati†♪
Doctor Grenvil Anthony Reed†♪
Marquis d’Obigny Andrew Manea†♪
Annina Amina Edris†♪
Creative Team:
Conductor Nicola Luisotti
Production John Copley
Director Shawna Lucey
Set Designer John Conklin
Costume Designer David Walker
Lighting Designer Gary Marder
Chorus Director Ian Robertson
Choreographer Carola Zertuche*
Fight Director Dave Maier
San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus and San Francisco Opera Dance Corps
MANON by Jules Massenet
NEW PRODUCTION
November 4 (7:30 p.m.), 7 (7:30 p.m.), 10 (7:30 p.m.), 16● (7:30 p.m.), 19● (2 p.m.), 22● (7:30 p.m.), 2017
Co-production with Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and the Israeli Opera
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille after Antoine-François Prévost’s novel L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut
Approximate running time: 3 hours, 30 minutes including two intermissions
Sung in French with English supertitles
First performance: Paris; January 19, 1884
First SFO performance: September 29, 1924
Most recent SFO performances: November 1998
Cast:
Manon Nadine Sierra♪
Chevalier des Grieux Michael Fabiano♪
Lescaut David Pershall♪
Comte des Grieux James Creswell♪
De Brétigny Timothy Mix♪
Guillot de Morfontaine Robert Brubaker♪
Javotte Laura Krumm♪
Rosette Renée Rapier♪
Creative Team:
Conductor Patrick Fournillier
Director Vincent Boussard
Set Designer Vincent Lemaire
Costume Designer Vincent Boussard
Lighting Designer Gary Marder
Chorus Director Ian Robertson
San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus and San Francisco Opera Dance Corps
GIRLS OF THE GOLDEN WEST by John Adams
WORLD PREMIERE
November 21 (7:30 p.m.), 24 (7:30 p.m.), 26● (2 p.m.), 29 (7:30 p.m.); December 2 (7:30 p.m.), 5● (7:30 p.m.), 7● (7:30 p.m.), 10 (2 p.m.), 2017
A co-commission and co-production between San Francisco Opera, The Dallas Opera, Nationale Opera & Ballet Amsterdam and Fondazione Teatro La Fenice, Venezia
The opera is presented by arrangement with Hendon Music, Inc., a Boosey & Hawkes company, publisher and copyright owner.
Libretto by Peter Sellars, drawn from original sources
Approximate running time: 3 hours including one intermission
Sung in English with English supertitles
Cast:
Dame Shirley Julia Bullock*♪
Ned Peters Davóne Tines*♪
Josefa Segovia J’Nai Bridges♪
Clarence King Ryan McKinny*♪
Joe Cannon Paul Appleby♪
Ah Sing Hye Jung Lee♪
Ramón Elliot Madore♪
Lola Montez Lorena Feijoo*♪
Production Team:
Conductor Grant Gershon*
Director Peter Sellars
Set Designer David Gropman*
Costume Designer Rita Ryack*
Lighting Designer James F. Ingalls
Sound Designer Mark Grey
Chorus Director Ian Robertson
Choreographer John Heginbotham*
San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus and San Francisco Opera Dance Corps
SUMMER 2018 SEASON
DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN (The Ring of the Nibelung)
CYCLE 1: June 12● (7:30 p.m.); June 13● (7 p.m.); June 15● (6:30 p.m.);
June 17● (1 p.m.)
CYCLE 2: June 19● (7:30 p.m.); June 20● (7 p.m.); June 22● (6:30 p.m.);
June 24● (1 p.m.)
CYCLE 3: June 26● (7:30 p.m.); June 27● (7 p.m.); June 29● (6:30 p.m.);
July 1● (1 p.m.)
All cycle performances are presented on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
Creative Team:
Conductor Donald Runnicles
Director Francesca Zambello
Set Designer Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer Catherine Zuber
Lighting Designer Mark McCullough
Projection Designers S. Katy Tucker, Jan Hartley
Chorus Director Ian Robertson
Co-production with Washington National Opera
Libretto by Richard Wagner
Sung in German with English supertitles
All performances of the Ring will feature OperaVision, HD video projection screens in the Balcony.
DAS RHEINGOLD by Richard Wagner
June 12● (7:30 p.m.), 19● (7:30 p.m.) and 26● (7:30 p.m.), 2018
Approximate running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes with no intermission
First performance: Munich; September 22, 1869
First SFO performance: November 1, 1935
Most recent SFO performance June 2011
Cast:
Wotan Greer Grimsley
Loge Štefan Margita
Alberich Falk Struckmann*♪
Fricka Jamie Barton
Erda Ronnita Miller
Mime David Cangelosi
Fasolt Andrea Silvestrelli
Fafner Raymond Aceto
Freia Julie Adams♪
Woglinde Stacey Tappan
Wellgunde Lauren McNeese
Flosshilde Renée Tatum
Froh Brandon Jovanovich
Donner Brian Mulligan♪
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
DIE WALKÜRE by Richard Wagner
June 13● (7 p.m.), 20● (7 p.m.) and 27● (7 p.m.), 2018
Approximate running time: 4 hours, 30 minutes with two intermissions
First performance Munich; June 26, 1870
First SFO performance November 4, 1935
Most recent SFO performance June 2011
Cast:
Brünnhilde Evelyn Herlitzius*
Wotan Greer Grimsley
Sieglinde Karita Mattila
Siegmund Brandon Jovanovich
Fricka Jamie Barton
Hunding Raymond Aceto
Gerhilde Julie Adams♪
Helmwige Melissa Citro♪
Ortlinde Sarah Cambidge†♪
Waltraute Renée Tatum
Rossweisse Lauren McNeese
Siegrune Laura Krumm♪
Grimgerde Renée Rapier♪
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
SIEGFRIED by Richard Wagner
June 15● (6:30 p.m.), 22● (6:30 p.m.) and 29● (6:30 p.m.), 2018
Approximate running time: 4 hours, 50 minutes with two intermissions
First performance Bayreuth; August 16, 1876
First SFO performance November 6, 1935
Most recent SFO performance July 2011
Cast:
Siegfried Daniel Brenna*
Brünnhilde Evelyn Herlitzius
Mime David Cangelosi
The Wanderer (Wotan) Greer Grimsley
Alberich Falk Struckmann♪
Fafner Raymond Aceto
Erda Ronnita Miller
Forest Bird Stacey Tappan
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG by Richard Wagner
June 17● (1 p.m.), 24● (1 p.m.) and July 1● (1 p.m.), 2018
Approximate running time: 5 hours, 10 minutes with two intermissions
First performance Bayreuth; August 17, 1876
First SFO performance November 9, 1935
Most recent SFO performance July 2011
Cast:
Brünnhilde Evelyn Herlitzius
Siegfried Daniel Brenna
Gunther Brian Mulligan♪
Hagen Andrea Silvestrelli
Waltraute Jamie Barton
Gutrune Melissa Citro
Alberich Falk Struckmann♪
First Norn Ronnita Miller
Second Norn Jamie Barton
Third Norn Sarah Cambidge†♪
Woglinde Stacey Tappan
Wellgunde Lauren McNeese
Flosshilde Renée Tatum
San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus
San Francisco Opera is sponsored, in part, by The Dolby Family, Ann and Gordon Getty, John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn, Franklin and Catherine Johnson, Edmund W. and Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Fund, Steven M. Menzies, Bernard and Barbro Osher, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, Dianne and Tad Taube, Phyllis C. Wattis Endowment Funds and Diane B. Wilsey. San Francisco Opera is supported, in part, by a grant from Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund.
Wells Fargo is San Francisco Opera’s Season Sponsor. San Francisco Opera is proud to recognize its Corporate Partners: United Airlines, the Official Airline of San Francisco Opera, and Chevron, fueling great performances everywhere.
OperaVision, high-definition projection screens featured in the upper Balcony level, is made possible by the Koret/Taube Media Suite.
Yamaha is the official piano of San Francisco Opera. Pianos provided by Piedmont Piano Company.
Turandot is made possible, in part, by Opening Weekend Grand Sponsor Diane B. Wilsey. Additional support is provided by: John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn; Bernard & Barbro Osher; The Burgess & Elizabeth Jamieson Fund; San Francisco Opera Guild; United Airlines; Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Conductors Fund and the Great Interpreters of Italian Opera Fund; and Joan & David Traitel, through the Great Singers Fund.
Elektra is made possible, in part, by: John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn; and Joan & David Traitel, through the Great Singers Fund.
La Traviata is made possible, in part, by: Chevron; and Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Conductors Fund and the Great Interpreters of Italian Opera Fund.
Manon is made possible, in part, by: John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn; and Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Emerging Stars Fund.
Girls of the Golden West is made possible, in part, by: John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn; Jane Bernstein & Bob Ellis; Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Emerging Stars Fund; and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Der Ring des Nibelungen is made possible, in part, by: Dr. & Mrs. William M. Coughran; Keith & Priscilla Geeslin; John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn; Sylvia & John Hughes; Edmund W. & Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Fund; Bernard & Barbro Osher; Betty & Jack Schafer; Barbara A. Wolfe; United Airlines; Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, through the Emerging Stars Fund; and Joan & David Traitel, through the Great Singers Fund.a
2017–18 Season Sponsor
– SFO –
Connect with San Francisco Opera on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube:
For cast biographies, visit sfopera.com.
Interview: composer John Adams, librettist/director Peter Sellars and San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock on Girls of the Golden West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCbq1r3uAh4
Interview: set designer David Gropman, choreographer John Heginbotham and lighting designer James Ingalls on Girls of the Golden West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWxG_uOgJew
Interview: director Keith Warner on Elektra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VEkQsKCVZk
Interview: director Vincent Boussard on Manon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqKUVcaVvRQ
