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SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 2024–25 SEASON ANNOUNCED
102nd season opening weekend kicks off September 6 with Opera Ball and
Un Ballo in Maschera; Free Opera in the Park concert September 8
Music Director Eun Sun Kim; The War Memorial Opera House.
Photos: Stefan Cohen (left), Matthew Washburn (right)
Music Director Eun Sun Kim’s annual exploration of operas by
Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner continues with new-to-San Francisco
productions of UN BALLO IN MASCHERA and TRISTAN AND ISOLDE
West Coast premiere of Poul Ruders and Paul Bentley’s THE HANDMAID’S TALE
conducted by Karen Kamensek featuring role debut of Irene Roberts as Offred
Eun Sun Kim conducts Mozart’s IDOMENEO in Lindy Hume’s staging
starring Matthew Polenzani, Daniela Mack, Ying Fang and Elza van den Heever
Eve-Maud Hubeaux makes American debut in the title role of Bizet’s CARMEN and
Ramón Tebar conducts two casts for Puccini’s LA BOHÈME
Concerts include 200th anniversary performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
and Pride Concert celebrating San Francisco’s LGBTQIA+ community
New opera commission announced for 2025–26 Season:
THE MONKEY KING (美猴王) by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang
Tickets available at (415) 864-3330 and sfopera.com
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SAN FRANCISO, CA (February 20, 2024; Updated June 4) — San Francisco Opera Tad and Dianne
Taube General Director Matthew Shilvock and Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim
announced today details for the Company’s 102nd season. A weekend of festivities opens the new
season from September 6–8 with Opera Ball, Giuseppe Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera (The Masked
Ball) and the free annual Opera in the Park concert held in Golden Gate Park.
The 2024–25 Season includes six mainstage opera productions along with concert presentations
including a one-night-only performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on October 26, honoring
the work’s 200th anniversary and, in the summer of 2025, a special Pride Concert celebrating San
Francisco’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Matthew Shilvock said: “San Francisco Opera continues its second century with a season that
demonstrates the potential of opera to connect to the most fundamental aspects of our humanity,
whether through works of searing contemporary resonance like The Handmaid’s Tale or profound
archetypes like Tristan and Idomeneo. We launch the 102nd season at a time of tremendous
creativity in which new audiences are connecting with opera as never before but also at a
challenging time in which the fundamental scal model of the arts is being stretched to its limits.
We must harness the incredible energy of this moment and keep this amazing opera company
moving forward, but at the same time, we must scale ourselves appropriately to our revenues. San
Francisco Opera is a place where the leading artists of our time are eager to do their best work and
audiences come to nd community, inspiration, joy and catharsis. The art form of opera has evolved
over four centuries, and I am very optimistic for how it will continue to evolve into a new chapter
here in the Bay Area, one of the most creatively vibrant regions in the world.”
San Francisco Opera’s 2024–25 Season features Eun Sun Kim’s initiative to conduct an opera by
Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner in San Francisco each season. Born in the same year (1813)
amid divergent cultural circumstances, Verdi and Wagner expanded the expressive possibilities of
opera in new directions and their revolutionary ideas continue to captivate the public’s imagination
and inspire ever-evolving creative directions. Kim’s exploration of the operas of these composers
began in 2022 with Verdi’s La Traviata and continued in 2023 with Il Trovatore and Wagner’s
Lohengrin. This season, Kim brings the Company and audiences into the worlds of UN BALLO IN
MASCHERA, Verdi’s 1859 drama of passion and treachery, and TRISTAN AND ISOLDE, Wagner’s epic
romance, also written in 1859, which changed the course of artistic history. Each work will be
presented in a new-to-San Francisco Opera production.
On October 26, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony comes to San Francisco Opera for the rst time in
Company history with Kim leading the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus and vocal soloists.
Following this summer’s production of The Magic Flute, Kim returns to the music of Mozart in
Summer 2025 to lead the composer’s rarely performed IDOMENEO.
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Eun Sun Kim said: "Three of the greatest masterpieces in music history form the core of our fall
season, including the addition of a symphony—and what a symphony! After the 1824 premiere of
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, composers were greatly influenced by this revolutionary work.
Richard Wagner's Tristan and Isolde impacted the musical world with similar power after the
famous ‘Tristan Chord’ was heard for the first time. Tristan not only showcases the pinnacle of
German Romanticism, but Wagner at his finest. The legacy of Beethoven is also evident in
Giuseppe Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera where we are overwhelmed by an enormous wealth of
melodies, a distillation of the drama and an economy of means that only the best composers can
master. Then, in 2025, we revisit the foundation of these revolutionary masterpieces with
Idomeneo. In this piece, Mozart sought to explore and transcend boundaries, creating a new
foundation upon which future generations would build.”
The Company continues its commitment to telling stories that reect on current issues with the
West Coast premiere of THE HANDMAID’S TALE. Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel about a
dystopian American future, this incisive work by composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley is
among the most critically acclaimed operas of the past three decades. The new co-production with
The Royal Danish Theatre will be presented in September and October 2024.
Georges Bizet’s CARMEN and Giacomo Puccini’s LA BOHÈME return with international casts headed
by fast-rising talents making their American and house debuts alongside Company favorites in
opera’s greatest roles.
NEW COMMISSION: THE MONKEY KING (美猴王)
Music by Huang Ruo; Libretto by David Henry Hwang
Huang Ruo; David Henry Hwang; Diane Paulus; Basil Twist
San Francisco Opera announces a new commission, THE MONKEY KING (美猴王), by composer
Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang. Scheduled for its world premiere in the fall of 2025,
and commissioned in partnership with the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota who also
supported the commission of Dream of the Red Chamber, The Monkey King is drawn from an
episode in Journey to the West, the Ming dynasty novel that is widely considered one China’s four
greatest literary classics and follows the ambition of its title character who wreaks havoc on the
heavens in a bid for immortality. This new opera from the composer of the acclaimed oratorio Angel
Island (2021) and recent operatic collaboration with playwright Hwang on M. Buttery (2022), will be
directed by American Repertory Theater’s Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus
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with scenic design and puppetry by Basil Twist whose magical creations include My Neighbor
Totoro. The Monkey King, an opera performed in Chinese and English, builds on the Company’s
engagement with China’s literary tradition, which began in 2016 with Bright Sheng and David Henry
Hwang’s Dream of the Red Chamber, a work that was performed in Hong Kong and mainland China
and, in 2022, was revived by San Francisco Opera.
2024–25 SEASON
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA by Giuseppe Verdi
September 6–27, 2024
Scenes from Un Ballo in Maschera. Photos: Yasuko Kageyama/Teatro dell’Opera di Roma
San Francisco Opera Music Director Eun Sun Kim pursues her journey into the works of Verdi with
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA. From its premiere in 1859—the peak of Verdi’s prolic “middle period”
when he was producing insightful works with astonishing regularity—Un Ballo in Maschera emerged
as one of the composer’s most tightly constructed stage works. The score, which opens with a
simple four-note motive that develops into a complex musical tapestry of light and dark, drives this
fast-paced tale of political betrayal, hidden agendas and forbidden passions. Under Kim’s
leadership, noted for bringing to Verdi “tonal muscle and stylistic variety” (San Francisco Chronicle),
Un Ballo in Maschera comes to the War Memorial Opera House in director Leo Muscato’s staging
from the Rome Opera. The production showcases the work of set designer Federica Parolini,
costume designer Silvia Aymonino and lighting designer Alessandro Verazzi.
Eun Sun Kim; Leo Muscato; Michael Fabiano; Lianna Haroutounian; Amartuvshin Enkhbat; Judit Kutasi; Meigui Zhang
The international cast is headed by American tenor Michael Fabiano as Gustav III (Riccardo), the
carefree Swedish king whose historic assassination at a masked ball inspired the opera’s story.
Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian returns to the Company as Amelia who is caught in a
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deadly love triangle. Amartuvshin Enkhbat, the emerging star baritone from Mongolia, makes his
Company debut as Renato, the King’s counsellor who becomes his enemy. Hailed as “one of the
most noteworthy US debuts in the recent years” (Parterre Box) in the Company’s Lohengrin last fall,
Romanian mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi returns as the fortune teller, Ulrica. Chinese soprano Meigui
Zhang makes her role debut as Oscar, the King’s condant who brings sparkle to the opera with her
high-ying coloratura.
OPERA BALL
Friday, September 6, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Scenes from Opera Ball in City Hall (left) and the Opera House (right). Photos: Drew Altizer Photography
San Francisco Opera’s opening night celebration, co-presented with San Francisco Opera Guild, is
one of the premier events on the Bay Area’s philanthropic calendar. The annual fundraiser begins
with a cocktail reception and sumptuous dinner at City Hall. Guests then proceed to the Opera
House where the curtain rises on the new season with Music Director Eun Sun Kim leading Verdi’s
Un Ballo in Maschera. Dancing and late-night bites await back at City Hall after the opera.
Opera Ball is made possible, in part, by Opening Weekend Grand Sponsor Diane B. Wilsey and is co-
chaired by Romana D. Bracco and Valerie Crane Dorfman. Proceeds benet a wide range of artistic
initiatives at San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Opera Guild’s education programs which reach
thousands of arts lovers of all ages in K-12 classrooms and afterschool programs.
OPERA IN THE PARK
Sunday, September 8, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
Scenes from Opera in the Park. Photos: Drew Altizer Photography (left), Cory Weaver (right)
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The opening weekend culminates with Opera in the Park, the annual free concert at Robin Williams
Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Eun Sun Kim conducts the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and artists
from the 2024 Fall Season in a program of arias, ensembles and orchestral music. Bring your picnic
baskets for this favorite al fresco community event attended by thousands of Bay Area residents
and visitors each year.
WEST COAST PREMIERE
THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Poul Ruders and Paul Bentley
September 14–October 1, 2024
Scenes from The Handmaid’s Tale. Photos: Camilla Winther/Royal Danish Opera
Margaret Atwood’s landmark novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, comes to the War Memorial Opera House
in the operatic adaptation by Grammy Award-nominated Danish composer Poul Ruders and
librettist Paul Bentley. The story is set in a dystopian American future where women are forced into
child-bearing servitude by a theocratic regime. Atwood’s cautionary vision has inspired numerous
works of theater, dance, lm and television, including the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning
Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss. Ruders’ opera, which premiered in Copenhagen in 2000, has
been hailed by Gramophone as “vividly imaginative” and conveying “a disturbing story with great
drama and stylistic air.” The New York Times proclaimed it “a brilliant, brutal opera, one that should
be taken up widely.”
Poul Ruders; Karen Kamensek; John Fulljames; Irene Roberts; Lindsay Ammann; Sarah Cambidge; John Relyea
Former head of the Royal Danish Opera John Fulljames directs his staging, a co-production
between San Francisco Opera and The Royal Danish Theatre, which was originally scheduled for
2020 in San Francisco but was postponed by the pandemic. Set designer Chloe Lamford, who
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makes her Company debut this summer with Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence, returns with set designs
that situate the work in a converted high school gymnasium. Christina Cunningham designed the
production’s costumes, including the red coat and white hood of the handmaids, an iconic uniform
that is often worn by protesters at demonstrations when legislative and judicial actions threaten the
rights of women. Fabiana Piccioli is the lighting designer, and projections are by Will Duke. Karen
Kamensek, who made her house debut conducting Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah in 2014, returns to
lead the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in Ruders’ spectacular score, which will be performed in
English and includes haunting uses of the hymn “Amazing Grace.”
Mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts, who has performed the heroines of Offenbach, Bizet, Bright Sheng
and Mozart on the stage of the War Memorial Opera House, stars as the handmaid Offred who is
determined to nd a way out of her nightmarish servitude and back to her child. This contemporary
operatic masterwork also features mezzo-soprano Lindsay Ammann in her Company debut as
Serena Joy, soprano Sarah Cambidge as Aunt Lydia and bass-baritone John Relyea as the
Commander.
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE by Richard Wagner
October 19–November 5, 2024
Scenes from Tristan and Isolde. Photos: Michael Crosera/Teatro La Fenice
Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde (Tristan und Isolde), one of the most transcendent, boundary pushing
musical-dramatic works of the nineteenth century, sails back onto the War Memorial Opera House
stage after an 18-year hiatus. The composer’s sublime score, which marshals the orchestra to
embody the feeling of romantic yearning with expansive, unresolved harmonies—including the
enigmatic “Tristan Chord”—illuminates a story of love transcending death itself. As part of her
exploration of Wagner in San Francisco, Music Director Eun Sun Kim leads Tristan and Isolde for the
rst time in her career. In his Company debut, Paul Curran directs his staging from Venice’s La
Fenice that features production design by Robert Innes Hopkins, whose recent work for San
Francisco Opera includes the new productions of Tosca, La Traviata and last season’s The Elixir of
Love, and lighting design by David Martin Jacques.
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Eun Sun Kim; Paul Curran; Simon O’Neill; Anja Kampe; Kwangchul Youn; Wolfgang Koch; Annika Schlicht
New Zealand tenor Simon O’Neill who “triumphed in a propulsively sung account of the title role”
(Opera) in San Francisco Opera’s 2023 Lohengrin, brings his acclaimed portrayal of Tristan to San
Francisco Opera. German soprano Anja Kampe who made her house debut as Sieglinde in the 2010
presentation of Wagner’s Die Walküre, returns with her portrayal of Isolde which has been hailed at
the Berlin State Opera, Munich’s Bavarian State Opera and the Glyndebourne Festival. Distinguished
Wagnerian bass Kwangchul Youn, who makes his Company debut this summer in Mozart’s The
Magic Flute, is King Marke. Baritone Wolfgang Koch and mezzo soprano Annika Schlicht both make
their debuts with San Francisco Opera as Kurwenal and Brangäne, respectively.
BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY
Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Eun Sun Kim conducting San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus; Kim and the Orchestra.
Photos: Drew Altizer (left) Matthew Washburn (right)
For the rst time in Company history, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus will perform
Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony. A musical expression of peaceful unity among all
people, this works stands as a testament to moral striving and human achievement. Eun Sun Kim
leads the Company’s combined forces, including vocal soloists soprano Jennifer Holloway, mezzo-
soprano Annika Schlicht, tenor Russell Thomas and bass Kwangchul Youn, in this special
performance honoring the work’s 200th anniversary.
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CARMEN by Georges Bizet
November 13–December 1, 2024
Scenes from Carmen. Photos: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera
As the nale to the 2024 Fall Season, Bizet’s Carmen returns in the sun-scorched staging by director
Francesca Zambello and under the baton of Benjamin Manis in his Company debut. The opera’s
unforgettable melodies and gritty drama about the tumultuous affair between a free-spirited
woman and an obsessive soldier have made Carmen a perennial audience favorite for nearly 150
years.
Benjamin Manis; Francesca Zambello; Eve-Maud Hubeaux; Jonathan Tetelman; Louise Alder; Christian Van Horn
San Francisco Opera’s revival promises a high-octane ensemble headed by Swiss-born mezzo-
soprano Eve-Maud Hubeaux in her American opera debut. After captivating audiences in Vienna,
Paris, Berlin and Barcelona, Hubeaux made international headlines at the 2022 Salzburg Festival as
a last-minute substitute as Amneris in Verdi’s Aida. Her performance prompted one critic to say,
“Next to her, everyone else fades” (Die Süddeutsche Zeitung).
Chilean American tenor Jonathan Tetelman, who brought “power, ardor, and glorious sheen” and
“awless vocalism” (San Francisco Classical Voice) to his San Francisco Opera debut as Alfredo in
Verdi’s La Traviata, returns for his role debut as Don José. Tetelman, who was named one of the “Top
11 Singers of 2023” by OperaWire and is an exclusive recording artist for Deutsche Gramophon, is
among opera’s most sought-after tenors. Known on the stages of Europe for her effervescence and
charm in a wide variety of roles, soprano Louise Alder makes her long-awaited American opera
debut performing the role of Micaëla for the rst time. Renowned American bass-baritone Christian
Van Horn returns to San Francisco as the dashing toreador, Escamillo.
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CARMEN ENCOUNTER
Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Scenes from The Elixir of Love Encounter (2023). Photos: Kristen Loken
A special event inspired by Bizet’s Carmen will transform the Opera House into an immersive
evening of multi-sensory experiences. The night begins with a performance of the rst act of the
opera and then attendees will be transported to Seville, Spain in the lobby areas for dancing,
interactive experiences and a festive party. Recommended for audiences ages 21 and over. For
more information, visit sfopera.com/encounter.
THE FUTURE IS NOW: ADLER FELLOWS IN CONCERT
Friday, November 15, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco Opera Center’s 2024 class of Adler Fellows give their nal concert of the year on
November 15 with a program of scenes and arias accompanied by the San Francisco Opera
Orchestra, at Herbst Theatre. Tickets for The Future Is Now will go on sale in July 2024.
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA CHORUS IN CONCERT
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 2 p.m.
The celebrated San Francisco Opera Chorus performs an intimate concert on November 17 at the
Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater. Chorus Director John Keene leads the members of the
Company’s full-time chorus, and Associate Chorus Master Fabrizio Corona accompanies at the
piano for this afternoon of choral music. Tickets for San Francisco Opera Chorus in Concert will go on
sale in July 2024.
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SUMMER 2025
LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini
June 3–21, 2025
Scenes from La Bohème. Photos: Cory Weaver
Puccini’s popular work about love and loss among a group of bohemian artists in 19th-century Paris
will be presented in director John Caird and designers David Farley and Michael Clark’s production.
The “elegant staging” (Mercury News) of this deeply moving story will be revived by Katherine M.
Carter in her directorial debut. Conductor Ramón Tebar, whose 2023 debut leading Donizetti’s The
Elixir of Love brought out the score’s “vivacious energy” (San Francisco Chronicle), leads the San
Francisco Opera Orchestra, Chorus and two brilliant casts.
Ramón Tebar; John Caird; Pene Pati; Karen Chia-ling Ho; Andrea Carroll; Lucas Meachem
In the rst cast, beloved Samoan tenor Pene Pati introduces his portrayal of the poet Rodolfo, which
has touched audiences in Europe and Canada, to San Francisco for the rst time. Chinese soprano
Karen Chia-ling Ho, who “brought out to perfection” (San Francisco Chronicle) the rich and tragic
music of Princess Jia in Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang’s Dream of the Red Chamber, debuts
her Mimì. Soprano Andrea Carroll makes her Company debut as Musetta, and baritone Lucas
Meachem returns to portray the painter Marcello, adding another Puccini role to his distinguished
credits with the Company.
Evan LeRoy Johnson; Nicole Car; Brittany Renee; Will Liverman; Bogdan Talos
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The second cast for La Bohème includes the Rodolfo of tenor Evan LeRoy Johnson, whose debut as
Lensky in Eugene Onegin during the Company’s Centennial Season “lled the cavernous War
Memorial with a gorgeous, well-focused, lyrical voice” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Soprano
Nicole Car, a “poignant, eloquent gure” (San Francisco Chronicle) in her 2022 Company debut as
Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, returns as Mimì. Soprano Brittany Renee, who earned praise
as Julie in Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ Omar last November, performs the role of Musetta
and, in his San Francisco Opera debut, baritone Will Liverman portrays Marcello. Bass Bogdan Talos
joins the Company as Colline, singing all performances.
IDOMENEO by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
June 14–25, 2025
Scenes from Idomeneo. Photos: Charlie Kinross/Opera Australia
Mozart was 24 years old when he composed Idomeneo, a towering exemplar of the opera seria
genre wherein diverse vocal showcases are set against a formalized, classical setting. Mozart
achieved in Idomeneo a work of exquisite beauty and vivid expression for soloists and chorus alike.
The story follows King Idomeneo who, pleading to Neptune for safe passage through a
tempestuous journey at sea, offers to sacrice the rst person he sees upon his return. When he
reaches land, the rst person to meet him is his own son, Idamante. Music Director Eun Sun Kim
leads the Company’s forces in debuting Australian director Lindy Hume’s staging which highlights
the tension between individuals and nature with imagery of the surging seas and craggy coastlines
of Tasmania. The production features scenery originally designed by Michael Yeargan with
additional consulting by Richard Roberts and the work of costume designer Anna Cordingley,
lighting designer Verity Hampson, video designer David Bergman and cinematography by
Catherine Pettman of Rummin Productions.
Eun Sun Kim; Lindy Hume; Matthew Polenzani; Daniela Mack; Ying Fang; Elza van den Heever
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The cast of expert Mozart singers is headed by tenor Matthew Polenzani who brings his acclaimed
portrayal of Idomeneo to San Francisco Opera for the rst time. Daniela Mack inspired audiences as
Frida Kahlo in Gabriela Lena Frank and Nilo Cruz’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego last summer and
returns this June in Handel’s Partenope. The acclaimed Argentinian mezzo-soprano returns in
Summer 2025 as Idamante. Soprano Ying Fang, “indispensable in Mozart” makes her house debut
as the Trojan princess, Ilia, a role she “sings with both silky warmth and agile sparkle” (New York
Times). Soprano Elza van den Heever returns to San Francisco Opera as Elettra, a character of
extreme emotions whose rage aria in Act III anticipates that great creation of nineteenth-century
Italian opera: the mad scene.
PRIDE CONCERT
Friday, June 27, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
San Francisco Opera has been a proud participant in San Francisco Pride since its beginnings in the
1970s. The Company’s 2025 Summer Season draws to a close on Friday, June 27 with a special
celebration of our LGBTQIA+ community with an evening of music, immersive projections and more.
A special host for the evening will be announced soon.
DISCOUNT TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Dolby Family’s Opera for the Bay discounted tickets program continues in the 2024–25 Season
with $10 tickets for Bay Area residents who are new to the opera. Those with a home address zip
code between 94000-95999 who have not purchased tickets in the past three years may purchase
Opera for the Bay tickets one month prior to the opening of each production/concert (limit 2 seats
per eligible patron). Inventory is limited and may sell out quickly. Visit sfopera.com/dolby for more
information. Also returning this season is the Osher Future of Opera Subscription, a discounted
ticket package generously underwritten by Bernard and Barbro Osher for anyone who has not
subscribed in the past three years.
LIVESTREAMS
The third performance of each mainstage opera during the 2024-25 Season will be livestreamed.
Tickets for the opera streams include a 48-hour on-demand viewing window, except for the
Beethoven 9 and Pride Concert which will be streamed live only. Tickets are available for $27.50. All
times below are Pacic Time (PT). For more information visit sfopera.com/digital/livestream.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 2 PM
THE HANDMAID’S TALE Friday, September 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM
BEETHOVEN 9 Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:30 PM (live only)
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE Sunday, October 27, 2024 at 1 PM
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CARMEN Tuesday, November 19, 2024 at 7:30 PM
LA BOHÈME Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 7:30 PM
IDOMENEO Friday, June 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM
PRIDE CONCERT Friday, June 27, 2025 at 7:30 PM (live only)
TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Tickets for San Francisco Opera’s 2024-25 Season are priced from $28 to $438. Subscriptions for
the Company’s 102nd Season are priced from $120 to $2,530 for Full Series (5–6 productions), $526
to $1,619 for Half Series (2–4 productions) and a Design Your Own (DYO) option (minimum three
operas). A $2 per-ticket facility fee is included in Balcony 1, 2 and 3 zone prices; all other zones
include a $3 per-ticket facility fee. For tickets and more information, contact the San Francisco
Opera Box Ofce at 301 Van Ness Avenue, call (415) 864-3330 or visit at sfopera.com. For
information about subscriber benets and special series subscriptions, including the Student &
Teacher Series offering 50% off select Full and Half Series, visit sfopera.com/subscribe.
Returning for the 2024-25 season is the Osher Future of Opera Subscription. Generously,
underwritten by Bernard and Barbro Osher, these discounted subscription packages are available
to anyone who has not subscribed to San Francisco Opera in the past three years. For details visit
sfopera.com/subscribe.
Tickets for Opera Ball are available at sfopera.com/operaball.
Dolby Family’s Opera for the Bay program provides $10 tickets to all mainstage performances to Bay
Area residents (home address zip code between 94000-95999) who have not purchased tickets in
the past three years. Opera for the Bay tickets go on sale one month prior to the opening of each
production and are limited to 2 seats per eligible patron. Go to sfopera.com/dolby for more
information.
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/Muni Station and near numerous bus lines,
including 5, 21, 47, 49 and F Market Street. For further public transportation information, visit
bart.gov and sfmta.com.
Gifts of all sizes help create San Francisco Opera’s programs and are much appreciated. To donate
visit sfopera.com/donate.
All casting, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change. For further information
about San Francisco Opera’s 2024–25 Season, visit sfopera.com.
# # # #
2024–25 CASTING AND CALENDAR
**American Debut *San Francisco Opera Debut ♪Role Debut
†Current Adler Fellow ^Adler Fellowship Graduate +Merola Opera Program Graduate
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All performances take place at the War Memorial Opera House (301 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco), unless noted.
2024 FALL SEASON
OPERA BALL
Friday, September 6, 2024
War Memorial Opera House and San Francisco City Hall
5 p.m. Cocktail Reception
6 p.m. Dinner
8 p.m. Un Ballo in Maschera performance
11 p.m. After-Party
San Francisco Opera’s 102nd season opens with Opera Ball. Ticket packages include pre-
performance cocktails and dinner at San Francisco’s City Hall, the opening-night performance of
Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera in the War Memorial Opera House and an after-party in City Hall. Opera
Ball is made possible, in part, by Opening Weekend Grand Sponsor Dianne B. Wilsey and is co-
chaired by Romana D. Bracco and Valerie Crane Dorfman. Proceeds benet a wide range of artistic
initiatives at San Francisco Opera as well as the San Francisco Opera Guild’s education programs.
For tickets and more information, visit sfopera.com/operaball.
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA by Giuseppe Verdi
September 6 (8 p.m.), 11 (7:30 p.m.), 15 (2 p.m.), 18 (7:30 p.m.), 21 (7:30 p.m.), 24 (7:30 p.m.) 27 (7:30
p.m.), 2024
Opera in three acts, based on a libretto by Eugene Scribe for Daniel Auber’s opera Gustave III, ou Le
Bal masque. Libretto by Antonio Somma
Co-Production by Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Malmö Opera
Approximate running time: 3 hours, including two intermissions
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
World Premiere: Rome, February 17, 1859
First SFO Performance: September 19, 1931
Most Recent: October 2014
Cast:
Amelia Lianna Haroutounian
Gustav III Michael Fabiano
Renato Amartuvshin Enkhbat *
Ulrica Judit Kutasi
Oscar Meigui Zhang ♪+
Samuel Adam Lau ♪+
Chief Magistrate Christopher Oglesby ♪^+
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Creative Team:
Conductor Eun Sun Kim
Director Leo Muscato *
Set Designer Federica Parolini *
Costume Designer Silvia Aymonino *
Lighting Designer Alessandro Verazzi *
Chorus Director John Keene
San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus and San Francisco Opera Dance Corps
San Francisco Chronicle Presents
OPERA IN THE PARK – FREE CONCERT
Sunday, September 8, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park
Eun Sun Kim, conductor
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Soloists from the Fall Season
The Opera in the Park concert is free and available to the public. For more information, visit
sfopera.com/operainthepark.
WEST COAST PREMIERE
THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Poul Ruders
September 14 (7:30 p.m.), 17 (7:30 p.m.), 20 (7:30 p.m.), 22 (2 p.m.), 26 (7:30 p.m.), 29 (2 p.m.); October
1 (7:30 p.m.), 2024
Libretto by Paul Bentley
Co-production of San Francisco Opera and The Royal Danish Theatre
Approximate running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes including one intermission
Sung in English with English supertitles
World Premiere: Copenhagen; March 6, 2000
Cast:
Offred Irene Roberts ♪
Serena Joy Lindsay Ammann *♪
Aunt Lydia Sarah Cambidge ♪^+
The Commander John Relyea ♪^+
Offred Double Simone McIntosh ♪^+
Luke Christopher Oglesby ♪^+
Nick Brenton Ryan ♪
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Janine / Ofwarren Katrina Galka *♪
Offred’s Mother Gabrielle Beteag ♪^+
Rita Sara Couden *♪
Doctor Matthew DiBattista *
Creative Team:
Conductor Karen Kamensek
Production John Fulljames *
Associate Director Lucy Bradley *
Set Designer Chloe Lamford
Costume Designer Christina Cunningham *
Lighting Designer Fabiana Piccioli *
Projection Designer Will Duke *
Chorus Director John Keene
San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus
TRISTAN AND ISOLDE by Richard Wagner
October 19 (6 p.m.), 23 (6 p.m.), 27 (1 p.m.); November 1 (6 p.m.), 5 (6 p.m.), 2024
Opera in three acts
Libretto by the composer
San Francisco Opera production originally created by Teatro La Fenice, Venice
Approximate running time: 4 hours and 45 minutes, including two intermissions
Sung in German with English supertitles
World Premiere: Munich, June 10, 1865
First SFO Performance: September 16, 1927
Most Recent: October 2006
Cast:
Tristan Simon O’Neill +
Isolde Anja Kampe
Kurwenal Wolfgang Koch *
Brangäne Annika Schlicht *
King Marke Kwangchul Youn
Creative Team:
Conductor Eun Sun Kim
Production Paul Curran *
Production Designer Robert Innes Hopkins
Lighting Designer David Martin Jacques *
Chorus Director John Keene
San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus
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BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY
Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Eun Sun Kim, conductor
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
San Francisco Opera Chorus
Soloists: Jennifer Holloway, soprano; Annika Schlicht, mezzo-soprano
Russell Thomas, tenor; Kwangchul Youn, bass
CARMEN by Georges Bizet
November 13 (7:30 p.m.), 16 (7:30 p.m.), 19 (7:30 p.m.), 22 (7:30 p.m.), 24 (2 p.m.), 26 (7:30 p.m.), 29
(7:30 p.m.); December 1 (2 p.m.), 2024
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée
A co-production of San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera, originally created by
Opera Australia based on the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Norwegian National Opera
co-production
Sung in French with English supertitles
Approximate running time: 2 hours and 50 minutes, including one intermission
World Premiere: Paris; March 3, 1875
First SFO Performance: October 1, 1927
Most Recent: June 2019
Cast:
Carmen Eve-Maud Hubeaux **
Don José Jonathan Tetelman ♪ (except 11/26)
Micaëla Louise Alder **♪
Escamillo Christian van Horn
Dancaïro Christopher Oglesby ^+
Remendado Alex Boyer ♪+
Creative Team:
Conductor Benjamin Manis *
Production Francesca Zambello
Associate Director & Choreographer Annamaria Bruzzese *
Production Designer Tanya McCallin
Original Lighting Designer Paule Constable
Revival Lighting Designer Justin A. Partier
Original Choreographer Arthur Pita
Chorus Director John Keene
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San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Chorus and San Francisco Opera Dance Corps
THE FUTURE IS NOW: ADLER FELLOWS IN CONCERT
Friday, November 15, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Herbst Theatre, Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA CHORUS IN CONCERT
Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater, Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
CARMEN ENCOUNTER
Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
Experience the rst act of Bizet’s Carmen on stage, and then immerse yourself in the world of the
opera in a transformed Opera House. Recommended for audiences ages 21 and over. For more
information, visit sfopera.com/encounter.
2025 SUMMER SEASON
LA BOHÈME by Giacomo Puccini
June 3 (7:30 p.m.), 7 (7:30 p.m.), 10 (7:30 p.m.), 12 (7:30 p.m.), 13 (7:30 p.m.), 15 (2 p.m.), 18 (7:30 p.m.),
19 (7:30 p.m.), 21 (7:30 p.m.), 2025
Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
Co-production of San Francisco Opera, Houston Grand Opera and Canadian Opera Company
Approximate running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes including one intermission
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
World Premiere: Turin; February 1, 1896
First SFO performance: September 26, 1923
Most Recent: June–July 2017
Cast:
Rodolfo Pene Pati ^+ (June 3, 7, 10, 12, 15, 19)
Evan LeRoy Johnson (June 13, 18, 21)
Mimì Karen Chia-ling Ho ♪+ (June 3, 7, 10, 12, 15, 19)
Nicole Car (June 13, 18, 21)
Marcello Lucas Meachem ^+ (June 3, 7, 10, 12, 15, 19)
Will Liverman * (June 13, 18, 21)
Musetta Andrea Carroll * (June 3, 7, 10, 12, 15, 19)
Brittany Renee (June 13, 18, 21)
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Colline Bogdan Talos *
Creative Team:
Conductor Ramón Tebar
Production John Caird
Revival Director Katherine M. Carter *
Production Designer David Farley
Lighting Designer Michael Clark
Chorus Director John Keene
San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus
IDOMENEO by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
June 14 (7:30 p.m.), 17 (7:30 p.m.), 20 (7:30 p.m.), 22 (2 p.m.), 25 (7:30 p.m.), 2025
Libretto by Giambattista Varesco
Co-production by Opera Australia and Victorian Opera
Approximate running time: 3 hours and 30 minutes including two intermissions
Sung in Italian with English supertitles
World Premiere: Munich; January 29, 1781
First SFO performance: September 10, 1977
Most Recent: October 2008
Cast:
Idomeneo Matthew Polenzani
Idamante Daniela Mack ^+
Ilia Ying Fang *
Elettra Elza van den Heever ^+
Creative Team:
Conductor Eun Sun Kim
Production Lindy Hume *
Set Designer Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer Anna Cordingley *
Lighting Designer Verity Hampson *
Projection Designer David Bergman *
Set Design Consultant Richard Roberts *
Cinematographer Catherine Pettman, Rummin Productions *
Chorus Director John Keene
San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus
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PRIDE CONCERT
Friday, June 27, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
The Company’s 2025 Summer Season draws to a close on Friday, June 27 with a special celebration
of the LGBTQIA+ community with an evening of music, immersive projections and more. A special
host for the evening will be announced soon.
San Francisco Opera is sponsored, in part, by: Norby Anderson; Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; The Dolby
Family’ Carol and Dixon Doll; Bertie Bialek Elliott; Peter Fenton and Kate Greer; Keith and Priscilla Geeslin; Ann
and Gordon Getty Foundation for the Arts; Louise Gund; John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn; Elizabeth B. Jamieson
(in memoriam, J. Burgess Jamieson); Franklin and Catherine Johnson; Edmund W. and Jeannik Méquet
Littleeld Fund; Steven M. Menzies; Bernard and Barbro Osher; Jeff and Marieke Rothschild; Jan Shrem and
Maria Manetti Shrem; Dianne and Tad Taube; Phyllis C. Wattis Edowment Funds; Diane B. Wilsey; Barbara A.
Wolfe.
Opera Ball is made possible, in part, by Opening Weekend Grand Sponsor Diane B. Wilsey.
San Francisco Chronicle Presents Opera in the Park is made possible, in part, by Opening Weekend Grand
Sponsor Diane B. Wilsey; Additional support provided by the William and Gretchen Kimball Fund.
Un Ballo in Maschera is made possible, in part, by Opening Weekend Grand Sponsor Diane B. Wilsey.
Additional support is provided by Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; Keith and Priscilla Geeslin; the San Francisco
Opera Guild; John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn; Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem; and The Thomas Tilton
Production Fund.
The Handmaid’s Tale is made possible, in part, by Phyllis C. Wattis Endowment Funds; Marcia Barinaga and
Corey Goodman; Carol and Dixon Doll; Bob Ellis; Louise Gund; John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn; and Jan Shrem
and Maria Manetti Shrem.
Tristan and Isolde is made possible, in part, by Dr. and Mrs. William M. Coughran; John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn;
Bernard and Barbro Osher; Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem; and Barbara A. Wolfe.
Carmen is made possible, in part, by Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; Edmund W. and Jeannik Méquet
Littleeld Fund; Glenn H. Reid; Jeff and Marieke Rothschild; and Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.
La Bohème is made possible, in part, by Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; Bertie Bialek Elliott; Staffan and
Margareta Encrantz; John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn; Elizabeth B. Jamieson (in memoriam, J. Burgess Jamieson);
Franklin and Catherine Johnson; Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem; and Dianne and Tad Taube.
Idomeneo is made possible by Louise Gund.
Beethoven 9 is made possible, in part, by Jerome L. and Thao N. Dodson; John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn;
Bernard and Barbro Osher; Jeff and Marieke Rothschild; and Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.
San Francisco Opera livestreams are made possible, in part, by George and Leslie Hume.
San Francisco Opera is supported, in part, by a grant from Grants for the Arts.
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San Francisco Opera is a member of
PRESS PHOTOS: High-resolution, downloadable artist headshots and production images for
the 2024-25 Season are available at sfopera.com/press.
For further press information, please contact San Francisco Opera Communications:
Julia Inouye (415) 565-6430 / jinouye@sfopera.com
Jeffery McMillan (415) 565-6451 / jmcmillan@sfopera.com
Teresa Concepcion (415) 565-6470 / tconcepcion@sfopera.com
