Artificial Intelligence and Me

This is a for-the-record sort of a post.

• Every word on this blog was written by me or a guest blogger without the use of AI.
• I will never turn over any of my writing process to an large language model or any other form of AI. 
• Every word I have written for publication at SFCV, the S.F. Chronicle, Parterre Box, The NY Times, Opera, Opera New, Opera Now, Musical American, and any publications I have accidentally omitted was written by me or suggested by a human editor. (Let me here express gratitude to my editors, who have saved me from myself an infinite number of times and improved my prose on numerous occasions.)
• The transcription tools I use, Rev and Zoom, incorporate artificial intelligence in their transcription processes. 
• I listen to recordings to make sure that any quotations are accurate. 
• I do not miss the days of spending five hours personally transcribing a one-hour interview. 
• I do not read Rev's AI summaries of interviews. I did once. It was amazingly accurate. But it's more important for me to read an interview and analyze it myself.
• It is possible or probable that the spelling and grammar checking tools built into current word processors (Word, Google Docs, Pages) rely on large language models for the feedback they provide. I do not turn off spelling and grammar checkers. Hmm. Am I a hypocrite? I used those tools before AI.
• I've never consulted a large language model or any form of AI (Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, etc.).
• I use the -ai flag when I use Google for web searches. I don't want to see the damn AI summaries.

Collaborative Partners Redux??

Walt Disney Concert Hall

Photo by Lisa Hirsch

I expect that those of us who keep an eye on the goings-on at San Francisco Symphony remember Esa-Pekka Salonen's Collaborative Partners, a group that was supposed to provide additional artistic leadership. Here's the announcement of this group, from a press release dated February 18, 2020, right before the pandemic quashed all such ambitions:

Collaborative Partners: A New Artistic Leadership Model

In their inaugural season together, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony introduce a new artistic leadership model new to the orchestral world, anchored by an extraordinary group of eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural disciplines. This group of visionary artists, thinkers, and doers will join with Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony to embark on a future of experimentation by collaborating on new ideas, breaking conventional rules, and creating unique and powerful experiences. The San Francisco Symphony’s Collaborative Partners comprise composer and pianist Nicholas Britell; classical vocalist and curator Julia Bullock, who has put social consciousness at the forefront of her work; flutist, educator, and creator of new and experimental music Claire Chase; composer, guitarist, and co-founder of The National Bryce Dessner; violinist, musical director, and artistic trailblazer Pekka Kuusisto; composer and multi-faceted collaborator Nico Muhly; artificial intelligence entrepreneur and roboticist Carol Reiley; and jazz bassist, vocalist, and undefinable artist Esperanza Spalding.

“I’ve never achieved anything on my own. Every achievement that I'm really proud of has been a result of collaboration,” says Esa-Pekka Salonen. “This art form that we all love and respect needs new thinking, fresh thoughts and ideas, new ways to involve the community, and different ways to enhance the experience. I’m looking to create a different kind of framework, and these wonderfully creative people in the team will help me in that process.”

“This is the first time that I know of where a major arts institution is implementing such a democratic mode of making decisions,” says Julia Bullock. “Instead of just a few people contributing their voices to what repertoire is being presented to audiences, how it's being presented, and how the community will be engaging with the work, now those decisions will be coming from many places. I believe that in addition to Esa-Pekka and those of us who have been named collaborators, every single person who is behind the scenes at the San Francisco Symphony is going to have an important role to play in influencing this change in institutional dynamics.”

The 2020–21 season begins with a three-week festival of events and concerts curated and performed by Collaborative Partners, working with each other and with the Orchestra in a variety of musical and conversational settings. The Festival culminates with the San Francisco Symphony’s celebratory Season Opening Gala on September 30 and All San Francisco Community Concert on October 1, both celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the opening of Davies Symphony Hall in 1980. These season-opening concerts explore the music of J.S. Bach, examine how other composers have experienced Bach, and offer new interpretations of Bach reimagined by the eight Collaborative Partners. Full details of the Collaborative Partners Festival will be announced in July 2020.

In addition to the multi-week Festival, Collaborative Partners will also be involved in San Francisco Symphony projects and performances throughout the 2020–21 season, through Orchestral Series concerts, four SoundBox programs, and other special projects. June 17–20, Pekka Kuusisto performs Bryce Dessner’s Violin Concerto, a new San Francisco Symphony co-commission. The Collaborative Partners are featured in all of the San Francisco Symphony’s experimental SoundBox programs in the 2020–21 Season, with each of the four programs in the innovative performance space curated and performed by Collaborative Partners including Claire Chase, Nico Muhly, and Esperanza Spalding. Full details will be announced at a later date.

(You think I'm a packrat, I think I'll never know when I might need to refer back to something someone said years ago. I remember being asked by an engineering manager why I'd handled a particular documentation issue in a particular way, and I pulled out the relevant email and replied "Because that's what you said I should do." This was more than 20 years ago, and yes, I do have a ridiculously long memory. It has advantages and disadvantages.)

How did this work out for SFS? Well....there were some amazing performances. On the other hand, the Collaborative Partners Festival didn't happen in 2020 (pandemic) or any time; they never seemed to actually be in the same place at the same time; I don't think they had any overall or long-term impact on SFS, innovation at the orchestra, or the programming. (How much support Salonen really had for this initiative is unknown; we all know how his tenure ended, though again, there are details we don't know.)

Okay, that was a lot of throat clearing. This morning, I received the following from the LA Phil, which has a new music director designate, Daniel Harding, and also creative director Esa-Pekka Salonen, with Gustavo Dudamel and Anna Handler in the mix as well:

LOS ANGELES (November 4, 2026) — Kim Noltemy, LA Phil President & CEO and David C. Bohnett CEO Chair, today announced three new appointments to the LA Phil’s reimagined artistic leadership team, with a lineup of world-renowned artists whose guidance and work will forge an exciting future for the LA Phil. The artistic leadership team taking shape will soon include a full complement of leaders in place for the 2027/28 season, when recently appointed Walt and Lilly Disney Chair, Music Director Daniel Harding begins his tenure.

 

Distinguished contemporary composer and performer Thomas Adès will assume the role of John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair for New Music, succeeding composer and conductor John Adams, who has held the role for 17 years. The artistic leadership team has been broadened to include the new role for Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada as the Creative Chair for Latin Music, generously supported by Alicia Miñana and Rob Lovelace. Grammy Award-winning vocalist Samara Joy will become the new Creative Chair for Jazz, succeeding jazz musician and bandleader Herbie Hancock who has held the position since 2010. Internationally renowned artists and longtime LA Phil leaders, Hancock and Adams will be honored with the respective titles of Creative Chair for Jazz Emeritus and Creative Chair for New Music Emeritus, joining Zubin Mehta, Conductor Emeritus.

 

Daniel Harding said, “One of the many things that drew me to Los Angeles was the opportunity to work with extraordinary artists from many fields and backgrounds alongside an orchestra that has always been willing to take risks. The LA Phil has a remarkable history of questioning conventions, exploring new ideas, and finding new ways to connect music with people. With this creative team and our wonderful orchestra, we will build on that spirit together, respecting the extraordinary traditions we have inherited, but never allowing ourselves to be limited by them. The breadth of knowledge, talent, curiosity, and creativity in this team is astounding and thrilling. I can’t wait to see what we can create together.”

 

Each newly appointed Chair brings a distinctive vision to the LA Phil’s broad spectrum of programming. Adès has a decades-long history with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, not only as a composer but also as a guest conductor at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. With this appointment, Adès will now advise the LA Phil on commissioning activities, and the groundbreaking Green Umbrella concert series, which will be celebrating its 40^th anniversary in 2027. Estrada will elevate Latin music traditions across the LA Phil’s venues, deepening the organization’s longstanding support of Latin artists. She will also continue her work with YOLA and collaborate with guest artists, helping advance the LA Phil’s commitment to a more inclusive and expansive musical landscape. Joy brings a new generational voice to the conversation around jazz performance, curation, and artistic innovation. In this role, she will oversee the annual jazz series across the LA Phil’s venues while guiding educational initiatives that connect artists, students and audiences through the evolving traditions of the artform.

 

Noltemy said, “Today marks the culmination of a yearslong vision to bring together an extraordinary group of innovative and inspiring artists who will shape the LA Phil’s future. As stewards of Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford, we have the responsibility and opportunity to serve audiences across three iconic venues, each with its own artistic identity and possibilities. Our new artistic leadership team brings us a remarkable breadth of perspectives and strengths across disciplines, allowing us to imagine new forms of presentation, build unexpected collaborations, and create experiences that challenge, inspire and engage audiences. Perhaps most important of all, this team will amplify the wide range of voices, cultures and genres in Los Angeles.”

 

Previously announced members of the artistic leadership team, led by incoming Music Director Daniel Harding, are Diane and M. David Paul Artistic and Cultural Laureate & the Jane and Michael Eisner Founding Director and Conductor Laureate of YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) Gustavo Dudamel, Judith & Thomas L. Beckmen Creative Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, Ellen and Arnold Zetcher Conductor-in-Residence Anna Handler, Composer-in-Residence Joe Hisaishi, Artist Collaborator Emmanuelle Haïm, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Thomas Wilkins and Conductor Emeritus Zubin Mehta. With their fellow artistic leaders, they will create projects and programming across the LA Phil venues at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford, bring their vision and guidance to YOLA and imagine new ventures for collaboration and cultural exchange.  

 

“For years, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has pointed the way to how a symphony orchestra can thrive both creatively and artistically in our time,” said John Adams. “It’s been my privilege of the past 17 years to serve as Creative Chair for New Music and help guide the orchestra’s unique artistic philosophy which sets the standard for daring and its boldness. Over the course of my residency, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce a new generation of young American composers whose music has stirred the imagination of the Philharmonic’s audiences and proven emphatically that, for all the challenges that our country’s culture faces these days, the locus of creativity for new music is here in America. I leave my position with hope and confidence that the Philharmonic, through its subscription programming and its extraordinary Green Umbrella series, will continue to show to the world how it’s done."

"My time as Creative Chair for Jazz has been filled with memorable collaborations and countless opportunities to share jazz’s ability to exchange ideas across generations. I am proud of the work we’ve done together and look forward to Samara leading us into a new chapter of audiences enjoying all that jazz can bring,” noted Hancock.

Adès said, “Some of the most thrilling nights of my musical life have included conducting the LA Phil in Walt Disney Concert Hall and hearing the orchestra bring Dante to life. These experiences showed me that nothing is too ambitious here, and that the audience comes ready to be surprised. I’m honored to join Daniel, Esa-Pekka, Gustavo and this remarkable group of artists in imagining a wildly creative musical future that could only happen in Los Angeles.”

“Latin music is not a single sound. To me, it is the soul of an entire continent, an immense and profound richness woven together across generations, with the power to transcend any border,” noted Estrada. “Los Angeles is a city built upon these Latin American stories, stories that have enriched cultures around the world. To me, the LA Phil represents an extraordinary space to tell, celebrate and honor them. As Creative Chair, I want to explore and delve deeper into the infinite beauty that runs through our history, build bridges between generations and create new spaces for the voices of artists who are expanding, transforming and reimagining the ways we tell the world who we are.”

 

“It is an immense honor to follow Herbie Hancock in this role,” said Joy. “Over the course of his career, his creative vision in music has inspired generations of musicians and shown that impact stands the test of time when you put your love of music above all else. With this opportunity, I’m excited to showcase my love for jazz at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. I hope to bring the Los Angeles audience a one-of-a-kind musical experience that might give them a chance to fall in love with the music just like I did.”

 I'll note that it would be great if they had more than one woman (Handler) in a classical music leadership position, but nobody in this mix has a great record in that capacity beyond Salonen and Dudamel's various conducting fellows.

 

Bonus Photo

Boulevard Beauamarchais street signs

Paris, France

July, 2026

 

SF Opera Cast Change: Richard Strauss Concert

War Memorial Opera House and Veterans Building

Postcard from personal collection of Lisa Hirsch

Well, here's an interesting cast change: Adela Zaharia is ill and won't be able to sing in next Friday's all-Strauss concert by Eun Sun Kim and the SF Opera Orchestra.

The Brentano Lieder are also off the program. Instead, it'll be the Four Last Songs, sung by soprano Kathleen O'Mara. You have a chance to not only hear an up-and-coming young singer, but if you were at SF Symphony earlier this month, you can compare and contrast conductor and soloist in the VLL. Best wishes to Zaharia for a swift recovery; I hope she'll be back in the future.

Kim was electrifying in Elektra in June, and of course the VLL are different in every way but I'd expect this to be an excellent concert. I will miss it because I am reviewing SFS that night.

Here's the press release:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (October 30, 2026) — Due to illness, soprano Adela Zaharia will be replaced by soprano Kathleen O’Mara as soloist for San Francisco Opera’s Strauss in Concert conducted by Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim on Friday, November 6 at the War Memorial Opera House. O’Mara will perform Strauss’ Four Last Songs in place of the previously scheduled Brentano Lieder.

 

Kathleen O’Mara was recently awarded 1st Prize at the 2025 Queen Sonja Singing Competition and 1st Prize and the Birgit Nilsson Prize at the 2024 Operalia Competition. She is a graduate of LA Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program and is a 2024 recipient of the prestigious Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation. O’Mara’s current season includes Micaëla (Carmen) and Liù (Turandot) at LA Opera and house debuts at Dallas Opera (Elsa in Lohengrin) and Santa Fe Opera (Liù). On the concert stage, O’Mara debuts with the Barcelona Symphony in Act I of Die Walküre conducted by Ludovic Morlot and makes her Carnegie Hall recital debut presented by The Juilliard School. Her engagements last season included her Edinburgh International Festival debut in Mahler’s Das Klagende Lied conducted by Donald Runnicles, the Oslo Philharmonic’s annual outdoor concert at The Palace Square, Metropolitan Opera (Donna Anna in Don Giovanni), Milan’s Teatro alla Scala (Helmwige in Die Walküre), Munich’s Bavarian State Opera (Fifth maidservant in Elektra) and Seattle Opera (Micaëla). A native of Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, O’Mara holds a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music degree from Westminster Choir College.

 

Following sold-out concerts of symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven in 2024 and 2025, Maestro Kim and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra return to the War Memorial Opera House stage with an evening dedicated to the music of Richard Strauss. This one-night-only event includes the U.S. premiere of a new suite of music from Strauss’ opera Der Rosenkavalier; one of the composer’s early tone poems, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks; and in what would become his songs of farewell, the Four Last Songs.

 

The program opens with Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks, the 1895 tone poem that musically illustrates the irreverent adventures and demise of the trickster Till, a German folk hero. The Four Last Songs (1948), among the composer’s most profound and beautiful works, will be performed by soprano Kathleen O’Mara.

 

After intermission, Maestro Kim and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra will present the U.S. premiere of Der Rosenkavalier Suite, a new arrangement by Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan and Czech arranger Tomáš Ille. The well-known Rosenkavalier Suite from the past century, thought to have been arranged by conductor Artur Rodzinski in 1944, emphasizes the waltz music in Strauss’ 1911 opera but bears little relation to its dramatic plot. At 35 minutes in duration, Jordan and Ille’s new suite, commissioned by Radio France and premiered in 2021, is longer than the older Rosenkavalier Suite and utilizes the colors of the orchestra to relate the story of Strauss’ beloved romantic comedy.

 

Throughout her tenure as San Francisco Opera’s Music Director, Eun Sun Kim has led a wide repertoire of opera and concert works, including the world premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, Richard Wagner’s Parsifal, Giuseppe Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fidelio and his Ninth and Fifth Symphonies. In 2026, Maestro Kim has conducted the music of Richard Strauss, including Ariadne auf Naxos in Berlin, along with Elektra with San Francisco Opera. The San Francisco Chronicle said of Elektra, “Kim leads with propulsion and breathtaking control over the immense orchestra—Strauss never met an instrument he couldn’t stuff into a score—and miraculously retains clarity even in the loudest passages.” During San Francisco Opera’s current season, Maestro Kim also conducts Massenet’s French repertoire gem Manon (October 15–November 1) and Wagner’s Das Rheingold (May 29–June 22, 2027), the latter a prelude to complete cycles of Wagner’s Ring in Summer 2028.

 

Friday Photo

Street Corner

Aix-en-Provence, France

July, 2026

 

Friday Photo

Lucy (left) and the Halloween display up the street

Oakland, CA

September, 2026

 

They're Doing It Again. And Again and Again.

Antonín Dvořák

Recent performances of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, From the New World, at San Francisco Symphony and the season in which it was performed:

•  Xian Zhang, 2021-22
• Joshua Weilerstein, summer 2023
• Dalia Stasevska, 2023-24
• Cristian Macelaru, 2025-26 
• Jaap van Zweden, 2026-27

C'mon, folks. Great piece, but give it a break.

Museum Mondays

Nativity of the Virgin

Albrecht Aldorfer, c. 1520

Alte Pinakothek, Munich

July, 2026

 

Friday Photo

Fontaine de la Rotonde

Aix-en-Provence

July, 2026

 

Museum Mondays

Forbidden "Art"

Lenbachhaus Museum

Munich, Germany

July, 2026

 

Simon Boccanegra at San Francisco Opera

Amartuvshin Enkhbat as Simon Boccanegra, Christian Van Horn as Jacopo Fiesco, and Eleonora Buratto as Amelia Grimaldi in Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra."

Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

I've filed my Simon Boccanegra review with Opera – it'll be in the November issue – so now I can read what everyone else has to say and create a review roundup. My review praised the performers and damned original director Claus Guth, whose production muddied the waters of an already murky plot while draining the emotional life from a deeply emotional opera. 

I wish I'd had more space to detail the failures. The photo above says it all: three impassive singers not able to interact.

• Steven Winn, SFCV / SF Chronicle. "Brilliant realization"
• Joshua Kosman, On a Pacific Aisle. "A risible stage production"
• Harvey Steiman, Seen & Heard. "Unfortunately, a misguided production drained some of the juice from the music and almost all of the opera’s tale of messy politics and a too-late healing of nasty family secrets."
• Lisa Hirsch, Opera. "An opaque and sometimes laughable Claus Guth modern-dress production." I  also wish I could have squeezed in how great Van Horn looked in that coat.  (See below)
• Gary Kamiya, Kamiya Unlimited. A hilarious and accurate description of the plot complications in Simon, plus "Claus Guth’s aggressive directorial choices (Guth’s production was first staged in Hamburg in 2006 and revived here by Katherine M. Carter) only made matters worse."
• Michael Strickland, SF Civic Center. "However, the 20-year-old staging by German director Claus Guth for the Hamburg Opera was Euro Konzept at its most deliberately alienating and ridiculous."
• Charlise Tiee, Opera Tattler. "The direction was an obstruction to the narrative rather than elucidating the text" and also "To be honest, I enjoyed the production very much as it is absurd and unintentionally funny."

Here's the coat, also Christian Van Horn. I interviewed Van Horn and Brandon Jovanovich in February, 2019, when both were in Paris Opera's Les Troyens. They are both very tall, and this kind of tailoring looks great on tall men. 

 Christian Van Horn as Jacopo Fiesco in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra

Photo: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera

 

Friday Photo

Melon, plum, peach, apricot, all from the farmers market

Aix-en-Provence, France

July, 2026

 

San Francisco Symphony Last Week

Michael Tilson Thomas

Photo: Brandon Patoc, courtesy of San Francisco Symphony

I didn't review SF Symphony's Concert for MTT, a concert in honor of and in memory of the late conductor, whose leadership over his 25 years as music director was truly remarkable. It was as you might expect, a varied program of music that was important to him, sung or played or conducted by those who were close to him.

Of course, I had some favorites; Sasha Cooke singing, Jamie Bernstein's amazing recollections of the young MTT and their long friendship (and his friendship with her father Leonard), Teddy Abrams and Edwin Outwater's conducting, the Symphony Chorus in a brief marvel by Meredith. Monk, reminisces by bass Chung-Wai Soong and piccolo player Catherine Payne (she was hilarious!). I wish Flicka had been there; at MTT's 80th birthday concert, she was riveting in a Debussy song.

I did review the Strauss program the day before, with Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Renée Fleming. 

Media round-up of both:

• Lisa Hirsch, SFCV and SF Chronicle. Despite what I note about her singing, Fleming did get a standing ovation from a loving audience. If you're looking for a great performance of Vier Letzte Lieder, try Soile Isokoski, who is about perfect. Historically, Kirsten Flagstad is amazingly grand and beautiful. Jessye Norman's recording is eccentrically slow, magnificently sung.
• Joshua Kosman, On a Pacific Aisle, Strauss concert and MTT concert. I agree with him about Fleming, on all counts. I was never a fan, but I loved Ruth Ann Swenson, whose career roughly paralleled that of Fleming. Swenson was not much of an actress, but she sang with such joy and liveliness, and, to my ear, a much more beautiful voice.
• Jeff Kaliss, MTT concert, SFCV
• Matthew Travisano, Parterre Box

 

Museum Mondays

Detail, Annunciation

Fra Filippo Lippi, c 1443-45

Alte Pinakothek, Munich

July, 2026

 

New Member of the Household

This little dog – she weighs 27 pounds – came to live with us about a month ago. Her name is Lucy, and your guess is as good as ours as to her ancestry. Obviously one of the short-legged breeds (Dachshund, Corgi, Basset hound), probably some kind of terrier, other than that, who knows.

We chose her for her size and behavior: small enough to be carried down stairs, if necessary, good with cats.

That's working out fine. I actually picked her up today (I'd let her climb somewhere that maybe she shouldn't jump down from) and she was good with that.

Here she is with Julius the day they met:

She has annoyed him a few times enough that he has hissed and taken a swat at her, but he hasn't drawn blood. They are fine with each other.

She is a cheery dog with a sweet temperament, though shy. She was quite fearful when she moved in but she's settling in nicely and is less fearful on walks and when she meets other people.

She knows "come," which is good, but not really any other commands. We're making progress on "sit," but as it happens, Julius now has a more reliable "sit" than she does. He is very food motivated.

 

Feast of St. Francis of Assissi

Philippe Sly (Saint François)

Saint François d’Assise, Messiean

Salzburg Festival, August, 2026

Photo: Monika Rittershaus, courtesy of the Salzburg Festival

Director/Sets/Costumes/Lighting, Romeo Castellucci) 

More photos of this stunning production.

 

San Francisco Opera Announces 2028 Ring Casting

Die Walküre, Act 1

2018 San Francisco Opera Ring

Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund) and Karita Mattila (Sieglinde)

Photo: Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera

San Francisco Opera will revive Francesca Zambello's production of Der Ring des Nibelungen (Richard Wagner) in 2028, and they've announced full casting this week, almost a year after the initial announcement. Pricing is also available; subscribers and anyone who has donated at least $150 can apply for Ring tickets starting on October 13.

If you're not sure whether Wagner is for you, you can always get a June, 2027, subscription ticket to Das Rheingold, the prologue and shortest of the Ring operas. There are also numerous excellent Ring productions available on DVD or streaming. 

Seeing the Ring, in several productions and with several conductors, has been among the greatest theatrical / operatic experiences of my life. I am very much looking forward to hearing SFO music director Eun Sun Kim conduct the Ring; her Wagner to date has been superb. If you can swing it, I encourage you to go. (And if you have any thoughts about the cast, I welcome comments!)

SUMMER 2028 OPERA SEASON: DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN

 

CYCLE 1: June 13 (7:30 p.m.); June 14 (6 p.m.); June 16 (6 p.m.); June 18 (1 p.m.)

CYCLE 2: June 20 (7:30 p.m.); June 21 (6 p.m.); June 23 (6 p.m.); June 25 (1 p.m.)

CYCLE 3: June 27 (7:30 p.m.); June 28 (6 p.m.); June 30 (6 p.m.); July 2 (1 p.m.)

All cycle performances are presented on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

 

Production:
Conductor	Eun Sun Kim
Director	Francesca Zambello
Set Designer	Michael Yeargan
Costume Designer	Catherine Zuber
Original Lighting Designer	Mark McCullough
Revival Lighting Designer	A.J. Guban
Original Projections	Jan Hartley
New Projections, Remounted by	S. Katy Tucker
Choreographer	Denni Sayers
Associate Director     (Das Rheingold, Siegried)	Denni Sayers
Associate Director     (Die Walküre, Götterdämmerung)	Christian Rath
Chorus Director	John Keene

 

Co-production with Washington National Opera

Sung in German with English supertitles

 

DAS RHEINGOLD by Richard Wagner

June 13 (7:30 p.m.), 20 (7:30 p.m.) and 27 (7:30 p.m.), 2028

 

Approximate running time:	2 hours, 35 minutes without intermission
World Premiere:	Munich; September 22, 1869
First SF Opera Performance:	November 1, 1935
Most Recent SF Opera Performance:	June 2018
Cast:
Wotan	Brian Mulligan
Loge	Brenton Ryan
Alberich	Falk Struckmann
Fricka	Judit Kutasi
Erda	Sadie Cheslak
Mime	Zhengyi Bai
Fasolt	Kwangchul Youn
Fafner	John Relyea
Froh	Christopher Sokolowski
Donner	Lauri Vasar
Woglinde	Sofia Gotch
Wellgunde	Laura Krumm
Flosshilde	Taylor Raven

 

San Francisco Opera Orchestra

 

 

DIE WALKÜRE by Richard Wagner

June 14 (6 p.m.), 21 (6 p.m.) and 28 (6 p.m.), 2028

 

Approximate running time:	4 hours, 30 minutes with two intermissions
World Premiere:	Munich; June 26, 1870
First SF Opera Performance:	November 4, 1935
Most Recent SF Opera Performance:	June 2018
Cast:
Brünnhilde	Tamara Wilson
Wotan	Brian Mulligan
Sieglinde	Julie Adams
Siegmund	Christopher Sokolowski
Fricka	Judit Kutasi
Hunding	Kwangchul Youn

 

San Francisco Opera Orchestra

 

 

SIEGFRIED by Richard Wagner

June 16 (6 p.m.), 23 (6 p.m.) and 30 (6 p.m.), 2028

 

Approximate running time:	5 hours with two intermissions
World Premiere:	Bayreuth; August 16, 1876
First SF Opera Performance:	November 6, 1935
Most Recent SF Opera Performance:	June 2018
Cast:
Siegfried	Simon O’Neill
Brünnhilde	Tamara Wilson
Mime	Zhengyi Bai
The Wanderer (Wotan)	Brian Mulligan
Alberich	Falk Struckmann
Fafner	John Relyea
Erda	Sadie Cheslak
Forest Bird	Sofia Gotch

 

San Francisco Opera Orchestra

 

 

GÖTTERDÄMMERUNG by Richard Wagner

June 18 (1 p.m.), 25 (1 p.m.) and July 2 (1 p.m.), 2028

 

Approximate running time:	5 hours, 15 minutes with two intermissions
World Premiere:	Bayreuth, August 17, 1876
First SF Opera Performance:	November 9, 1935
Most Recent SF Opera Performance:	June/July 2018
Cast:
Brünnhilde	Tamara Wilson
Siegfried	Simon O’Neill
Gunther	Lauri Vasar
Hagen	John Relyea
Waltraute	Annika Schlicht
Gutrune	Julie Adams
Alberich	Falk Struckmann
First Norn	Sadie Cheslak
Second Norn	Annika Schlicht
Third Norn	Mary Hoskins
Woglinde	Sofia Gotch
Wellgunde	Laura Krumm
Flosshilde	Taylor Raven

 

San Francisco Opera Orchestra and San Francisco Opera Chorus