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"slug": "elektra-review-sf-opera-richard-strauss-san-francisco",
"title": "There Will Be Blood: ‘Elektra’ Unfolds Like a Horror Movie at SF Opera",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s a horror-filled time in the nation’s movie theaters. Rather than the typical summertime superhero fare, it’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/15/nx-s1-5822305/in-obsession-love-hurts-it-really-really-really-hurts\">Obsession\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990351/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-petaluma-kenilworth-marin-teachers\">Backrooms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, horror films made by young directors who came from TikTok and YouTube, which are raking in audiences and topping box-office charts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then there’s \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em>, a 117-year old opera currently running the War Memorial Opera House in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a Richard Strauss bloodfest of beheading, stabbing, bathtub murder and night terrors. Here’s the twist: at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s even shorter than \u003cem>Obsession\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Backrooms\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The two-story set, designed by Boris Kudlicka, of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As staged by Keith Warner and last seen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> in its 2017 U.S. premiere, this \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> is set inside a 21st century museum, its revenge drama unfolding overnight through the eyes of a stowaway visitor after closing time. In addition to a wonderful set with video tableaus and rooms that slide in and out of the museum’s walls, aided by stellar lighting, this voyeuristic framework lends the staging a \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> quality that’s engrossing and fun.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s also a little bit convoluted. As the museum visitor, and simultaneously Elektra, Elena Pankratova doesn’t display the acting skills to really sell the gambit. I found myself discarding the entire premise of the museum exhibit coming to life, and focusing instead on the sheer endurance of her marathon singing performance (one in which she’s onstage for nearly the entire show, which at times showed in her voice).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in black and blue wardrobe sit on a bench, looking afraid\" class=\"wp-image-13990548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Michaela Schuster as Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without having to deplete her lungs over and over like Pankratova, Elza van den Heever brings projection and rounded tone to the role of Chrysothemis as Elektra’s sister. Unlike her siblings, Chrysothemis does not seek revenge upon her mother Klytemnestra, played by Michaela Schuster, for having an affair with Aegisth and killing her father Agamemnon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The real star of the show, however, is below the stage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> brings with it the largest orchestra the Opera House has ever seen: 95 musicians, fueled by Eun Sun Kim’s baton and charging through Richard Strauss’ score like a locomotive. At the moment when Elektra recognizes her brother Orest, it’s as if the orchestra’s train crashes through an entire city block — Notes! Notes! \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/auqm-lOn6k4?si=CibV9DO-SHVIR2vl\">Notes everywhere!\u003c/a> — bleating a full-volume, clustered chord. What follows is one full minute of dynamite slowly morphing into a feather, a moment as powerful as it is wondrous, while Kim very gradually applies the brakes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg\" alt=\"A large orchestra is stuffed tightly into an orchestra pit before a large stage \" class=\"wp-image-13990555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a rehearsal for ‘Elektra’ at the War Memorial Opera House. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The despair in this staging never decelerates, however. \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> unfolds in a milieu where happiness is a burden, and the Gods determine that anyone having too much fun must die. If that sounds like the setting of a horror movie, then bring on the dread and unease.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One last thing: you’ll never look at a kitchen sink in the same way again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Elektra’ runs through June 27 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/elektra/\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Elektra’ runs through June 27 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/elektra/\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Dissonance and death anchor this vigorous Richard Strauss one-act opera, set at night inside a museum.",
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"title": "Review: ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera Unfolds Like a Horror Movie Onstage | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a horror-filled time in the nation’s movie theaters. Rather than the typical summertime superhero fare, it’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/05/15/nx-s1-5822305/in-obsession-love-hurts-it-really-really-really-hurts\">Obsession\u003c/a>\u003c/em> and \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990351/backrooms-director-kane-parsons-petaluma-kenilworth-marin-teachers\">Backrooms\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, horror films made by young directors who came from TikTok and YouTube, which are raking in audiences and topping box-office charts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then there’s \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em>, a 117-year old opera currently running the War Memorial Opera House in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a Richard Strauss bloodfest of beheading, stabbing, bathtub murder and night terrors. Here’s the twist: at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it’s even shorter than \u003cem>Obsession\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Backrooms\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990545\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A9009-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The two-story set, designed by Boris Kudlicka, of Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra’ at SF Opera. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As staged by Keith Warner and last seen at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> in its 2017 U.S. premiere, this \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> is set inside a 21st century museum, its revenge drama unfolding overnight through the eyes of a stowaway visitor after closing time. In addition to a wonderful set with video tableaus and rooms that slide in and out of the museum’s walls, aided by stellar lighting, this voyeuristic framework lends the staging a \u003cem>Rear Window\u003c/em> quality that’s engrossing and fun.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s also a little bit convoluted. As the museum visitor, and simultaneously Elektra, Elena Pankratova doesn’t display the acting skills to really sell the gambit. I found myself discarding the entire premise of the museum exhibit coming to life, and focusing instead on the sheer endurance of her marathon singing performance (one in which she’s onstage for nearly the entire show, which at times showed in her voice).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in black and blue wardrobe sit on a bench, looking afraid\" class=\"wp-image-13990548\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A6417-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Michaela Schuster as Klytemnestra in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without having to deplete her lungs over and over like Pankratova, Elza van den Heever brings projection and rounded tone to the role of Chrysothemis as Elektra’s sister. Unlike her siblings, Chrysothemis does not seek revenge upon her mother Klytemnestra, played by Michaela Schuster, for having an affair with Aegisth and killing her father Agamemnon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the two women nonetheless convey the story’s necessary suspense and anguish. Meanwhile, Kyle Ketelsen as the avenging Orest is resolutely delightful, and William Burden as Aegisth is appropriately bumbling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13990547\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/O2A7729-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elena Pankratova as Elektra and Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis in Richard Strauss’ ‘Elektra.’ (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The real star of the show, however, is below the stage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> brings with it the largest orchestra the Opera House has ever seen: 95 musicians, fueled by Eun Sun Kim’s baton and charging through Richard Strauss’ score like a locomotive. At the moment when Elektra recognizes her brother Orest, it’s as if the orchestra’s train crashes through an entire city block — Notes! Notes! \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/auqm-lOn6k4?si=CibV9DO-SHVIR2vl\">Notes everywhere!\u003c/a> — bleating a full-volume, clustered chord. What follows is one full minute of dynamite slowly morphing into a feather, a moment as powerful as it is wondrous, while Kim very gradually applies the brakes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg\" alt=\"A large orchestra is stuffed tightly into an orchestra pit before a large stage \" class=\"wp-image-13990555\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/C0A0601-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eun Sun Kim leads the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a rehearsal for ‘Elektra’ at the War Memorial Opera House. (Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The despair in this staging never decelerates, however. \u003cem>Elektra\u003c/em> unfolds in a milieu where happiness is a burden, and the Gods determine that anyone having too much fun must die. If that sounds like the setting of a horror movie, then bring on the dread and unease.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One last thing: you’ll never look at a kitchen sink in the same way again.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Elektra’ runs through June 27 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/elektra/\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In World Premiere, ‘The Monkey King’ Is a Dazzling Triumph at SF Opera",
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"content": "\u003cp>On Friday night, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> got the world’s very first look at an opera destined to become a modern classic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/the-monkey-king/\">The Monkey King\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is a dazzling, gorgeous work of art that balances the joy of young mischievousness with the weight of old wisdom. Its costumes and set pieces are a feast for the eyes, augmented by a rich, meditative score and captivating performances. I cannot say enough good things about it. If you want just the three-word summary, it’s this: go, go, go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Directed by Diane Paulus, and commissioned jointly by San Francisco Opera and the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, this is an opera that’s both invigorating and accessible. Sung almost entirely in English, and based on a portion of the 16th Century Chinese novel \u003cem>Journey to the West\u003c/em>, Hwang’s quick-paced libretto for \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> is easy to follow. Huang’s music follows in the modern American tradition, cascading and fluid. The show’s run time is two hours and 23 minutes, the length of your average prestige Hollywood film. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983803\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1334px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mei Gui Zhang as Guanyin in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But this is all selling short \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em>’s depth. Take the opening: a chorus of low bass tones and higher voices create a tense interval of portent. The angelic figure of Guanyin (beautifully sung by Mei Gui Zhang) slowly appears in the air, ensconced in a teardrop-shaped figure, and sings: \u003cem>All forms are illusions\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, in the ensuing hours, tall vertical land formations curdle and collapse into a cave. A giant golden column shrinks to become a heavy handheld staff. A green umbrella soars out of view and returns 20 times its normal size. Warring swords and shields, unmanned, fight in mid-air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alternately navigating and causing these transformations is Monkey (a thrilling Kang Wang), a young rebel with no formal upbringing. He tries to follow the Buddhist teachings of Master Subhuti (Jusung Gabriel Park), who intones in one of the opera’s repeating melodic motifs that power alone is not enough. He soon meets his match in the Jade Emperor (Konu Kim) and his court, who resent the ego-driven Monkey’s ability to get ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983799\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hongni Wu as Venus Star, Joo Won Kang as Dragon King Ao Guang, Konu Kim as Jade Emperor, and Peixin Chen as Supreme Sage Laojun in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This is an opera you won’t need to bring binoculars to, if only to preserve the magic of the set and puppetry design by Basil Twist (with associate set designer Sara C. Walsh). The silks and fabrics alone are stunning. Hovering jellyfish bubble around an underwater seascape. Six white horses prance through the air. An enormous snake slithers into battle. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The costumes, designed by Anita Yavich, explode with color and texture — especially those of the Jade Emperor’s court, whose self-importance and overconfidence are underscored by a wardrobe befitting a cocaine-addled 1980s New Wave band. Ornate headpieces animate the movements of the Monkey King, along with those of his dancing body double (Huiwang Zhang, with dynamic choreography by Ann Yee; Twist employs a puppet double as well). \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kang Wang as the title role in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While the visuals will understandably get much of the attention, Huang Ruo’s wonderful, singular score (conducted by Carolyn Kuan, and with the occasional use of Chinese gongs and cymbals) is \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em>’s understated highlight. It simply would not be as strong a work without it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early in Act I, the Monkey King and Guanyin sing a duet — not in harmony or counterpoint, but interwoven nonetheless, while the orchestra tends to a melodic journey of its own. Later, Mei Gui Zhang’s aria “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLAGDO7RIs&list=RDUuLAGDO7RIs&start_radio=1\">All Dharmas Are Equal\u003c/a>” makes time stand still, and Kang Wang’s breathtaking “Land of Bliss” recalls the show-stopping Act II numbers so common to Broadway musicals. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or take an early scene when, with no other action on stage, a boulder slowly advances for two long minutes. Ordinarily, this would constitute dead air and boredom. Instead, thanks to Huang’s accompanying music, it’s riveting — an extended moment of tension and suspense. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983800\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Konu Kim as Jade Emperor (center) with members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Any show about power and ego in the Trump era runs the risk of overplaying its relevance; it’s to Paulus’ credit as a director that \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> doesn’t. While the immortality-seeking Monkey King can’t take criticism, rewards only his inner circle and tells people to go back where they came from, he isn’t portrayed heavy-handedly as our current authoritarian-in-chief. (The Jade Emperor, after all, shares many of the same traits.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This allows \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em>‘s message to reside in the eye of the beholder, along with its delights. At its first-ever public performance, few flaws were evident. Could Kim play the Jade Emperor slightly more diabolically? Sure. Does the ending drag just a little too long? Maybe. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But ultimately, \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> is a triumph, and a hugely enjoyable one. Make plans now, camp out for standing-room tickets, leave work early — do whatever you can to see this current run, or any future production. It will surely last and last.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Monkey King’ runs through Nov. 30 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. A series of community events, workshops and exhibits accompany the world premiere run. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/the-monkey-king/\">Details and ticket information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Review: ‘The Monkey King’ Is a Dazzling Triumph at San Francisco Premiere | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>On Friday night, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> got the world’s very first look at an opera destined to become a modern classic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/the-monkey-king/\">The Monkey King\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is a dazzling, gorgeous work of art that balances the joy of young mischievousness with the weight of old wisdom. Its costumes and set pieces are a feast for the eyes, augmented by a rich, meditative score and captivating performances. I cannot say enough good things about it. If you want just the three-word summary, it’s this: go, go, go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Directed by Diane Paulus, and commissioned jointly by San Francisco Opera and the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, this is an opera that’s both invigorating and accessible. Sung almost entirely in English, and based on a portion of the 16th Century Chinese novel \u003cem>Journey to the West\u003c/em>, Hwang’s quick-paced libretto for \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> is easy to follow. Huang’s music follows in the modern American tradition, cascading and fluid. The show’s run time is two hours and 23 minutes, the length of your average prestige Hollywood film. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983803\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1334px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A0371-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mei Gui Zhang as Guanyin in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’\u003cbr> \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But this is all selling short \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em>’s depth. Take the opening: a chorus of low bass tones and higher voices create a tense interval of portent. The angelic figure of Guanyin (beautifully sung by Mei Gui Zhang) slowly appears in the air, ensconced in a teardrop-shaped figure, and sings: \u003cem>All forms are illusions\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Indeed, in the ensuing hours, tall vertical land formations curdle and collapse into a cave. A giant golden column shrinks to become a heavy handheld staff. A green umbrella soars out of view and returns 20 times its normal size. Warring swords and shields, unmanned, fight in mid-air. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alternately navigating and causing these transformations is Monkey (a thrilling Kang Wang), a young rebel with no formal upbringing. He tries to follow the Buddhist teachings of Master Subhuti (Jusung Gabriel Park), who intones in one of the opera’s repeating melodic motifs that power alone is not enough. He soon meets his match in the Jade Emperor (Konu Kim) and his court, who resent the ego-driven Monkey’s ability to get ahead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983799\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1511-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hongni Wu as Venus Star, Joo Won Kang as Dragon King Ao Guang, Konu Kim as Jade Emperor, and Peixin Chen as Supreme Sage Laojun in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This is an opera you won’t need to bring binoculars to, if only to preserve the magic of the set and puppetry design by Basil Twist (with associate set designer Sara C. Walsh). The silks and fabrics alone are stunning. Hovering jellyfish bubble around an underwater seascape. Six white horses prance through the air. An enormous snake slithers into battle. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The costumes, designed by Anita Yavich, explode with color and texture — especially those of the Jade Emperor’s court, whose self-importance and overconfidence are underscored by a wardrobe befitting a cocaine-addled 1980s New Wave band. Ornate headpieces animate the movements of the Monkey King, along with those of his dancing body double (Huiwang Zhang, with dynamic choreography by Ann Yee; Twist employs a puppet double as well). \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983801\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1963-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kang Wang as the title role in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While the visuals will understandably get much of the attention, Huang Ruo’s wonderful, singular score (conducted by Carolyn Kuan, and with the occasional use of Chinese gongs and cymbals) is \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em>’s understated highlight. It simply would not be as strong a work without it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early in Act I, the Monkey King and Guanyin sing a duet — not in harmony or counterpoint, but interwoven nonetheless, while the orchestra tends to a melodic journey of its own. Later, Mei Gui Zhang’s aria “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuLAGDO7RIs&list=RDUuLAGDO7RIs&start_radio=1\">All Dharmas Are Equal\u003c/a>” makes time stand still, and Kang Wang’s breathtaking “Land of Bliss” recalls the show-stopping Act II numbers so common to Broadway musicals. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or take an early scene when, with no other action on stage, a boulder slowly advances for two long minutes. Ordinarily, this would constitute dead air and boredom. Instead, thanks to Huang’s accompanying music, it’s riveting — an extended moment of tension and suspense. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983800\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/O2A1683-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Konu Kim as Jade Emperor (center) with members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Any show about power and ego in the Trump era runs the risk of overplaying its relevance; it’s to Paulus’ credit as a director that \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> doesn’t. While the immortality-seeking Monkey King can’t take criticism, rewards only his inner circle and tells people to go back where they came from, he isn’t portrayed heavy-handedly as our current authoritarian-in-chief. (The Jade Emperor, after all, shares many of the same traits.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This allows \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em>‘s message to reside in the eye of the beholder, along with its delights. At its first-ever public performance, few flaws were evident. Could Kim play the Jade Emperor slightly more diabolically? Sure. Does the ending drag just a little too long? Maybe. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But ultimately, \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> is a triumph, and a hugely enjoyable one. Make plans now, camp out for standing-room tickets, leave work early — do whatever you can to see this current run, or any future production. It will surely last and last.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Monkey King’ runs through Nov. 30 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. A series of community events, workshops and exhibits accompany the world premiere run. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/the-monkey-king/\">Details and ticket information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>It’s official — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> is bringing back \u003cem>The Ring\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Wagner’s monumental four-part, 15-hour opera cycle will return to the War Memorial Opera House in June 2028. Directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Eun Sun Kim, the full \u003cem>Ring of the Nibelung\u003c/em> cycle will be performed three complete times — exactly 10 years after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13835968/how-crazy-do-you-have-to-be-to-sit-through-15-hoursof-opera\">the production was last staged at San Francisco Opera\u003c/a>, in 2018. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The principal cast includes Tamara Wilson making her company debut as Brünnhilde. Brian Mulligan, currently performing as Amfortas in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13983347/parsifal-sf-opera-review\">Parsifal\u003c/a>\u003c/em> at the War Memorial Opera House, is cast as Wotan. (Mulligan performed as both Donner and Gunther in SF Opera’s 2018 production of the \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em>.) Simon O’Neill, recently seen onstage in San Francisco as Tristan in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967202/review-tristan-and-isolde-sf-opera\">Tristan un Isolde\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will perform the role of Seigfried. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983651\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983651\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Opera’s 2028 cycles of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ will be conducted by Eun Sun Kim and directed by Francesca Zambello (L–R). \u003ccite>(Cody Pickens/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This will mark Eun Sun Kim’s first time conducting the full \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em> cycle. As a lead-in, she will conduct its four parts separately: \u003cem>Das Rheingold\u003c/em> in June 2027, \u003cem>Die Walküre\u003c/em> in the fall of 2027, and \u003cem>Siegfried\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Götterdämmerung\u003c/em> in the spring of 2028 before the rotation of full cycles. (Kim has undertaken an initiative to conduct Wagner in each season, \u003ca href=\"https://frontrow.sfopera.com/details/25132\">starting with \u003cem>Lohengrin\u003c/em> in 2023\u003c/a>.) The chorus director will be John Keene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As in previous stagings of \u003cem>The Ring\u003c/em> in 2011 and 2018, San Francisco Opera plans a Ring Festival with ancillary programming around the performances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dates of the three \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em> cycles in 2028 are June 13–18, June 20–26 and June 27–July 2. Tickets go on sale Oct. 13, 2026 to Ring Circle members, 2026–27 subscribers and higher-level donors; tickets to the general public go on sale in July 2027. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/ring-cycle/\">Ticket information and more details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s official — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> is bringing back \u003cem>The Ring\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Richard Wagner’s monumental four-part, 15-hour opera cycle will return to the War Memorial Opera House in June 2028. Directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Eun Sun Kim, the full \u003cem>Ring of the Nibelung\u003c/em> cycle will be performed three complete times — exactly 10 years after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13835968/how-crazy-do-you-have-to-be-to-sit-through-15-hoursof-opera\">the production was last staged at San Francisco Opera\u003c/a>, in 2018. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The principal cast includes Tamara Wilson making her company debut as Brünnhilde. Brian Mulligan, currently performing as Amfortas in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13983347/parsifal-sf-opera-review\">Parsifal\u003c/a>\u003c/em> at the War Memorial Opera House, is cast as Wotan. (Mulligan performed as both Donner and Gunther in SF Opera’s 2018 production of the \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em>.) Simon O’Neill, recently seen onstage in San Francisco as Tristan in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13967202/review-tristan-and-isolde-sf-opera\">Tristan un Isolde\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will perform the role of Seigfried. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13983651\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13983651\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/11/Eun_Sun_Kim_Francesca_Zambello_Ring_2028_photo_CodyPickens-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">San Francisco Opera’s 2028 cycles of Wagner’s ‘Ring’ will be conducted by Eun Sun Kim and directed by Francesca Zambello (L–R). \u003ccite>(Cody Pickens/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>This will mark Eun Sun Kim’s first time conducting the full \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em> cycle. As a lead-in, she will conduct its four parts separately: \u003cem>Das Rheingold\u003c/em> in June 2027, \u003cem>Die Walküre\u003c/em> in the fall of 2027, and \u003cem>Siegfried\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Götterdämmerung\u003c/em> in the spring of 2028 before the rotation of full cycles. (Kim has undertaken an initiative to conduct Wagner in each season, \u003ca href=\"https://frontrow.sfopera.com/details/25132\">starting with \u003cem>Lohengrin\u003c/em> in 2023\u003c/a>.) The chorus director will be John Keene.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As in previous stagings of \u003cem>The Ring\u003c/em> in 2011 and 2018, San Francisco Opera plans a Ring Festival with ancillary programming around the performances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dates of the three \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em> cycles in 2028 are June 13–18, June 20–26 and June 27–July 2. Tickets go on sale Oct. 13, 2026 to Ring Circle members, 2026–27 subscribers and higher-level donors; tickets to the general public go on sale in July 2027. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/ring-cycle/\">Ticket information and more details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981517\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981517\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamie Barton as Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the past week, the U.S. government has demanded that Americans support a blatant contradiction: to honor the memory of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056113/charlie-kirks-assassination-and-the-rise-of-political-violence\">a free-speech promoting provocateur\u003c/a> by \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5545671/kimmel-suspension-charlie-kirk-death-free-speech-censorship\">attacking and firing those who exercise their right to free speech\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the TLDR of it, anyway — I’m glossing over all the parts about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/us/politics/charlie-kirk-shooting-bullets-messages.html\">bullets etched with furry lingo\u003c/a>, comparisons between \u003ca href=\"https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-news-abortion-worse-than-holocaust-charlie-kirks-controversial-views-re-surface-daughter-rape-baby-delivered-after-trump-ally-assassinated/articleshow/123831808.cms?from=mdr\">abortion and the holocaust\u003c/a>, a future assassin \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social/post/3lynfxustfc2e\">cosplaying in a slav squat\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/nancy-mace-trans-people-institutionalized-internet-charlie-kirk\">ongoing demonization of trans people\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-quotes-beliefs\">qualified Black women\u003c/a>, and an \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trumps-moves-against-media-outlets-mirror-authoritarian-approaches-to-silencing-dissent\">encroaching takeover of American news media by a thin-skinned authoritarian president\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The central contradiction of the opera \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>, which opened this week at San Francisco Opera, seems quaint by comparison. Is there a moral argument for a government to kill its own people as punishment for killing? As the author of the book \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>, Sister Helen Prejean never could have realized how uncomplicated this question would seem to an audience wrestling with the terrifying notion of American fascism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1334px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan McKinny as Joseph De Rocher with Samuel Kidd and Philip Skinner as Prison Guards in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday night, during a return to the War Memorial Opera House 25 years after its seismic world premiere here in 2000, Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s widely acclaimed, oft-performed work felt not like one of the most successful operas of the modern age, but one already out of date. The death penalty? We’ve got bigger problems now. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such is the cruel retroactive shadow of the current regime; one that’s unfair to this moving and still quite contemporary production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em> opens with nude actors on stage and a horrific crime scene that’s shocking even by today’s standards. The multilevel set design by Michael McGarty and lighting by Brian Nason cohere to create a distinct, new world on stage of eerie woodland and oppressive barbed-wire fencing. McNally’s libretto is rich as ever, and under the baton of Patrick Summers, who also conducted the 2000 premiere, Heggie’s expressive, complex score soars beautifully.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981516\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981516\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Angola State Prison set for San Francisco Opera’s production of ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And it’s not as if capital punishment has receded into the past. Since \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>’s premiere, California voters have rejected two state propositions to repeal the death penalty, and Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions just six years ago, in 2019. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which brings us to Ryan McKinny as death row inmate Joseph De Rocher, who wrestles with his conscience, worries for his mother and fears his ultimate fate. Rod Gilfry as Owen Hart, the father of a murdered girl, is a surprise standout, and both he and McKinny bring the required pathos and frustration to their roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Susan Graham, who performed the role of Prejean in 2000, returns in a full-force performance of emotion as De Rocher’s mother, grasping to understand the actions of her son and state government alike. Graham’s stellar performance made me wish I’d seen her in the original, 25 years ago. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981515\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981515\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Susan Graham as Mrs. Patrick De Rocher in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, as Sister Helen Prejean, now has the task of bringing \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>’s moral quandary to life. Though Barton was raised in the south — the story takes place in Louisiana — she plays the conflicted nun a little too meekly, combined with the occasional smirk or chortle. The role of Prejean calls for something in the middle, a steadier balance of pious trepidation and down-to-earth humanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for sheer musicality, though, when Barton and Brittany Renee, as Sister Rose, sing in duet, something special enters the air. In multiple moments of the cast and chorus singing together, and the orchestra at \u003cem>forte\u003c/em>, it creates opera at its best and most transcendent. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981518\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamie Barton as Sister Helen Prejean and Brittany Renee as Sister Rose in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Prejean’s goal is an impossible one. Her God tells her she must have empathy for all, including racists and violent criminals, plus the families of the victims of racists and violent criminals, and it eats her up. With apologies for making a comparison to the 1995 film, that’s what Susan Sarandon conveyed so wonderfully on screen, and what I found myself missing most on the opera house stage – especially since all the other elements in this production are radiantly present. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of us may be feeling like Sister Helen Prejean this week, asked, as we are, to have sympathy for those with views and actions we find abhorrent. The thing is, most of us are not nuns. And none of us are saints. Nobody’s heart is large enough to let in all the evil in the world, and certainly not this week. Twenty-five years later, the challenge that \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em> hands us is more untenable than ever. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Dead Man Walking’ runs through Sunday, Sept. 28, at the War Memorial Opera House (301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/dead-man-walking/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981517\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981517\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1252-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamie Barton as Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For the past week, the U.S. government has demanded that Americans support a blatant contradiction: to honor the memory of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12056113/charlie-kirks-assassination-and-the-rise-of-political-violence\">a free-speech promoting provocateur\u003c/a> by \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5545671/kimmel-suspension-charlie-kirk-death-free-speech-censorship\">attacking and firing those who exercise their right to free speech\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s the TLDR of it, anyway — I’m glossing over all the parts about \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/us/politics/charlie-kirk-shooting-bullets-messages.html\">bullets etched with furry lingo\u003c/a>, comparisons between \u003ca href=\"https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/us-news-abortion-worse-than-holocaust-charlie-kirks-controversial-views-re-surface-daughter-rape-baby-delivered-after-trump-ally-assassinated/articleshow/123831808.cms?from=mdr\">abortion and the holocaust\u003c/a>, a future assassin \u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/iwriteok.bsky.social/post/3lynfxustfc2e\">cosplaying in a slav squat\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.them.us/story/nancy-mace-trans-people-institutionalized-internet-charlie-kirk\">ongoing demonization of trans people\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/11/charlie-kirk-quotes-beliefs\">qualified Black women\u003c/a>, and an \u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trumps-moves-against-media-outlets-mirror-authoritarian-approaches-to-silencing-dissent\">encroaching takeover of American news media by a thin-skinned authoritarian president\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The central contradiction of the opera \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>, which opened this week at San Francisco Opera, seems quaint by comparison. Is there a moral argument for a government to kill its own people as punishment for killing? As the author of the book \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>, Sister Helen Prejean never could have realized how uncomplicated this question would seem to an audience wrestling with the terrifying notion of American fascism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1334px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1334\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981514\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608.jpg 1334w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1608-1025x1536.jpg 1025w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1334px) 100vw, 1334px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan McKinny as Joseph De Rocher with Samuel Kidd and Philip Skinner as Prison Guards in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>On Wednesday night, during a return to the War Memorial Opera House 25 years after its seismic world premiere here in 2000, Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s widely acclaimed, oft-performed work felt not like one of the most successful operas of the modern age, but one already out of date. The death penalty? We’ve got bigger problems now. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Such is the cruel retroactive shadow of the current regime; one that’s unfair to this moving and still quite contemporary production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em> opens with nude actors on stage and a horrific crime scene that’s shocking even by today’s standards. The multilevel set design by Michael McGarty and lighting by Brian Nason cohere to create a distinct, new world on stage of eerie woodland and oppressive barbed-wire fencing. McNally’s libretto is rich as ever, and under the baton of Patrick Summers, who also conducted the 2000 premiere, Heggie’s expressive, complex score soars beautifully.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981516\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981516\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/O2A4541-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Angola State Prison set for San Francisco Opera’s production of ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And it’s not as if capital punishment has receded into the past. Since \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>’s premiere, California voters have rejected two state propositions to repeal the death penalty, and Governor Gavin Newsom placed a moratorium on executions just six years ago, in 2019. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Which brings us to Ryan McKinny as death row inmate Joseph De Rocher, who wrestles with his conscience, worries for his mother and fears his ultimate fate. Rod Gilfry as Owen Hart, the father of a murdered girl, is a surprise standout, and both he and McKinny bring the required pathos and frustration to their roles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Susan Graham, who performed the role of Prejean in 2000, returns in a full-force performance of emotion as De Rocher’s mother, grasping to understand the actions of her son and state government alike. Graham’s stellar performance made me wish I’d seen her in the original, 25 years ago. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981515\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981515\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A1624-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Susan Graham as Mrs. Patrick De Rocher in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, as Sister Helen Prejean, now has the task of bringing \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em>’s moral quandary to life. Though Barton was raised in the south — the story takes place in Louisiana — she plays the conflicted nun a little too meekly, combined with the occasional smirk or chortle. The role of Prejean calls for something in the middle, a steadier balance of pious trepidation and down-to-earth humanity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for sheer musicality, though, when Barton and Brittany Renee, as Sister Rose, sing in duet, something special enters the air. In multiple moments of the cast and chorus singing together, and the orchestra at \u003cem>forte\u003c/em>, it creates opera at its best and most transcendent. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13981518\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13981518\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/C0A2150-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamie Barton as Sister Helen Prejean and Brittany Renee as Sister Rose in Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Prejean’s goal is an impossible one. Her God tells her she must have empathy for all, including racists and violent criminals, plus the families of the victims of racists and violent criminals, and it eats her up. With apologies for making a comparison to the 1995 film, that’s what Susan Sarandon conveyed so wonderfully on screen, and what I found myself missing most on the opera house stage – especially since all the other elements in this production are radiantly present. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of us may be feeling like Sister Helen Prejean this week, asked, as we are, to have sympathy for those with views and actions we find abhorrent. The thing is, most of us are not nuns. And none of us are saints. Nobody’s heart is large enough to let in all the evil in the world, and certainly not this week. Twenty-five years later, the challenge that \u003cem>Dead Man Walking\u003c/em> hands us is more untenable than ever. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Dead Man Walking’ runs through Sunday, Sept. 28, at the War Memorial Opera House (301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/dead-man-walking/\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "SF Opera’s New Season: ‘Dead Man Walking,’ ‘The Monkey King’ and More",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sf-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> on Tuesday announced a dynamic 2025–26 season, the centerpiece of which is a highly anticipated new commission: \u003ci>The Monkey King\u003c/i>, an action-adventure opera by composer Huang Ruo and librettist Henry David Hwang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Premiering Nov. 14, \u003ci>The Monkey King\u003c/i> is based on \u003ci>Journey to the West\u003c/i>, a 1592 Chinese literary classic that’s inspired countless films, animations and even a massively popular video game, \u003ci>Black Myth: Wukong\u003c/i>. The new work, which runs through Nov. 30, promises to push SF Opera to new technical heights, utilizing dance and puppetry to tell the story of the ruler of the monkey kingdom who faces off against gods, demons and his own ego in his quest for immortality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971300\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers.jpg\" alt=\"A digital sketch of colorful costumes inspired by traditional Chinese clothing. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1294\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-800x518.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-1020x660.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-768x497.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-1920x1242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Costume designs by Anita Yavich for Erlang and the gods in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Anita Yavich/Courtesy of SF Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another season highlight is the return of \u003ci>Dead Man Walking\u003c/i>, which premiered at SF Opera 25 years ago and has since become one of the most popular modern operas of this century. Coming to the War Memorial Opera House stage Sept. 14–28, the libretto by Terrence McNally tells the real-life story of Sister Helen Prejean as she undergoes a spiritual journey while ministering to a man facing the death penalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The season kicks off with Verdi’s \u003cem>Rigoletto\u003c/em>, running Sept. 5–27, with a cast that includes Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat in the title role alongside Adela Zaharia, Giovanni Sala, J’Nai Bridges, Peixin Chen and Aleksey Bogdanov.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From Oct. 25–Nov. 13, SF Opera will present a new production of Richard Wagner’s final work, \u003ci>Parsifal\u003c/i>, the story of a knight’s spiritual quest, which — like \u003ci>The Monkey King\u003c/i> — is heavily influenced by Buddhism. The opera is part of SF Opera Music Director Eun Sun Kim’s ongoing exploration of the 19th century German composer’s work, and will be directed by Matthew Ozawa. (Kim and SF Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock will appear live at KQED’s Mission District venue, The Commons, on Feb. 4 for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/event/4930\">conversation with \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em> host Mina Kim\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971302\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971302\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi.jpg\" alt=\"An opera set with fences and barbed wire that look like a prison. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Andrew Cioffi/Lyric Opera of Chicago)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other season highlights include a June 2026 staging of Gioachino Rossini’s iconic 19th-century comedy \u003ci>The Barber of Seville\u003c/i> and Richard Strauss’ Greek mythology-fueled \u003ci>Elektra\u003c/i>. A special concert for Pride month is also slated for June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This season, SF Opera will offer new Saturday matinee concerts; some of the season’s productions will also be livestreamed on select dates. SF Opera will also present its annual Opera in the Park, a free concert in Golden Gate Park’s Robin Williams Meadow, on Sept. 7, featuring the SF Opera Orchestra and soloists with Kim at the podium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Opera’s 103rd season kicks off Sept. 5. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/\">A full schedule of events can be found here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sf-opera\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> on Tuesday announced a dynamic 2025–26 season, the centerpiece of which is a highly anticipated new commission: \u003ci>The Monkey King\u003c/i>, an action-adventure opera by composer Huang Ruo and librettist Henry David Hwang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Premiering Nov. 14, \u003ci>The Monkey King\u003c/i> is based on \u003ci>Journey to the West\u003c/i>, a 1592 Chinese literary classic that’s inspired countless films, animations and even a massively popular video game, \u003ci>Black Myth: Wukong\u003c/i>. The new work, which runs through Nov. 30, promises to push SF Opera to new technical heights, utilizing dance and puppetry to tell the story of the ruler of the monkey kingdom who faces off against gods, demons and his own ego in his quest for immortality.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971300\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers.jpg\" alt=\"A digital sketch of colorful costumes inspired by traditional Chinese clothing. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1294\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-800x518.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-1020x660.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-768x497.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-1536x994.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/The-Gods-Erland-and-his-brothers-1920x1242.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Costume designs by Anita Yavich for Erlang and the gods in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s ‘The Monkey King.’ \u003ccite>(Anita Yavich/Courtesy of SF Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another season highlight is the return of \u003ci>Dead Man Walking\u003c/i>, which premiered at SF Opera 25 years ago and has since become one of the most popular modern operas of this century. Coming to the War Memorial Opera House stage Sept. 14–28, the libretto by Terrence McNally tells the real-life story of Sister Helen Prejean as she undergoes a spiritual journey while ministering to a man facing the death penalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The season kicks off with Verdi’s \u003cem>Rigoletto\u003c/em>, running Sept. 5–27, with a cast that includes Mongolian baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat in the title role alongside Adela Zaharia, Giovanni Sala, J’Nai Bridges, Peixin Chen and Aleksey Bogdanov.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From Oct. 25–Nov. 13, SF Opera will present a new production of Richard Wagner’s final work, \u003ci>Parsifal\u003c/i>, the story of a knight’s spiritual quest, which — like \u003ci>The Monkey King\u003c/i> — is heavily influenced by Buddhism. The opera is part of SF Opera Music Director Eun Sun Kim’s ongoing exploration of the 19th century German composer’s work, and will be directed by Matthew Ozawa. (Kim and SF Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock will appear live at KQED’s Mission District venue, The Commons, on Feb. 4 for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/event/4930\">conversation with \u003cem>Forum\u003c/em> host Mina Kim\u003c/a>.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13971302\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13971302\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi.jpg\" alt=\"An opera set with fences and barbed wire that look like a prison. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/DEAD-MAN-WALKING_Lyric-Opera-of-Chicago_c-Andrew-Cioffi-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s ‘Dead Man Walking.’ \u003ccite>(Andrew Cioffi/Lyric Opera of Chicago)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Other season highlights include a June 2026 staging of Gioachino Rossini’s iconic 19th-century comedy \u003ci>The Barber of Seville\u003c/i> and Richard Strauss’ Greek mythology-fueled \u003ci>Elektra\u003c/i>. A special concert for Pride month is also slated for June.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This season, SF Opera will offer new Saturday matinee concerts; some of the season’s productions will also be livestreamed on select dates. SF Opera will also present its annual Opera in the Park, a free concert in Golden Gate Park’s Robin Williams Meadow, on Sept. 7, featuring the SF Opera Orchestra and soloists with Kim at the podium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Opera’s 103rd season kicks off Sept. 5. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/\">A full schedule of events can be found here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "‘Tristan and Isolde’ at SF Opera: An Epic of Love, Death and Yearning",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you’ve never spent five hours at the opera for a story that would ordinarily take three minutes to tell, are you even living? Enter \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em>, Richard Wagner’s epic, tragic romance, with emphasis on epic — especially if you’re the couple who left the opera house last night at the three-hour mark, the wife muttering, “It’s just so \u003cem>long\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At San Francisco Opera through Nov. 5, \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em> is long, yes. (\u003ca href=\"https://slippedisc.com/2022/07/four-maestros-die-in-the-same-podium/\">Two conductors have died while conducting it\u003c/a>.) But like Wagner’s other great works, its effect is to warp time itself, stretching one’s mind and prying into the gaps. In \u003cem>Tristan\u003c/em>, what it shovels into those chasms is reams of love, death, and drama. Like a certain candidate’s campaign speeches, its characters ruminate endlessly: about passion, about mortality, about painful yearning, even though the one they yearn for is standing right there, next to them, also inexplicably yearning. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967237\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1896\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-1020x756.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-2048x1517.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-1920x1422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Annika Schlicht as Brangäne and Anja Kampe as Isolde; at right, Wolfgang Koch as Kurwenal and Simon O’Neill as Tristan. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If you don’t understand the attraction of this sort of thing, perhaps you never listened to The Smiths, or smoked cloves while bewailing the cruelty of the world with your dour-faced companions. At last night’s performance, halfway through Simon O’Neill’s tour de force in the third act as the dying-in-slow-motion Tristan, I started to think of the 19th-century Wagnerians as the original goth kids, flocking to the Bauhaus concerts of their day. \u003cem>An ardent burning love drives me from the fearful bliss of death\u003c/em>, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, the set for this \u003cem>Tristan\u003c/em> is bare bones; a framed wall hued in blue light signifies a ship, and a lone pruned, silver-painted tree substitutes for a garden. One could say this draws more focus on the performances, and their lengthy monologues that sometimes feel like recital anyway. No single singer steals the show here — Anja Kampe’s Isolde matches O’Neill scene-for-scene, Annika Schlicht (Brangäne) and Wolfgang Koch (Kurwenal) are excellent as their BFFs, and Kwangchul Youn sings King Marke with a strong, regal authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967243\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1896\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967243\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-1020x756.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-2048x1517.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-1920x1422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Kwangchul Youn as King Marke; at right, Annika Schlicht as Brangäne. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the heart of it all is the music of Wagner, whose melodic approach and chord phrasings persist to this day; I hear them in Bernard Herrmann, McCoy Tyner and Radiohead. Kudos, then, to the orchestra. And can we take a moment to appreciate the gift San Francisco has in Eun Sun Kim at the podium? All the dynamism of the score comes alive under her baton, making it welcome news that she’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/press/press-releases/ESK-contract-extension\">just signed a five-year extension\u003c/a>. (Fittingly, she’s also committed to doing a Wagner opera each season, including an upcoming \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em> cycle.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And perhaps it’s fine that some people skipped out early last night, like that tired couple I saw after Act II, leaving the diehards to their ritual. At \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em>’s end, as Kampe stood alone, illuminated on a dark stage, singing reverently of sweet breaths and swelling hearts, her crumpled lover at her feet, you could hear a pin drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Tristan and Isolde’ runs through Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/tristan-and-isolde/\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you’ve never spent five hours at the opera for a story that would ordinarily take three minutes to tell, are you even living? Enter \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em>, Richard Wagner’s epic, tragic romance, with emphasis on epic — especially if you’re the couple who left the opera house last night at the three-hour mark, the wife muttering, “It’s just so \u003cem>long\u003c/em>.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At San Francisco Opera through Nov. 5, \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em> is long, yes. (\u003ca href=\"https://slippedisc.com/2022/07/four-maestros-die-in-the-same-podium/\">Two conductors have died while conducting it\u003c/a>.) But like Wagner’s other great works, its effect is to warp time itself, stretching one’s mind and prying into the gaps. In \u003cem>Tristan\u003c/em>, what it shovels into those chasms is reams of love, death, and drama. Like a certain candidate’s campaign speeches, its characters ruminate endlessly: about passion, about mortality, about painful yearning, even though the one they yearn for is standing right there, next to them, also inexplicably yearning. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967237\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1896\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967237\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-1020x756.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-2048x1517.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip_-1920x1422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Annika Schlicht as Brangäne and Anja Kampe as Isolde; at right, Wolfgang Koch as Kurwenal and Simon O’Neill as Tristan. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If you don’t understand the attraction of this sort of thing, perhaps you never listened to The Smiths, or smoked cloves while bewailing the cruelty of the world with your dour-faced companions. At last night’s performance, halfway through Simon O’Neill’s tour de force in the third act as the dying-in-slow-motion Tristan, I started to think of the 19th-century Wagnerians as the original goth kids, flocking to the Bauhaus concerts of their day. \u003cem>An ardent burning love drives me from the fearful bliss of death\u003c/em>, indeed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In San Francisco, the set for this \u003cem>Tristan\u003c/em> is bare bones; a framed wall hued in blue light signifies a ship, and a lone pruned, silver-painted tree substitutes for a garden. One could say this draws more focus on the performances, and their lengthy monologues that sometimes feel like recital anyway. No single singer steals the show here — Anja Kampe’s Isolde matches O’Neill scene-for-scene, Annika Schlicht (Brangäne) and Wolfgang Koch (Kurwenal) are excellent as their BFFs, and Kwangchul Youn sings King Marke with a strong, regal authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13967243\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1896\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13967243\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-800x593.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-1020x756.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-768x569.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-1536x1138.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-2048x1517.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/tristan.dip2_-1920x1422.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Kwangchul Youn as King Marke; at right, Annika Schlicht as Brangäne. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At the heart of it all is the music of Wagner, whose melodic approach and chord phrasings persist to this day; I hear them in Bernard Herrmann, McCoy Tyner and Radiohead. Kudos, then, to the orchestra. And can we take a moment to appreciate the gift San Francisco has in Eun Sun Kim at the podium? All the dynamism of the score comes alive under her baton, making it welcome news that she’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/press/press-releases/ESK-contract-extension\">just signed a five-year extension\u003c/a>. (Fittingly, she’s also committed to doing a Wagner opera each season, including an upcoming \u003cem>Ring\u003c/em> cycle.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And perhaps it’s fine that some people skipped out early last night, like that tired couple I saw after Act II, leaving the diehards to their ritual. At \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em>’s end, as Kampe stood alone, illuminated on a dark stage, singing reverently of sweet breaths and swelling hearts, her crumpled lover at her feet, you could hear a pin drop.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Tristan and Isolde’ runs through Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/tristan-and-isolde/\">Details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The lights have just gone up for intermission at the opening night of San Francisco Opera’s long-awaited production of \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em>. As people begin to rise and excitedly chatter about what we’ve just witnessed, the woman next to me turns to her companion and sighs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Well,” she says, “this is unrelentingly bleak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13963021']Anyone familiar with \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> will tell you that is certainly a fair assessment. This is, after all, the story of a woman violently torn from her family and forced into a life of sexual servitude by a theocratic regime. America is no more, replaced by the Republic of Gilead, whose leaders attempt to solve an infertility crisis by forcing fertile women to reproduce with the commanding elite. These “handmaids,” living with their assigned commanders’ families, are considered disposable vessels, unworthy of even retaining their own names. The woman at the center of \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> is known only as Offred — literally “of Fred,” the commander she’s been assigned to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963881\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt.jpg\" alt=\"A stage set featuring a backdrop decorated with a large triangle and eye. On stage are 18 women all dressed in long red cloaks.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at San Francisco Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Running through Oct. 1 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, composer Poul Ruders’ and librettist Paul Bentley’s interpretation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/margaret-atwood\">Margaret Atwood\u003c/a>’s 1985 novel is a faithful yet incredibly innovative rendering of the original story. For opera attendees stepping into this patriarchal dystopia for the first time, however, the shock may be significant. (The “unrelentingly bleak” lady couldn’t possibly have known how much darker things were going to get in the second act.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider, for example, the scene in which two women have hoods thrown over their heads and are hung by their necks from the rafters. Or the one in which a man is beaten to death \u003cem>in slow motion\u003c/em> by a group of handmaids. Or the two in which Offred is ritually raped by Commander Fred while a shocking refrain of “Amazing Grace” plays in the background. Another, depicting the violent breakup of Offred’s family, made the man in front of me jump out of his seat. Directed by John Fulljames, \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> opera — like the book and enormously popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/tag/the-handmaids-tale\">Hulu series\u003c/a> — is not for the faint of heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13964252\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13964252\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred.jpg\" alt=\"A perturbed looking woman wearing a red cloak and white bonnet sits on a twin bed.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Irene Roberts as Offred in San Francisco Opera’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The lifeblood of this particular production is Irene Roberts as Offred. The mezzo-soprano’s heartrending vocal delivery is matched by a grueling physical performance in which Roberts must endure physical groping by several male cast members, dressing and undressing repeatedly (including the removal of underwear), as well as running, crouching and falling to the floor. Roberts’ performance here is consistently astonishing — the reason all eyes stayed glued to the stage throughout, even during the most harrowing of scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other wonderful aspect of this particular \u003cem>Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> is the on-stage juxtaposition of Offred’s current reality in Gilead with the life she lived before. Pre-Gilead Offred is played with a compelling naïveté by Simone McIntosh. This Offred, in her regular clothes, free to watch TV and read magazines and make love to her husband, is a shadow lurking in the background throughout the opera, as Offred mentally hangs onto the shreds of her previous life. It’s a staging quirk that could easily have failed with the wrong casting, but that’s an incredibly effective device in this production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13962857']Truthfully, nothing about \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> opera slouches. Sarah Cambidge’s purposefully piercing vocals make her the perfect Aunt Lydia, the dominating woman who does her best to indoctrinate the handmaids. Caroline Corrales as Offred’s best friend Moira provides a true sense of liberty and rebellion, audaciously delivering much-needed zingers throughout. And Commander Fred’s presence is all the more intimidating because of John Relyea’s deep bass delivery. This strong cast is upheld by the baton of Karen Kamensek, conducting the orchestra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13964256\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13964256\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632.jpg\" alt=\"A woman kneels dejected on the floor as she is goaded and mocked by a group of other women. All but one are wearing red dresses and white bonnets.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Irene Roberts as Offred and Sarah Cambidge (in the green uniform) as Aunt Lydia in San Francisco Opera’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then there are the sets. Chloe Lamford’s designs evoke the prison state of Gilead via a series of stark and striking walls. A symbolic wall with an ever-watchful eye. The corrugated walls of the handmaid’s training compound. The stark white wall where traitors are hung. The layered, somehow infinite walls of the Commander’s house. The automated “Soul Scrolls” prayer wall, dinging away like Las Vegas slots. The sense of ceaseless confinement persists throughout, as it did in Atwood’s novel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only place where this \u003cem>Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> goes wrong is in a pandering (and a little confusing) tableau that gets plopped onto the stage in the last minute of the opera. This moment features a self-conscious attempt to leave things on an optimistic note. They shouldn’t have bothered. \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> is always, in all formats, at its most powerful when it’s, well, unrelentingly bleak.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ runs through Oct. 1, 2024, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/handmaids-tale/\">Details and tickets here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The opera will be livestreamed on Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/tickets/seated-reserve-page/?performanceId=7729\">Livestream tickets here.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The lights have just gone up for intermission at the opening night of San Francisco Opera’s long-awaited production of \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em>. As people begin to rise and excitedly chatter about what we’ve just witnessed, the woman next to me turns to her companion and sighs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Well,” she says, “this is unrelentingly bleak.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Anyone familiar with \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> will tell you that is certainly a fair assessment. This is, after all, the story of a woman violently torn from her family and forced into a life of sexual servitude by a theocratic regime. America is no more, replaced by the Republic of Gilead, whose leaders attempt to solve an infertility crisis by forcing fertile women to reproduce with the commanding elite. These “handmaids,” living with their assigned commanders’ families, are considered disposable vessels, unworthy of even retaining their own names. The woman at the center of \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> is known only as Offred — literally “of Fred,” the commander she’s been assigned to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13963881\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13963881\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt.jpg\" alt=\"A stage set featuring a backdrop decorated with a large triangle and eye. On stage are 18 women all dressed in long red cloaks.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/hmt-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ at San Francisco Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Running through Oct. 1 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, composer Poul Ruders’ and librettist Paul Bentley’s interpretation of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/margaret-atwood\">Margaret Atwood\u003c/a>’s 1985 novel is a faithful yet incredibly innovative rendering of the original story. For opera attendees stepping into this patriarchal dystopia for the first time, however, the shock may be significant. (The “unrelentingly bleak” lady couldn’t possibly have known how much darker things were going to get in the second act.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Consider, for example, the scene in which two women have hoods thrown over their heads and are hung by their necks from the rafters. Or the one in which a man is beaten to death \u003cem>in slow motion\u003c/em> by a group of handmaids. Or the two in which Offred is ritually raped by Commander Fred while a shocking refrain of “Amazing Grace” plays in the background. Another, depicting the violent breakup of Offred’s family, made the man in front of me jump out of his seat. Directed by John Fulljames, \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> opera — like the book and enormously popular \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/pop/tag/the-handmaids-tale\">Hulu series\u003c/a> — is not for the faint of heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13964252\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13964252\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred.jpg\" alt=\"A perturbed looking woman wearing a red cloak and white bonnet sits on a twin bed.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/offred-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Irene Roberts as Offred in San Francisco Opera’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The lifeblood of this particular production is Irene Roberts as Offred. The mezzo-soprano’s heartrending vocal delivery is matched by a grueling physical performance in which Roberts must endure physical groping by several male cast members, dressing and undressing repeatedly (including the removal of underwear), as well as running, crouching and falling to the floor. Roberts’ performance here is consistently astonishing — the reason all eyes stayed glued to the stage throughout, even during the most harrowing of scenes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other wonderful aspect of this particular \u003cem>Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> is the on-stage juxtaposition of Offred’s current reality in Gilead with the life she lived before. Pre-Gilead Offred is played with a compelling naïveté by Simone McIntosh. This Offred, in her regular clothes, free to watch TV and read magazines and make love to her husband, is a shadow lurking in the background throughout the opera, as Offred mentally hangs onto the shreds of her previous life. It’s a staging quirk that could easily have failed with the wrong casting, but that’s an incredibly effective device in this production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Truthfully, nothing about \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> opera slouches. Sarah Cambidge’s purposefully piercing vocals make her the perfect Aunt Lydia, the dominating woman who does her best to indoctrinate the handmaids. Caroline Corrales as Offred’s best friend Moira provides a true sense of liberty and rebellion, audaciously delivering much-needed zingers throughout. And Commander Fred’s presence is all the more intimidating because of John Relyea’s deep bass delivery. This strong cast is upheld by the baton of Karen Kamensek, conducting the orchestra.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13964256\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13964256\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632.jpg\" alt=\"A woman kneels dejected on the floor as she is goaded and mocked by a group of other women. All but one are wearing red dresses and white bonnets.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/09/75A0632-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Irene Roberts as Offred and Sarah Cambidge (in the green uniform) as Aunt Lydia in San Francisco Opera’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then there are the sets. Chloe Lamford’s designs evoke the prison state of Gilead via a series of stark and striking walls. A symbolic wall with an ever-watchful eye. The corrugated walls of the handmaid’s training compound. The stark white wall where traitors are hung. The layered, somehow infinite walls of the Commander’s house. The automated “Soul Scrolls” prayer wall, dinging away like Las Vegas slots. The sense of ceaseless confinement persists throughout, as it did in Atwood’s novel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The only place where this \u003cem>Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> goes wrong is in a pandering (and a little confusing) tableau that gets plopped onto the stage in the last minute of the opera. This moment features a self-conscious attempt to leave things on an optimistic note. They shouldn’t have bothered. \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> is always, in all formats, at its most powerful when it’s, well, unrelentingly bleak.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ runs through Oct. 1, 2024, at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/handmaids-tale/\">Details and tickets here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The opera will be livestreamed on Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/tickets/seated-reserve-page/?performanceId=7729\">Livestream tickets here.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "innocence-sf-opera-review-san-francisco-school-shooting-kaija-saariaho",
"title": "‘Innocence’ at SF Opera: An Astonishing Masterwork About a School Shooting",
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"content": "\u003cp>The thing is, I’d started to get desensitized to school shootings. Where once I devoured every detail in the news reports, trying to make sense of the senseless, lately I have scrolled right past. Maybe this has happened to you, too. If so, you know the strange guilt of it. The \u003cem>I care, but I cannot care right now\u003c/em> of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is this how “normalization” works? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">Innocence\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an opera about a school shooting that made its U.S. premiere on Saturday at San Francisco Opera, does not let you look away from the horror that has, yes, become normalized in America. It does so without being preachy, or didactic. Written by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died before its San Francisco opening, it is, hands down, the most moving contemporary opera I’ve ever seen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959106\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959106\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Claire de Sévigné as the Mother-in-Law (Patricia), Miles Mykkanen as the Bridegroom (Tuomas), Lilian Farahani as the Bride (Stela), Ruxandra Donose as the Waitress (Tereza), and Rod Gilfry as the Father-in-Law (Henrik) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The story opens at a wedding rehearsal dinner, where the bride, Stela (played by Lilian Farahani) is thrilled to soon be married to Tuomas (Miles Mykkanen). Meanwhile, a catering waitress, Tereza (Ruxandra Donose), recognizes Tuomas as the brother of the man who committed a mass shooting at her daughter’s school, 10 years prior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Tereza, as well as the groom’s parents, wrestle with what to tell the bride, seven figures haunt the wedding. Six are students. One is a teacher. In a series of soliloquies and flashbacks, on a revolving two-story turntable set that morphs between wedding venue and school, the students and teacher contrast the joy of the upcoming nuptials with the terror of the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959124\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1425\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-800x594.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-1020x757.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-768x570.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Claire de Sévigné as the Mother-in-Law (Patricia) and Rod Gilfry as the Father-in-Law (Henrik); at right, Vilma Jää as Student #1 (Markéta) and Ruxandra Donose as the Waitress (Tereza) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Director Louise Bakker spares us the shooting itself. You will, to be sure, see red streaks of blood. You will see panic, and lifeless young bodies slumped against a classroom wall. (On opening night, as these visuals multiplied, I noticed only three people walk out; the rest, rapt, couldn’t look away.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly as agonizing is the characters’ ongoing trauma, its complex layers fearlessly probed by librettist Sofi Oksanen. The waitress resents the shooter’s family for the audacity to carry on with a future that they don’t deserve, while the parents of the groom, and of his brother the shooter, fight incessantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959101\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959101\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lilian Farahani as the Bride (Stela), Miles Mykkanen as the Bridegroom (Tuomas), Claire de Sévigné as the Mother-in-Law (Patricia), and Rod Gilfry as the Father-in-Law (Henrik) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The students who survived the shooting can’t stand to be in large crowds now, or sit with their back to a door. They teach themselves to stop talking about the shooting, even though it is the only thing they can think about. For the teacher (Lucy Shelton), her very purpose has evaporated. All knowledge feels useless after the shooting, she sings, in an anguished voice: “Each textbook, stupid. Each exam, superfluous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> is about this loss. Not just a loss of innocence but a loss of sense or meaning. A loss, caused by guns, of our common bonds. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959118\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1427\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959118\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-800x595.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-1020x758.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-768x571.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-1536x1142.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Camilo Delgado Díaz as Student #5 (Jerónimo); at right, Julie Hega as Student #3 (Iris) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All of this would be powerful enough on its own. But in the fourth act, we are forced to ask: who is really innocent? As new, shocking twists are revealed by students Iris and Markéta (Julie Hega and Vilma Jää, both mesmerizing talents), and as further context is added by the groom, his parents and even a priest (Kristinn Sigmundsson), the pain of the shooting becomes more entrenched. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elevating all of this is Saariaho’s angular, modern-sounding score, matching the mood and timeliness of its subject perfectly. Jää’s usage of Finnish folk singing adds to the story’s realism, while an off-stage chorus and surround-sound effects lend further gravitas to the tension, discomfort and sorrow. Over time, the revolving set designed by Chloe Lamford transforms entirely. All together, it’s an opera that feels like a movie, both in style and length; the whole thing runs just an hour and 48 minutes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959097\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vilma Jää as Student #1 (Markéta) (center) with Lucy Shelton as the Teacher, and Rowan Kievits as Student #4 (Anton) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> is based on a 2008 school shooting that occurred in Saariaho’s native Finland. At the time, this was a rarity for the country, but two months ago, just outside Helsinki, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68724991\">12 year-old brought a gun to school and shot a classmate dead\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, I can’t count the number of school shootings in America. Can you? Since Columbine in 1999, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.security.org/blog/a-timeline-of-school-shootings-since-columbine/\">118 active shooter incidents reported at K–12 schools in the United States\u003c/a>. A total of 1,243 have been injured, and 440 people killed. Teachers, children, all with futures. All shot down dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was supposed to be an opera review, I know. But as a work of art, \u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> is just that masterful, to shake you out of your complacency, to keep you thinking about it for days afterward. And to never take a school shooting for granted again. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">Innocence\u003c/a>’ runs through June 21 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">Details here\u003c/a>. SF Opera has also convened \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/beyond-innocence\">Beyond Innocence\u003c/a>, a series of panel discussions on gun violence and its effects. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/beyond-innocence\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The thing is, I’d started to get desensitized to school shootings. Where once I devoured every detail in the news reports, trying to make sense of the senseless, lately I have scrolled right past. Maybe this has happened to you, too. If so, you know the strange guilt of it. The \u003cem>I care, but I cannot care right now\u003c/em> of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Is this how “normalization” works? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">Innocence\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an opera about a school shooting that made its U.S. premiere on Saturday at San Francisco Opera, does not let you look away from the horror that has, yes, become normalized in America. It does so without being preachy, or didactic. Written by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died before its San Francisco opening, it is, hands down, the most moving contemporary opera I’ve ever seen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959106\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959106\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A0991.1920-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Claire de Sévigné as the Mother-in-Law (Patricia), Miles Mykkanen as the Bridegroom (Tuomas), Lilian Farahani as the Bride (Stela), Ruxandra Donose as the Waitress (Tereza), and Rod Gilfry as the Father-in-Law (Henrik) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The story opens at a wedding rehearsal dinner, where the bride, Stela (played by Lilian Farahani) is thrilled to soon be married to Tuomas (Miles Mykkanen). Meanwhile, a catering waitress, Tereza (Ruxandra Donose), recognizes Tuomas as the brother of the man who committed a mass shooting at her daughter’s school, 10 years prior.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Tereza, as well as the groom’s parents, wrestle with what to tell the bride, seven figures haunt the wedding. Six are students. One is a teacher. In a series of soliloquies and flashbacks, on a revolving two-story turntable set that morphs between wedding venue and school, the students and teacher contrast the joy of the upcoming nuptials with the terror of the shooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959124\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1425\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-800x594.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-1020x757.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-768x570.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1047-1536x1140.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Claire de Sévigné as the Mother-in-Law (Patricia) and Rod Gilfry as the Father-in-Law (Henrik); at right, Vilma Jää as Student #1 (Markéta) and Ruxandra Donose as the Waitress (Tereza) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Director Louise Bakker spares us the shooting itself. You will, to be sure, see red streaks of blood. You will see panic, and lifeless young bodies slumped against a classroom wall. (On opening night, as these visuals multiplied, I noticed only three people walk out; the rest, rapt, couldn’t look away.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly as agonizing is the characters’ ongoing trauma, its complex layers fearlessly probed by librettist Sofi Oksanen. The waitress resents the shooter’s family for the audacity to carry on with a future that they don’t deserve, while the parents of the groom, and of his brother the shooter, fight incessantly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959101\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959101\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A9204-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lilian Farahani as the Bride (Stela), Miles Mykkanen as the Bridegroom (Tuomas), Claire de Sévigné as the Mother-in-Law (Patricia), and Rod Gilfry as the Father-in-Law (Henrik) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The students who survived the shooting can’t stand to be in large crowds now, or sit with their back to a door. They teach themselves to stop talking about the shooting, even though it is the only thing they can think about. For the teacher (Lucy Shelton), her very purpose has evaporated. All knowledge feels useless after the shooting, she sings, in an anguished voice: “Each textbook, stupid. Each exam, superfluous.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> is about this loss. Not just a loss of innocence but a loss of sense or meaning. A loss, caused by guns, of our common bonds. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959118\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1427\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959118\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-800x595.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-1020x758.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-160x119.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-768x571.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/74A1022.dip_-1536x1142.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">At left, Camilo Delgado Díaz as Student #5 (Jerónimo); at right, Julie Hega as Student #3 (Iris) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All of this would be powerful enough on its own. But in the fourth act, we are forced to ask: who is really innocent? As new, shocking twists are revealed by students Iris and Markéta (Julie Hega and Vilma Jää, both mesmerizing talents), and as further context is added by the groom, his parents and even a priest (Kristinn Sigmundsson), the pain of the shooting becomes more entrenched. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elevating all of this is Saariaho’s angular, modern-sounding score, matching the mood and timeliness of its subject perfectly. Jää’s usage of Finnish folk singing adds to the story’s realism, while an off-stage chorus and surround-sound effects lend further gravitas to the tension, discomfort and sorrow. Over time, the revolving set designed by Chloe Lamford transforms entirely. All together, it’s an opera that feels like a movie, both in style and length; the whole thing runs just an hour and 48 minutes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13959097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13959097\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/75A8850-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vilma Jää as Student #1 (Markéta) (center) with Lucy Shelton as the Teacher, and Rowan Kievits as Student #4 (Anton) in ‘Innocence’ at SF Opera. \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver / San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> is based on a 2008 school shooting that occurred in Saariaho’s native Finland. At the time, this was a rarity for the country, but two months ago, just outside Helsinki, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68724991\">12 year-old brought a gun to school and shot a classmate dead\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, I can’t count the number of school shootings in America. Can you? Since Columbine in 1999, there have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.security.org/blog/a-timeline-of-school-shootings-since-columbine/\">118 active shooter incidents reported at K–12 schools in the United States\u003c/a>. A total of 1,243 have been injured, and 440 people killed. Teachers, children, all with futures. All shot down dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was supposed to be an opera review, I know. But as a work of art, \u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> is just that masterful, to shake you out of your complacency, to keep you thinking about it for days afterward. And to never take a school shooting for granted again. \u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">Innocence\u003c/a>’ runs through June 21 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">Details here\u003c/a>. SF Opera has also convened \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/beyond-innocence\">Beyond Innocence\u003c/a>, a series of panel discussions on gun violence and its effects. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/beyond-innocence\">Details here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "10 Great Jazz and Classical Shows in the Bay Area This Summer",
"headTitle": "10 Great Jazz and Classical Shows in the Bay Area This Summer | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>I know, I know — summertime is for staying out ’til 2 a.m., losing your mind to ear-splitting bass and dancing for hours. Not exactly the realm of classical music or jazz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s balance in all things, and this summer offers some exciting, not-to-be-missed jazz and classical performances in the Bay Area’s community centers, nightclubs and concert halls. Here are just 10 of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13933558\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Gary Bartz poses for a portrait with his saxophone\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933558\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary Bartz poses for a portrait with his saxophone at KQED in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/41st-san-francisco-jazz-festival/gary-bartz/\">Gary Bartz Ntu Troop Revisited\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 9, 2024\u003cbr>\nSFJAZZ Center, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saxophonist Gary Bartz may be 83 years old, but each time I’ve seen him, he’s played with more imagination and spirit than many musicians half his age. For this show, Bartz reassembles his Ntu Troop project, responsible for classics like “Celestial Blues,” and the Langston Hughes poem set to music, “I’ve Known Rivers,” which he performed earlier this month \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/05/13/1250054477/tiny-desk-concert-gary-bartz\">at NPR’s Tiny Desk\u003c/a>. (He was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935159/8-over-80-gary-bartz\">also part of KQED’s 8 Over 80 cohort\u003c/a> last year.) Bartz is joined on this show by fellow East Bay resident Ambrose Akinmusire, a phenomenal trumpet talent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 940px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"940\" height=\"470\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958057\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory.jpg 940w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Garden of Memory’ at Chapel of the Chimes presents new music soloists and groups throughout the century-old columbarium once a year. \u003ccite>(Garden of Memory )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gardenofmemory.com/\">Garden of Memory\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 21, 2024\u003cbr>\nChapel of the Chimes, Piedmont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This annual event is one of the Bay Area’s best hidden gems. The idea is simple: place over 50 musicians throughout the Julia Morgan-designed columbarium, and let the public walk through to hear new sounds in jazz, classical and experimental music. The day includes Bay Area legends like ROVA, Sarah Cahill, Paul Dresher, Lisa Mezzacappa and Will Bernard, but the experience is less about marquee names and more about discovery. Surrounded by beautiful urns and receptacles for the dead, it’s also a meditation on existence itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1131px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1131\" height=\"731\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958051\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren.jpg 1131w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1131px) 100vw, 1131px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lilian Farahani, who plays the role of the bride in ‘Innocence’ at San Francisco Opera. \u003ccite>(Maurice Lammerts van Bueren)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">‘Innocence’\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 1–21, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>War Memorial Opera House\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An opera about… a \u003cem>school shooting\u003c/em>? Believe it. San Francisco Opera hosts the U.S. premiere of this contemporary opera, about a wedding thrown into turmoil when the bride suddenly learns that her husband-to-be is the brother of the gunman from a school shooting from 10 years prior. Exploring themes of love and betrayal, and interweaving teachers and students — and ghosts — with the events of the wedding, \u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/arts/music/innocence-saariaho-opera-aix.html\">hailed as a masterpiece\u003c/a>. (A supplemental event, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/beyond-innocence/\">Beyond Innocence\u003c/a>, brings the discussion of gun violence in focus with a variety of local figures from the church, public policy, television, public media and hip-hop.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958053\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1373\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958053\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-1536x1098.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Azar Lawrence. \u003ccite>(Artist photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/azar-lawrence-1/detail\">The Azar Lawrence Experience\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 19, 2024\u003cbr>\nYoshi’s, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A saxophonist of compelling power, Azar Lawrence may be the only musician who can say he’s collaborated with Marvin Gaye, Busta Rhymes, Tina Turner \u003cem>and\u003c/em> famed John Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones. A Coltrane acolyte, Lawrence has played nearly every style of music and returned home to searing, exploratory jazz; when I saw him at a Pharoah Sanders tribute last year, his playing was crisp and emotive. (Pro tip: If, like me, you make a tradition of going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeofchickenandwaffles.com/\">Home of Chicken and Waffles\u003c/a> after shows at Yoshi’s, know that they \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/the_homeofchickenandwaffles/\">recently closed\u003c/a> and plan to reopen soon, six blocks away.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958055\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 914px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"914\" height=\"615\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958055\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557.jpg 914w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557-800x538.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557-768x517.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Murray and Kahil El’Zabar. \u003ccite>(Delmark Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6-WGmdL8V9/\">Kahil El’Zabar and David Murray\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 15, 2024\u003cbr>\nEastside Cultural Center, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastsideartsalliance.org/\">Eastside Cultural Center\u003c/a> is a small community space doing important work in the neighborhood; it’s also an excellent, intimate place for a jazz show. This exciting evening features two legends in a duo setting: multi-instrumentalist Kahil El’Zabar, who just released the 18th album with his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and tenor titan David Murray, who brought down the sold-out house when his quartet appeared at Eastside last year. While they could easily perform at the Bay Area’s more traditional jazz clubs, it’s a testament to Eastside’s mission that Murray and El’Zabar chose the grassroots option in East Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958056\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1486\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958056\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-800x619.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-1020x789.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-768x594.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-1536x1189.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Rosa Symphony Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong. \u003ccite>(Susan and Neil Silverman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.srsymphony.org/event/road-to-100-the-complete-beethoven-symphonies-year-1/\">Road to 100: The Complete Beethoven Symphonies, Year 1\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 9, 2024\u003cbr>\nGreen Music Center, Rohnert Park\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Santa Rosa Symphony didn’t exactly have auspicious beginnings: its first performance, in 1928, was at an Elks Club. Now, nearly 100 years later, the orchestra performs at a world-class music hall, led by the inventive, energetic director Francesco Lecce-Chong. To celebrate its upcoming centennial, the Santa Rosa Symphony plans to perform all of Beethoven’s symphonies over the next five years, starting with Nos. 1 and 3. And who said classical music is stuffy? Afterward, Lecce-Chong and the musicians will join a “Beethoven BBQ” on the lawn outside, chowing down on chicken drumsticks and chillin’ with the audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958058\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1067px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1067\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958058\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price.jpg 1067w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-800x540.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-1020x688.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-768x518.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Florence Price.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.leftcoastensemble.org/pathways\">‘Pathways: Florence Price Piano Quintet’\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 8 and 9, 2024\u003cbr>\nRuth Williams Opera House, Bayview, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nPiedmont Center for the Arts, Piedmont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2009, the new owners of a house in Illinois stumbled upon reams of music manuscripts. They turned out to be the works of the late Black composer Florence Price, sparking a renaissance for Price’s music once the newly discovered pieces were performed and recorded. One of them, the Piano Quintet in A Minor, forms the centerpiece of these two shows by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Pairing Price’s quintet with a piece by American composer David Sanford, as well as new works seeing their world premieres, the performances should open new possibilities in classical music, both past and future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958050\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"689\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958050\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-800x459.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-1020x586.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-160x92.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-768x441.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kronos Quartet. \u003ccite>(Lenny Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://kronosquartet.org/kronos-festival-2024/\">Kronos Festival 2024\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 20–23, 2024\u003cbr>\nSFJAZZ Center, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a new era for the venerable, ever-searching Kronos Quartet: violinist John Sherba and violist Hank Dutt are retiring after 46 years with the group. This year’s annual Kronos Festival is their send-off, and what a party it is. Over four days, pieces by Terry Riley, Mahsa Vahdat, Sun Ra, Nicole Lizée, Zachary James Watkins and many others will get the full Kronos treatment. The festivities conclude with a performance of the “live documentary” \u003cem>A Thousand Thoughts\u003c/em>, and a farewell to Sherba and Dutt. Expect a long standing ovation; they deserve it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958052\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958052\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheku Kanneh-Mason. \u003ccite>(Ollie Ali)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SALONEN-KANNEH-MASON\">Esa-Pekka Salonen & Sheku Kanneh-Mason\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 13–15, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What with Esa-Pekka Salonen’s impending departure — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954297/san-francisco-symphony-musicians-urge-leadership-to-keep-esa-pekka-salonen\">not without controversy\u003c/a> — from the San Francisco Symphony, I can’t be the only one making plans to catch him on the podium as much as possible in the coming year. An attractive option comes with Salonen conducting Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, with the British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Shortly afterward in June, Salonen conducts \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SALONEN-BRONFMAN\">Schumann’s Piano Concerto\u003c/a> as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SALONEN-CONDUCTS-MAHLER-3\">Mahler’s Third\u003c/a>, but my money’s on Shostakovich, and the cellist who, yes, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeDB27cq3fE\">performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958054\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.symphonysanjose.org/attend/current-season/classics-at-the-california/remember-the-titans/\">Remember the Titans: Mahler, Mozart and Márquez\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 1 and 2, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>California Theatre, San Jos\u003c/em>e\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco can’t have a \u003cem>complete\u003c/em> lock on Mahler, now, can it? In this cheekily titled program, Symphony San Jose performs Mahler’s First — the “Titan” symphony — a tone poem–esque work that marked the beginning of a legendary run. In another shade of the harmonic spectrum is Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, used to great effect in the film \u003cem>Elvira Madigan\u003c/em>. Rounding out the program is \u003cem>Danzon No. 2\u003c/em>, by the living Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, which captures the lively rhythms and flavors of mariachi.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>I know, I know — summertime is for staying out ’til 2 a.m., losing your mind to ear-splitting bass and dancing for hours. Not exactly the realm of classical music or jazz.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s balance in all things, and this summer offers some exciting, not-to-be-missed jazz and classical performances in the Bay Area’s community centers, nightclubs and concert halls. Here are just 10 of them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13933558\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"Gary Bartz poses for a portrait with his saxophone\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13933558\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/RS68119_20230818-GaryBartz-04-JY-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gary Bartz poses for a portrait with his saxophone at KQED in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. \u003ccite>(Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/41st-san-francisco-jazz-festival/gary-bartz/\">Gary Bartz Ntu Troop Revisited\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 9, 2024\u003cbr>\nSFJAZZ Center, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saxophonist Gary Bartz may be 83 years old, but each time I’ve seen him, he’s played with more imagination and spirit than many musicians half his age. For this show, Bartz reassembles his Ntu Troop project, responsible for classics like “Celestial Blues,” and the Langston Hughes poem set to music, “I’ve Known Rivers,” which he performed earlier this month \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/05/13/1250054477/tiny-desk-concert-gary-bartz\">at NPR’s Tiny Desk\u003c/a>. (He was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13935159/8-over-80-gary-bartz\">also part of KQED’s 8 Over 80 cohort\u003c/a> last year.) Bartz is joined on this show by fellow East Bay resident Ambrose Akinmusire, a phenomenal trumpet talent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958057\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 940px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"940\" height=\"470\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958057\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory.jpg 940w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory-800x400.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory-160x80.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/GardenofMemory-768x384.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Garden of Memory’ at Chapel of the Chimes presents new music soloists and groups throughout the century-old columbarium once a year. \u003ccite>(Garden of Memory )\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.gardenofmemory.com/\">Garden of Memory\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 21, 2024\u003cbr>\nChapel of the Chimes, Piedmont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This annual event is one of the Bay Area’s best hidden gems. The idea is simple: place over 50 musicians throughout the Julia Morgan-designed columbarium, and let the public walk through to hear new sounds in jazz, classical and experimental music. The day includes Bay Area legends like ROVA, Sarah Cahill, Paul Dresher, Lisa Mezzacappa and Will Bernard, but the experience is less about marquee names and more about discovery. Surrounded by beautiful urns and receptacles for the dead, it’s also a meditation on existence itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958051\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1131px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1131\" height=\"731\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958051\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren.jpg 1131w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-800x517.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-1020x659.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/LilianFarahani.MauriceLammertsvanBueren-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1131px) 100vw, 1131px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lilian Farahani, who plays the role of the bride in ‘Innocence’ at San Francisco Opera. \u003ccite>(Maurice Lammerts van Bueren)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/\">‘Innocence’\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 1–21, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>War Memorial Opera House\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An opera about… a \u003cem>school shooting\u003c/em>? Believe it. San Francisco Opera hosts the U.S. premiere of this contemporary opera, about a wedding thrown into turmoil when the bride suddenly learns that her husband-to-be is the brother of the gunman from a school shooting from 10 years prior. Exploring themes of love and betrayal, and interweaving teachers and students — and ghosts — with the events of the wedding, \u003cem>Innocence\u003c/em> has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/07/arts/music/innocence-saariaho-opera-aix.html\">hailed as a masterpiece\u003c/a>. (A supplemental event, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/innocence/beyond-innocence/\">Beyond Innocence\u003c/a>, brings the discussion of gun violence in focus with a variety of local figures from the church, public policy, television, public media and hip-hop.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958053\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1373\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958053\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-800x572.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-1020x729.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-160x114.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-768x549.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Lawrence-Azar-1536x1098.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Azar Lawrence. \u003ccite>(Artist photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/azar-lawrence-1/detail\">The Azar Lawrence Experience\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 19, 2024\u003cbr>\nYoshi’s, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A saxophonist of compelling power, Azar Lawrence may be the only musician who can say he’s collaborated with Marvin Gaye, Busta Rhymes, Tina Turner \u003cem>and\u003c/em> famed John Coltrane drummer Elvin Jones. A Coltrane acolyte, Lawrence has played nearly every style of music and returned home to searing, exploratory jazz; when I saw him at a Pharoah Sanders tribute last year, his playing was crisp and emotive. (Pro tip: If, like me, you make a tradition of going to \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeofchickenandwaffles.com/\">Home of Chicken and Waffles\u003c/a> after shows at Yoshi’s, know that they \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/the_homeofchickenandwaffles/\">recently closed\u003c/a> and plan to reopen soon, six blocks away.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958055\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 914px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"914\" height=\"615\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958055\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557.jpg 914w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557-800x538.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/557-768x517.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 914px) 100vw, 914px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Murray and Kahil El’Zabar. \u003ccite>(Delmark Records)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/C6-WGmdL8V9/\">Kahil El’Zabar and David Murray\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 15, 2024\u003cbr>\nEastside Cultural Center, Oakland\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.eastsideartsalliance.org/\">Eastside Cultural Center\u003c/a> is a small community space doing important work in the neighborhood; it’s also an excellent, intimate place for a jazz show. This exciting evening features two legends in a duo setting: multi-instrumentalist Kahil El’Zabar, who just released the 18th album with his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, and tenor titan David Murray, who brought down the sold-out house when his quartet appeared at Eastside last year. While they could easily perform at the Bay Area’s more traditional jazz clubs, it’s a testament to Eastside’s mission that Murray and El’Zabar chose the grassroots option in East Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958056\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1486\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958056\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-800x619.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-1020x789.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-160x124.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-768x594.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/FrancescoLecceChong.SusanandNeilSilvermanPhotography-1536x1189.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Santa Rosa Symphony Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong. \u003ccite>(Susan and Neil Silverman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.srsymphony.org/event/road-to-100-the-complete-beethoven-symphonies-year-1/\">Road to 100: The Complete Beethoven Symphonies, Year 1\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 9, 2024\u003cbr>\nGreen Music Center, Rohnert Park\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Santa Rosa Symphony didn’t exactly have auspicious beginnings: its first performance, in 1928, was at an Elks Club. Now, nearly 100 years later, the orchestra performs at a world-class music hall, led by the inventive, energetic director Francesco Lecce-Chong. To celebrate its upcoming centennial, the Santa Rosa Symphony plans to perform all of Beethoven’s symphonies over the next five years, starting with Nos. 1 and 3. And who said classical music is stuffy? Afterward, Lecce-Chong and the musicians will join a “Beethoven BBQ” on the lawn outside, chowing down on chicken drumsticks and chillin’ with the audience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958058\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1067px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1067\" height=\"720\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958058\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price.jpg 1067w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-800x540.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-1020x688.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-160x108.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/64c031e9d67135e187def3a1_Price-768x518.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1067px) 100vw, 1067px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Florence Price.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.leftcoastensemble.org/pathways\">‘Pathways: Florence Price Piano Quintet’\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 8 and 9, 2024\u003cbr>\nRuth Williams Opera House, Bayview, San Francisco\u003cbr>\nPiedmont Center for the Arts, Piedmont\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In 2009, the new owners of a house in Illinois stumbled upon reams of music manuscripts. They turned out to be the works of the late Black composer Florence Price, sparking a renaissance for Price’s music once the newly discovered pieces were performed and recorded. One of them, the Piano Quintet in A Minor, forms the centerpiece of these two shows by the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble. Pairing Price’s quintet with a piece by American composer David Sanford, as well as new works seeing their world premieres, the performances should open new possibilities in classical music, both past and future.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958050\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1200px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"689\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958050\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-800x459.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-1020x586.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-160x92.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/KronosQuartet2_creditLennyGonzalez-768x441.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kronos Quartet. \u003ccite>(Lenny Gonzalez)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://kronosquartet.org/kronos-festival-2024/\">Kronos Festival 2024\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 20–23, 2024\u003cbr>\nSFJAZZ Center, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a new era for the venerable, ever-searching Kronos Quartet: violinist John Sherba and violist Hank Dutt are retiring after 46 years with the group. This year’s annual Kronos Festival is their send-off, and what a party it is. Over four days, pieces by Terry Riley, Mahsa Vahdat, Sun Ra, Nicole Lizée, Zachary James Watkins and many others will get the full Kronos treatment. The festivities conclude with a performance of the “live documentary” \u003cem>A Thousand Thoughts\u003c/em>, and a farewell to Sherba and Dutt. Expect a long standing ovation; they deserve it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958052\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958052\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Sheku-Song-Photo-5-Credit_-Ollie-Ali-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sheku Kanneh-Mason. \u003ccite>(Ollie Ali)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SALONEN-KANNEH-MASON\">Esa-Pekka Salonen & Sheku Kanneh-Mason\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 13–15, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What with Esa-Pekka Salonen’s impending departure — \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13954297/san-francisco-symphony-musicians-urge-leadership-to-keep-esa-pekka-salonen\">not without controversy\u003c/a> — from the San Francisco Symphony, I can’t be the only one making plans to catch him on the podium as much as possible in the coming year. An attractive option comes with Salonen conducting Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, with the British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Shortly afterward in June, Salonen conducts \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SALONEN-BRONFMAN\">Schumann’s Piano Concerto\u003c/a> as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SALONEN-CONDUCTS-MAHLER-3\">Mahler’s Third\u003c/a>, but my money’s on Shostakovich, and the cellist who, yes, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeDB27cq3fE\">performed at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13958054\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13958054\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/05/Arturo-Marquez-1600x900-1-e1651870192402-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.symphonysanjose.org/attend/current-season/classics-at-the-california/remember-the-titans/\">Remember the Titans: Mahler, Mozart and Márquez\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>June 1 and 2, 2024\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\n\u003cem>California Theatre, San Jos\u003c/em>e\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San Francisco can’t have a \u003cem>complete\u003c/em> lock on Mahler, now, can it? In this cheekily titled program, Symphony San Jose performs Mahler’s First — the “Titan” symphony — a tone poem–esque work that marked the beginning of a legendary run. In another shade of the harmonic spectrum is Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21, used to great effect in the film \u003cem>Elvira Madigan\u003c/em>. Rounding out the program is \u003cem>Danzon No. 2\u003c/em>, by the living Mexican composer Arturo Márquez, which captures the lively rhythms and flavors of mariachi.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "There’s a ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Opera Coming to San Francisco",
"headTitle": "There’s a ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Opera Coming to San Francisco | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953077\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ by composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley, makes its West Coast premiere at San Francisco Opera from Sept. 14–Oct. 1. \u003ccite>(Camilla Winther/Royal Danish Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Margaret Atwood’s \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> has been turned into a film, a radio series, a stage play and a graphic novel — not to mention the smash-hit Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the Bay Area gets to be the first California region to experience \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em>, the opera. More relevant than ever in a post-Roe v. Wade America, the opera makes its West Coast premiere on Sept. 14 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953076\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Poul Ruders’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ \u003ccite>(Camilla Winther/Royal Danish Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Atwood’s dystopian tale of totalitarian patriarchy was adapted to the opera stage in 1998 by Danish composer Poul Ruders, with libretto by Paul Bentley, and had its world premiere in Copenhagen. Praised for its minimalist, haunting approach to the story of women with no agency living under forced insemination by a far-right theocracy, the opera had been scheduled to run in San Francisco in 2020 before being delayed by the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timely themes in \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> are just one part of San Francisco Opera’s newly announced 2024–25 season. Along with standby favorites like Puccini’s \u003cem>La bohème\u003c/em>, Bizet’s \u003cem>Carmen\u003c/em> and Wagner’s \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em>, the War Memorial Opera House will also be home to Verdi’s \u003cem>Un Ballo in Maschera\u003c/em> and Mozart’s rarely performed \u003cem>Idomeneo\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953075\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo.’ \u003ccite>(Charlie Kinross/Opera Australia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And, while the Metropolitan Opera in New York seems to have \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/arts/music/met-opera-peter-gelb-yannick-nezet-seguin.html\">suddenly discovered the value of contemporary works\u003c/a> — among them Berkeley composer John Adams’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13919101/antony-and-cleopatra-john-adams-review\">Antony and Cleopatra\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which premiered in San Francisco last year — a new commission by composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang, \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> (美猴王), is set to premiere at SF Opera sometime in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new season also includes the annual favorite Opera in the Park (Sept. 8); a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Eun Sung Kim (Oct. 26); and a special San Francisco Pride concert in June of 2025. For more details, see \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/press/press-releases/san-francisco-operas-2024-25-season-announced/\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953077\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953077\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_05-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ by composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley, makes its West Coast premiere at San Francisco Opera from Sept. 14–Oct. 1. \u003ccite>(Camilla Winther/Royal Danish Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Margaret Atwood’s \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> has been turned into a film, a radio series, a stage play and a graphic novel — not to mention the smash-hit Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, the Bay Area gets to be the first California region to experience \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em>, the opera. More relevant than ever in a post-Roe v. Wade America, the opera makes its West Coast premiere on Sept. 14 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953076\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953076\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/TheHandmaidsTale22_06-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Poul Ruders’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ \u003ccite>(Camilla Winther/Royal Danish Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Atwood’s dystopian tale of totalitarian patriarchy was adapted to the opera stage in 1998 by Danish composer Poul Ruders, with libretto by Paul Bentley, and had its world premiere in Copenhagen. Praised for its minimalist, haunting approach to the story of women with no agency living under forced insemination by a far-right theocracy, the opera had been scheduled to run in San Francisco in 2020 before being delayed by the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The timely themes in \u003cem>The Handmaid’s Tale\u003c/em> are just one part of San Francisco Opera’s newly announced 2024–25 season. Along with standby favorites like Puccini’s \u003cem>La bohème\u003c/em>, Bizet’s \u003cem>Carmen\u003c/em> and Wagner’s \u003cem>Tristan and Isolde\u003c/em>, the War Memorial Opera House will also be home to Verdi’s \u003cem>Un Ballo in Maschera\u003c/em> and Mozart’s rarely performed \u003cem>Idomeneo\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13953075\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13953075\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1281\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/Idomeneo-Charlie-Kinross-HR-5350-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo.’ \u003ccite>(Charlie Kinross/Opera Australia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And, while the Metropolitan Opera in New York seems to have \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/18/arts/music/met-opera-peter-gelb-yannick-nezet-seguin.html\">suddenly discovered the value of contemporary works\u003c/a> — among them Berkeley composer John Adams’ \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13919101/antony-and-cleopatra-john-adams-review\">Antony and Cleopatra\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, which premiered in San Francisco last year — a new commission by composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang, \u003cem>The Monkey King\u003c/em> (美猴王), is set to premiere at SF Opera sometime in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new season also includes the annual favorite Opera in the Park (Sept. 8); a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 conducted by Eun Sung Kim (Oct. 26); and a special San Francisco Pride concert in June of 2025. For more details, see \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/press/press-releases/san-francisco-operas-2024-25-season-announced/\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Newly Unearthed: The First Known Photograph of the San Francisco Opera",
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"content": "\u003cp>For over a decade, the oldest known image of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> was a panoramic group photograph taken on Oct. 6, 1923 with a cryptic “Picture #2” inscribed on its lower left-hand corner. Pictured inside the Civic (now Bill Graham) Auditorium, founder and conductor Gaetano Merola, star tenor Beniamino Gigli, chorus members and orchestra musicians pose in costume and tuxes, ready for the night’s performance of \u003cem>Andrea Chénier\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951908\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1817px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1817\" height=\"2229\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951908\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2.jpg 1817w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-800x981.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-1020x1251.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-768x942.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-1252x1536.jpg 1252w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-1669x2048.jpg 1669w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1817px) 100vw, 1817px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Singer Chung-Wai Soong performs with a number of Bay Area choirs and companies, including the SF Opera’s extra chorus. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But we now have what the opera believes to be a \u003ci>new\u003c/i> oldest photograph, showing members of the fledgling company earlier on the same day, in their pre-performance street clothes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Credit for its discovery goes to Chung-Wai Soong, a professional opera singer who is also a member of SF Opera’s extra chorus. Soong purchased the print on a bit of a whim at the Antiquarian Book Fair “at least 10, 15, maybe even 20 years ago,” he says. “I’m not a collector, but it’s always fun to have these sort of talismanic articles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 6-by-24-inch print Soong purchased was already mounted to cardboard, slightly warped and bent — and it remained in that state for years, sitting on top of a mirror in his home. It was always in the back of his mind, he says, that he should show it to the folks at the opera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barbara Rominski, director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/about/san-francisco-opera-archives/\">opera archives\u003c/a> since 2016, remembers the day Soong brought the photograph to her attention. “He just sort of whipped it out of his canvas grocery bag,” she says, laughing, “and he said, ‘Have you ever seen this?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rominski initially thought it was the same image the opera proudly displays on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building — that Oct. 6, 1923 photograph from the \u003cem>Andrea Chénier\u003c/em> performance. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951907\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO.jpg\" alt=\"Large sepia-toned group photo of men, women and children on risers inside high-ceilinged space\" width=\"2000\" height=\"488\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951907\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-800x195.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-1020x249.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-160x39.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-768x187.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-1536x375.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-1920x468.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An October 1923 photograph of the San Francisco Opera company in the Civic Auditorium, discovered by opera singer Chung-Wai Soong and recently donated to the archives. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Opera Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951909\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company.jpg\" alt=\"Large black-and-white group photo of people in costumes and tuxes on risers inside high-ceilinged space\" width=\"2000\" height=\"518\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951909\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-800x207.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-1020x264.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-160x41.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-768x199.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-1536x398.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-1920x497.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The opera’s ‘Picture #2’ photograph was long thought to be the earliest image of the company’s inaugural season in 1923. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Opera Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Then I took a closer look at it and went ‘Oh — swear words — in fact, no Chung-Wai, I have \u003ci>never\u003c/i> seen this photograph \u003ci>ever\u003c/i>,’” she remembers. “It was a total surprise to everybody in the room.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The print was in ill repair. With Soong’s permission, Rominski sent it off to Berkeley art conservator Heida Shoemaker. It returned, restored and no longer attached to cardboard, just a few weeks ago; Soong has officially donated the photograph to the SF Opera archives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The singer says he’s of two minds about his unexpected discovery. “[I’m] gleefully thrilled it’s finally going to a proper home, and it’s been properly taken care of,” he says. “But also slightly horrified that it’s spent all these years sitting on top of my mirror. I mean, it could have fallen down and my cat could have chewed it. Anything could have happened!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To Rominski, Soong’s relationship with the photograph, its place in his home, is a testament to its special power. “You sort of think, wow, that was a 100-year-old photograph that you were fairly nonchalantly carrying it around, but it also just shows the beauty of a photograph, right? It’s just this wonderful object that we feel very close to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951915\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001.jpg\" alt=\"Large crowd in auditorium facing stage\" width=\"2000\" height=\"903\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-800x361.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-1020x461.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-160x72.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-768x347.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-1536x694.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-1920x867.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of a packed Civic Auditorium during an SF Opera performance in 1926. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Opera Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The image comes from SF Opera’s first season, when the company performed in the vast expanse of what is now the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Tickets were $1; box seats were $5. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Civic Auditorium was not an ideal venue for opera: it seated around 5,000 people, but it had no backstage, fly galleries or dressing rooms. The company moved to its current home in the War Memorial Opera House in 1932. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Soong, who is currently in rehearsals for Pocket Opera’s production of \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://pocketopera.org/2024-season/la-cenerentola/\">La Cenerentola\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, the group photograph captures the true community endeavor of starting an opera company from scratch. “I look at all these faces, these sort of progenitors to what I do, and some of these are well-known singers,” he says, “but some of these people … some of their grandkids probably still live in North Beach, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gaetano Merola trained up his early chorus (seen in dirndl costumes in the group photograph) from local amateur singers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an archivist, Rominski gets excited about possibilities this photograph represents. “You never know what’s going to come out of the woodwork,” she says. “Now there are two photographs that we know of. Is there a third or fourth and a fifth?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this photograph managed to remain relatively unknown for over 100 years, other objects significant to the opera’s early days are out there. Rominski is certain of it: “I am going to be delighted and surprised and super happy, because there’s going to be more stuff that’s coming out of the woodwork.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For over a decade, the oldest known image of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/\">San Francisco Opera\u003c/a> was a panoramic group photograph taken on Oct. 6, 1923 with a cryptic “Picture #2” inscribed on its lower left-hand corner. Pictured inside the Civic (now Bill Graham) Auditorium, founder and conductor Gaetano Merola, star tenor Beniamino Gigli, chorus members and orchestra musicians pose in costume and tuxes, ready for the night’s performance of \u003cem>Andrea Chénier\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951908\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1817px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1817\" height=\"2229\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951908\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2.jpg 1817w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-800x981.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-1020x1251.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-160x196.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-768x942.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-1252x1536.jpg 1252w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/SOONG-Chung-Wai-2022_credit_Vero-Kherian2-1669x2048.jpg 1669w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1817px) 100vw, 1817px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Singer Chung-Wai Soong performs with a number of Bay Area choirs and companies, including the SF Opera’s extra chorus. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of San Francisco Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But we now have what the opera believes to be a \u003ci>new\u003c/i> oldest photograph, showing members of the fledgling company earlier on the same day, in their pre-performance street clothes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Credit for its discovery goes to Chung-Wai Soong, a professional opera singer who is also a member of SF Opera’s extra chorus. Soong purchased the print on a bit of a whim at the Antiquarian Book Fair “at least 10, 15, maybe even 20 years ago,” he says. “I’m not a collector, but it’s always fun to have these sort of talismanic articles.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 6-by-24-inch print Soong purchased was already mounted to cardboard, slightly warped and bent — and it remained in that state for years, sitting on top of a mirror in his home. It was always in the back of his mind, he says, that he should show it to the folks at the opera.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barbara Rominski, director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/about/san-francisco-opera-archives/\">opera archives\u003c/a> since 2016, remembers the day Soong brought the photograph to her attention. “He just sort of whipped it out of his canvas grocery bag,” she says, laughing, “and he said, ‘Have you ever seen this?’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rominski initially thought it was the same image the opera proudly displays on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building — that Oct. 6, 1923 photograph from the \u003cem>Andrea Chénier\u003c/em> performance. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951907\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO.jpg\" alt=\"Large sepia-toned group photo of men, women and children on risers inside high-ceilinged space\" width=\"2000\" height=\"488\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951907\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-800x195.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-1020x249.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-160x39.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-768x187.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-1536x375.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_San_Francisco_OperaCompany_nformal-NEW-PHOTO-1920x468.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An October 1923 photograph of the San Francisco Opera company in the Civic Auditorium, discovered by opera singer Chung-Wai Soong and recently donated to the archives. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Opera Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951909\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company.jpg\" alt=\"Large black-and-white group photo of people in costumes and tuxes on risers inside high-ceilinged space\" width=\"2000\" height=\"518\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951909\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-800x207.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-1020x264.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-160x41.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-768x199.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-1536x398.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1923_SanFranciscoOpera_AndreaChenier_cast_and_company-1920x497.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The opera’s ‘Picture #2’ photograph was long thought to be the earliest image of the company’s inaugural season in 1923. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Opera Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“Then I took a closer look at it and went ‘Oh — swear words — in fact, no Chung-Wai, I have \u003ci>never\u003c/i> seen this photograph \u003ci>ever\u003c/i>,’” she remembers. “It was a total surprise to everybody in the room.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The print was in ill repair. With Soong’s permission, Rominski sent it off to Berkeley art conservator Heida Shoemaker. It returned, restored and no longer attached to cardboard, just a few weeks ago; Soong has officially donated the photograph to the SF Opera archives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The singer says he’s of two minds about his unexpected discovery. “[I’m] gleefully thrilled it’s finally going to a proper home, and it’s been properly taken care of,” he says. “But also slightly horrified that it’s spent all these years sitting on top of my mirror. I mean, it could have fallen down and my cat could have chewed it. Anything could have happened!”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To Rominski, Soong’s relationship with the photograph, its place in his home, is a testament to its special power. “You sort of think, wow, that was a 100-year-old photograph that you were fairly nonchalantly carrying it around, but it also just shows the beauty of a photograph, right? It’s just this wonderful object that we feel very close to.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13951915\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001.jpg\" alt=\"Large crowd in auditorium facing stage\" width=\"2000\" height=\"903\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13951915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-800x361.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-1020x461.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-160x72.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-768x347.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-1536x694.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/02/1926_MOPD-SFO143001-1920x867.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A view of a packed Civic Auditorium during an SF Opera performance in 1926. \u003ccite>(San Francisco Opera Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The image comes from SF Opera’s first season, when the company performed in the vast expanse of what is now the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Tickets were $1; box seats were $5. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Civic Auditorium was not an ideal venue for opera: it seated around 5,000 people, but it had no backstage, fly galleries or dressing rooms. The company moved to its current home in the War Memorial Opera House in 1932. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Soong, who is currently in rehearsals for Pocket Opera’s production of \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://pocketopera.org/2024-season/la-cenerentola/\">La Cenerentola\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, the group photograph captures the true community endeavor of starting an opera company from scratch. “I look at all these faces, these sort of progenitors to what I do, and some of these are well-known singers,” he says, “but some of these people … some of their grandkids probably still live in North Beach, you know?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gaetano Merola trained up his early chorus (seen in dirndl costumes in the group photograph) from local amateur singers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As an archivist, Rominski gets excited about possibilities this photograph represents. “You never know what’s going to come out of the woodwork,” she says. “Now there are two photographs that we know of. Is there a third or fourth and a fifth?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this photograph managed to remain relatively unknown for over 100 years, other objects significant to the opera’s early days are out there. Rominski is certain of it: “I am going to be delighted and surprised and super happy, because there’s going to be more stuff that’s coming out of the woodwork.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In the Bay Area, November Belongs to Rhiannon Giddens",
"headTitle": "In the Bay Area, November Belongs to Rhiannon Giddens | KQED",
"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with light brown skin and dark brown hair poses in a blue and orange dress against a blue backdrop\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The musician Rhiannon Giddens has two major works that explore the contributions of immigrants, ‘Omar’ and ‘American Railroad,’ headed to the Bay Area this November. \u003ccite>(Ebru Yildiz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rhiannon Giddens has long focused on stories neglected, ignored and devalued in American culture. But the past year has made the musician’s gift for those narratives abundantly clear, and to a powerful effect: What began as a campaign to rewrite the narrative of American roots music in her longtime band, the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, has expanded by leaps and bounds, encompassing just about every influx of people that have shaped the so-called “manifest destiny” of the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been an extraordinary journey for the acclaimed singer, fiddler, banjo player and composer. And many of its paths converge this month in the Bay Area, starting at the San Francisco Opera, which presents Giddens’ 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\">Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em>\u003c/a> over six performances Nov. 5–22. Originally co-produced by Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina and Spoleto Festival USA, where the opera premiered last year, \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> was inspired by the singular 1831 autobiography \u003cem>A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raised in a West African Islamic state in what is now Senegal, kidnapped and sold into servitude in South Carolina, Ibn Said wrote about his experience in Arabic, a work that languished in obscurity until the University of Wisconsin Press published Ala Alryyes’ English translation in 2011. San Francisco Opera and six other companies commissioned the two-act opera, which Giddens co-composed with Michael Abels (she also wrote the libretto). Unfamiliar with Ibn Said’s saga before she received the commission, Giddens plunged into an assignment that took her far from her comfort zone.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGuXnIsiA1w\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\n“I was immediately taken with his story and furious that I’d never heard it before,” says Giddens, 46, on a recent video call. “Michael Ables was the perfect collaborator to tell Omar’s story. I know what I can do and what I can’t do, and there were a lot of leaps of imagination. The biography is very short. Omar is telling a lot, but you have to be open to different ways of storytelling. He finds himself in a completely alien world, and is desperately trying to maintain ties to African Muslim identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> is directed by Kaneza Schaal and stars New Orleans tenor Jamez McCorkle, who was hailed as the discovery of 2022 Spoleto Festival USA for creating the titular role (“a miraculous voice with abundant body but no apparent weight,” wrote \u003cem>Opera News\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of people on stage in blue light during an opera\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamez McCorkle stars as the titular character in Rhiannon Giddens’ ‘Omar,’ which opens at San Francisco Opera Nov. 5 \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/LA Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the opera is just one of Giddens’ spectacular projects that’s manifesting around the region. She’s also leading the Silkroad Ensemble’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.silkroad.org/american-railroad\">American Railroad\u003c/a> \u003c/em>production, a multimedia musical excavation revealing the peoples who built the transcontinental railroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Performing Nov. 15 at \u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\">Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall\u003c/a>, Nov. 16 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">UC Davis’s Mondavi Center\u003c/a>, Nov. 17 at \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall\u003c/a>, and Nov. 18 at \u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">Sonoma State’s Green Music Center\u003c/a>, \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> builds on the concept and cast first assembled a quarter-century ago by cellist Yo-Yo Ma to explore the East-meets-West cultural confluence conveyed over the course of a millennium by the Silk Road trading route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Giddens’ artistic direction, the project trained its focus on the music of the laborers left out of Andrew J. Russell’s iconic 1869 photo “East and West Shaking Hands at Laying of Last Rail” at Promontory Summit, Utah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was one inspiration, who’s \u003cem>not\u003c/em> in the photo,” Giddens says. “How do we refocus that story? Many people know about the Chinese contributions, but if you’re talking about the Eastern part, you’re talking about Irish people, and you’re talking about the transition from slavery into convict labor. The other missing piece is Indigenous people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQwOdmsJvqM\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\nWith nine Silkroad Ensemble musicians and an array of special guests, the program encompasses Native American and African American music and reimagined traditional songs drawing from Irish, Chinese, Japanese and other immigrant cultures. Running through \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is Giddens’ arrangement of the bluegrass standard “Swannanoa Tunnel” (also known as “Asheville Junction” and “Swannanoa Town”), a song with largely forgotten origins as a 19th century African-American work song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The production doesn’t unfold as a linear narrative so much as gradually resolve into a fine-grained soundscape of a protean nation, one very much in the initial phase of coalescing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13866441']“We’re going to start here and end up there, so there’s a narrative,” Giddens said. “But everybody took the assignment in different ways, some more from direct cultural inspiration, and some from the locomotive engine and the movement of the train, or the sound of the workers. So there are vocal pieces, instrumental pieces, improvised pieces, and this thread coming back to ‘Swannanoa Tunnel’ in different guises. The audience is on a ride with us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a ride that boasts an extravagant collection of talent. The cast includes Sandeep Das on tabla, Karen Ouzounian on cello and vocals, Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion, East Bay percussionist Haruka Fujii and Mazz Swift on violin and vocals. (Swift is then back in town Dec. 8–9 to curate \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SoundBox-MAZZ-SWIFT\">San Francisco Symphony’s latest Soundbox production.\u003c/a>) There are also a number of featured guests, such as Francesco Turrisi on frame drums and accordion and Pura Fé Crescioni on lap-steel guitar and voice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png\" alt=\"an ensemble of musicians performs on stage in front of a purple curtain\" width=\"800\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1020x707.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-768x532.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1536x1064.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cal Performances will present Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens on Nov. 17 at Zellerbach Hall. \u003ccite>(Adam Gurczak)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Giddens presides over the disparate ensemble on banjo and vocals, though she credits Wu Man, a master of the lute-like traditional Chinese pipa, with providing much of the glue that holds all the elements together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble well known to Bay Area audiences via her deep connection to Kronos Quartet, Wu says that Giddens came on board in 2020, “just at the right time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s an amazing artist and very easy to work with, and when she joined we had many different ideas about how to bring the group forward,” Wu says. “It’s a different time than when we started 25 years ago. \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is more based in American roots and traditions, reaching out to these different countries, but still rooted in the Silk Road history and instruments from Central Asia. But now we moved to America, the American Silk Road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13859970']Given Giddens’ last 18 months, the work reads as an expansion on a theme. Rooted in the verdant soil of her native North Carolina, Giddens launched her first mission with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, revealing the pervasive Black contributions to American old-time and string band music. The group, which first formed in 2005, certainly wasn’t the first to make the case — Taj Mahal was connecting the old-time and folk music dots to Piedmont blues, spirituals and work songs more than five decades ago. But with Giddens’ quietly charismatic presence out front, the Chocolate Drops helped widen conversations about the origins of American roots music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em>, Giddens opens a portal big enough to drive a train through — in part because the concerts are one component of a much larger undertaking. As the project continues to roll, plans include an album and a documentary series, site-specific visual installations and curricular materials for use by educators and the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a heaping plate for any one artist. But Giddens is also capping off her 2023 by publishing her second children’s book, following up on last year’s \u003cem>Build a House\u003c/em>. Available on Nov. 7, \u003cem>We Could Fly\u003c/em> is a collaboration with acclaimed graphic artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, based on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KhzRgqcBBc\">song of the same title\u003c/a> that Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell. It’s yet another creative alliance for a musician who has mastered the art of collaboration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You send them your words, and they come up with what they see needs to happen,” Giddens says. “It really is a partnership. She’s an artist, I’m an artist, and the two art forms come together to make something new.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Omar’ runs for six performances Nov. 5–22 at the San Francisco Opera; \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Railroad’ will be performed Nov. 15 at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 16 at UC Davis’s Mondavi Center (\u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 17 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">details here\u003c/a>); and Nov. 18 at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center (\u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">details here\u003c/a>).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "The musician’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Omar' opens at SF Opera, and her multimedia 'American Railroad' hits local concert halls — and did we mention her children's book?",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937306\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13937306\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"a woman with light brown skin and dark brown hair poses in a blue and orange dress against a blue backdrop\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/RhiannonGiddens_EbruYildiz_505-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The musician Rhiannon Giddens has two major works that explore the contributions of immigrants, ‘Omar’ and ‘American Railroad,’ headed to the Bay Area this November. \u003ccite>(Ebru Yildiz)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Rhiannon Giddens has long focused on stories neglected, ignored and devalued in American culture. But the past year has made the musician’s gift for those narratives abundantly clear, and to a powerful effect: What began as a campaign to rewrite the narrative of American roots music in her longtime band, the Grammy Award-winning Carolina Chocolate Drops, has expanded by leaps and bounds, encompassing just about every influx of people that have shaped the so-called “manifest destiny” of the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s been an extraordinary journey for the acclaimed singer, fiddler, banjo player and composer. And many of its paths converge this month in the Bay Area, starting at the San Francisco Opera, which presents Giddens’ 2023 \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\">Pulitzer Prize-winning \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em>\u003c/a> over six performances Nov. 5–22. Originally co-produced by Carolina Performing Arts at the University of North Carolina and Spoleto Festival USA, where the opera premiered last year, \u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> was inspired by the singular 1831 autobiography \u003cem>A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar Ibn Said\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Raised in a West African Islamic state in what is now Senegal, kidnapped and sold into servitude in South Carolina, Ibn Said wrote about his experience in Arabic, a work that languished in obscurity until the University of Wisconsin Press published Ala Alryyes’ English translation in 2011. San Francisco Opera and six other companies commissioned the two-act opera, which Giddens co-composed with Michael Abels (she also wrote the libretto). Unfamiliar with Ibn Said’s saga before she received the commission, Giddens plunged into an assignment that took her far from her comfort zone.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/OGuXnIsiA1w'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/OGuXnIsiA1w'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\n“I was immediately taken with his story and furious that I’d never heard it before,” says Giddens, 46, on a recent video call. “Michael Ables was the perfect collaborator to tell Omar’s story. I know what I can do and what I can’t do, and there were a lot of leaps of imagination. The biography is very short. Omar is telling a lot, but you have to be open to different ways of storytelling. He finds himself in a completely alien world, and is desperately trying to maintain ties to African Muslim identity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Omar\u003c/em> is directed by Kaneza Schaal and stars New Orleans tenor Jamez McCorkle, who was hailed as the discovery of 2022 Spoleto Festival USA for creating the titular role (“a miraculous voice with abundant body but no apparent weight,” wrote \u003cem>Opera News\u003c/em>).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937308\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-scaled.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937308\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg\" alt=\"a group of people on stage in blue light during an opera\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/DSC0745-ZF-4430-27850-1-002-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jamez McCorkle stars as the titular character in Rhiannon Giddens’ ‘Omar,’ which opens at San Francisco Opera Nov. 5 \u003ccite>(Cory Weaver/LA Opera)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the opera is just one of Giddens’ spectacular projects that’s manifesting around the region. She’s also leading the Silkroad Ensemble’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.silkroad.org/american-railroad\">American Railroad\u003c/a> \u003c/em>production, a multimedia musical excavation revealing the peoples who built the transcontinental railroad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Performing Nov. 15 at \u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\">Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall\u003c/a>, Nov. 16 at \u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">UC Davis’s Mondavi Center\u003c/a>, Nov. 17 at \u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall\u003c/a>, and Nov. 18 at \u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">Sonoma State’s Green Music Center\u003c/a>, \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> builds on the concept and cast first assembled a quarter-century ago by cellist Yo-Yo Ma to explore the East-meets-West cultural confluence conveyed over the course of a millennium by the Silk Road trading route.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under Giddens’ artistic direction, the project trained its focus on the music of the laborers left out of Andrew J. Russell’s iconic 1869 photo “East and West Shaking Hands at Laying of Last Rail” at Promontory Summit, Utah.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That was one inspiration, who’s \u003cem>not\u003c/em> in the photo,” Giddens says. “How do we refocus that story? Many people know about the Chinese contributions, but if you’re talking about the Eastern part, you’re talking about Irish people, and you’re talking about the transition from slavery into convict labor. The other missing piece is Indigenous people.”\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/VQwOdmsJvqM'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/VQwOdmsJvqM'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"color: #ffffff\">p\u003c/span>\u003cbr>\nWith nine Silkroad Ensemble musicians and an array of special guests, the program encompasses Native American and African American music and reimagined traditional songs drawing from Irish, Chinese, Japanese and other immigrant cultures. Running through \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is Giddens’ arrangement of the bluegrass standard “Swannanoa Tunnel” (also known as “Asheville Junction” and “Swannanoa Town”), a song with largely forgotten origins as a 19th century African-American work song.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The production doesn’t unfold as a linear narrative so much as gradually resolve into a fine-grained soundscape of a protean nation, one very much in the initial phase of coalescing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We’re going to start here and end up there, so there’s a narrative,” Giddens said. “But everybody took the assignment in different ways, some more from direct cultural inspiration, and some from the locomotive engine and the movement of the train, or the sound of the workers. So there are vocal pieces, instrumental pieces, improvised pieces, and this thread coming back to ‘Swannanoa Tunnel’ in different guises. The audience is on a ride with us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a ride that boasts an extravagant collection of talent. The cast includes Sandeep Das on tabla, Karen Ouzounian on cello and vocals, Kaoru Watanabe on Japanese flutes and percussion, East Bay percussionist Haruka Fujii and Mazz Swift on violin and vocals. (Swift is then back in town Dec. 8–9 to curate \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2023-24/SoundBox-MAZZ-SWIFT\">San Francisco Symphony’s latest Soundbox production.\u003c/a>) There are also a number of featured guests, such as Francesco Turrisi on frame drums and accordion and Pura Fé Crescioni on lap-steel guitar and voice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13937309\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13937309\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png\" alt=\"an ensemble of musicians performs on stage in front of a purple curtain\" width=\"800\" height=\"554\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-800x554.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1020x707.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-160x111.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-768x532.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1-1536x1064.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/cal-performances-silkroad-ensemble-by-adam-gurczak-1-1.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cal Performances will present Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens on Nov. 17 at Zellerbach Hall. \u003ccite>(Adam Gurczak)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Giddens presides over the disparate ensemble on banjo and vocals, though she credits Wu Man, a master of the lute-like traditional Chinese pipa, with providing much of the glue that holds all the elements together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A founding member of the Silkroad Ensemble well known to Bay Area audiences via her deep connection to Kronos Quartet, Wu says that Giddens came on board in 2020, “just at the right time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She’s an amazing artist and very easy to work with, and when she joined we had many different ideas about how to bring the group forward,” Wu says. “It’s a different time than when we started 25 years ago. \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em> is more based in American roots and traditions, reaching out to these different countries, but still rooted in the Silk Road history and instruments from Central Asia. But now we moved to America, the American Silk Road.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Given Giddens’ last 18 months, the work reads as an expansion on a theme. Rooted in the verdant soil of her native North Carolina, Giddens launched her first mission with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, revealing the pervasive Black contributions to American old-time and string band music. The group, which first formed in 2005, certainly wasn’t the first to make the case — Taj Mahal was connecting the old-time and folk music dots to Piedmont blues, spirituals and work songs more than five decades ago. But with Giddens’ quietly charismatic presence out front, the Chocolate Drops helped widen conversations about the origins of American roots music.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With \u003cem>American Railroad\u003c/em>, Giddens opens a portal big enough to drive a train through — in part because the concerts are one component of a much larger undertaking. As the project continues to roll, plans include an album and a documentary series, site-specific visual installations and curricular materials for use by educators and the public.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s a heaping plate for any one artist. But Giddens is also capping off her 2023 by publishing her second children’s book, following up on last year’s \u003cem>Build a House\u003c/em>. Available on Nov. 7, \u003cem>We Could Fly\u003c/em> is a collaboration with acclaimed graphic artist Briana Mukodiri Uchendu, based on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KhzRgqcBBc\">song of the same title\u003c/a> that Giddens wrote with Dirk Powell. It’s yet another creative alliance for a musician who has mastered the art of collaboration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You send them your words, and they come up with what they see needs to happen,” Giddens says. “It really is a partnership. She’s an artist, I’m an artist, and the two art forms come together to make something new.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-12127869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"78\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-400x39.jpg 400w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/09/Q.Logo_.Break_-768x75.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Omar’ runs for six performances Nov. 5–22 at the San Francisco Opera; \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfopera.com/operas/omar/?gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqP2pBhDMARIsAJQ0CzqA1lD3HMvNdHa7RyC21JTzdIPstpFT5tuJ6PmPKnHQ8tHbaObvQcEaAjYtEALw_wcB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘American Railroad’ will be performed Nov. 15 at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/november-2023/american-railroad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 16 at UC Davis’s Mondavi Center (\u003ca href=\"https://www.mondaviarts.org/whats-on/silkroad-ensemble/\">details here\u003c/a>); Nov. 17 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall (\u003ca href=\"https://calperformances.org/events/2023-24/illuminations-individual-community/american-railroad-silkroad-ensemble-with-rhiannon-giddens/\">details here\u003c/a>); and Nov. 18 at Sonoma State University’s Green Music Center (\u003ca href=\"https://gmc.sonoma.edu/silkroad/\">details here\u003c/a>).\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"soldout": {
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"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
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