Jake Heggie is a distinguished composer and pianist renowned for his significant contributions to contemporary opera and song cycles. With a rich background in music, Heggie has captivated audiences worldwide through his innovative works that explore profound themes of love and acceptance. Notably, he recently participated in the world premiere of A Jake Heggie Triptych, a groundbreaking event that reimagined three of his song cycles as fully staged chamber operas. This production, celebrated during Festival Opera's 30th Anniversary Season, showcased a talented cast of West Coast artists and highlighted Heggie's unique ability to blend narrative and music seamlessly. His acclaimed creative work, At the Statue of Venus, further exemplifies his skill in crafting emotionally resonant pieces that resonate with listeners. As Heggie continues to push the boundaries of opera, he remains committed to exploring new artistic avenues and collaborating with fellow musicians. Upcoming projects promise to further enrich his already impressive repertoire, solidifying his status as a leading figure in the world of contemporary classical music.

Composer

There are tectonic forces at play here: In December, the FWSO will give the world premiere performance of American composer Jake Heggie and Librettist Anita Amirrezvani’s, Earth 2.0 — a work exploring ecology and the environment in music — featuring star counter-tenor Key’mon Murrah and in partnership with the New York-based dance troupe Urban Bush Women. The orchestra’s Music Director Robert Spano will conduct the premiere before turning to one of the most universal works in the classical canon, Beethoven’s “Eroica” symphony.

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Spano Conducts Beethoven and Jake Heggie

Sundance Square

The high-flying American mezzo and British pianist borrow Mozart (or Sondheim’s) title for their programme of nocturnal music, including Jake Heggie’s 1998 cycle setting texts by the American Vachel Lindsay (1879-1952), whose verses were meant to be sung or chanted.

Angela Brower mezzo-soprano; James Baillieu piano

Wigmore Hall

The Irish mezzo studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin under Veronica Dunne before moving on to the Opera Studio at the Bavarian State Opera from 2016 to 2018. She is a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist for 2023-5, during which time she will debut at major recital venues including Wigmore Hall. She recently sang Wellgunde in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Das Rheingold at the Royal Opera House and will make her role debut as Carmen at the 2024 Buxton Festival. Her programme takes an avian theme.

Niamh O'Sullivan mezzo-soprano; Gary Beecher piano

Grammy®-nominated Nicholas Phan is “one of the world’s most remarkable singers” (Boston Globe), praised for his keen intelligence, captivating stage presence, and natural musicianship. The Wall Street Journal calls beloved artist Jake Heggie “arguably the world’s most popular 21st-century opera and art song composer.” Both of these prolific, sought-after artists have a long history with San Francisco Performances.

Gala Performance

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

This summer, enjoy the magic of the Curtis Recital Series from home with our summer broadcast series. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to enjoy never-before-broadcast performances every Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Broadcast: Ravel, Reger, and Heggie

Curtis Institute of Music

The rising star tenor won first prize at the 2022 Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition and was shortlisted in the Young Singer category at the 2023 International Opera Awards.

Sunday Afternoon Song

Classical Pride Presents: LSO with Oliver Zeffman & Nick Grimshaw

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music and celebration at the Barbican on Sunday, 7 July 2024, at 7pm, as the London Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Oliver Zeffman and presented by Nick Grimshaw, brings to life a diverse programme celebrating LGBTQ classical music. This special concert marks the culmination of 2024's Classical Pride festival, a non-profit event dedicated to showcasing the breadth and diversity of LGBTQ artists across the classical music spectrum.

The evening's programme opens with Aaron Copland's stirring "Fanfare for the Common Man," followed by the world premiere of a new work by US composer Jake Heggie and librettist Taylor Mac, featuring soprano Pumeza Matshikiza. The virtuosic and charming Piano Concerto No 2 by Camille Saint-Saëns will be performed by Pavel Kolesnikov, with an encore of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Valse sentimentale." The concert also includes Cassandra Miller's "Round," which takes Tchaikovsky's theme as a starting point, and concludes with Karol Szymanowski's Symphony No 3, "Song of the Night," featuring tenor soloist Russell Thomas and the LGBTQ Community Choir, offering a nocturnal vision of profound peace and passion.

Tickets are available at various price points, from £15 to £100, with a £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction. Tickets go on general sale on Friday, 15 March. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit barbican.org.

Classical Pride is an annual festival curated by Oliver Zeffman, aiming to highlight the contributions of LGBTQ artists to classical music. The 2024 festival runs from 3 to 7 July, with a full programme of events available at classicalpride.uk. Net proceeds from the festival are donated to three important LGBTQ charities: Rainbow Railroad, Terrence Higgins Trust, and GAY TIMES’ Amplifund. This year's Classical Pride is also generously supported by VIIV Healthcare and GAY TIMES, along with individual benefactors.

Don't miss this powerful celebration of music, diversity, and pride.

Classical Pride with Oliver Zeffman & Nick Grimshaw

Barbican Centre

This world premiere, commissioned and produced by Music of Remembrance, is based on the true story reported by Chicago Tribune columnist Howard Reich about an ailing Vietnam war veteran who learns he is the heir to a priceless art collection stolen by Nazis. His arduous voyage to Prague in search of his inheritance leads him to embrace an identity that had been hidden from him, and through art he discovers a deeper truth in his life.

Before It All Goes Dark

Studebaker Theater

Join us for an enchanting evening of vocal performance as Lillian Lansdell, a talented mezzo-soprano and Master of Music student at the Northwestern Bienen School of Music, takes the stage. Under the guidance of Theresa Brancaccio, Lillian will perform a captivating selection of pieces accompanied by the skilled pianist Olga Sklyanskaya. The program includes Jake Heggie's evocative "Of Gods and Cats" and "Statuesque," alongside William Bolcom's engaging "Cabaret Songs."

This special recital is scheduled for Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 8:30pm CDT, in the intimate setting of the McClintock Choral and Recital Room. Located within the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Center for the Musical Arts, the venue offers a cozy atmosphere perfect for the dynamic and expressive range of vocal music. With seating for 120, it provides a flexible space that enhances the connection between the performers and their audience.

Admission to this event is free, and tickets are not required, making it an accessible opportunity for all music lovers. For those unable to attend in person, a live stream will be available, ensuring no one misses out on this remarkable display of musical talent.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the artistry of Lillian Lansdell and Olga Sklyanskaya in a program that promises to be as diverse as it is delightful. Mark your calendars and join us for a memorable night of music and emotion.

Lillian Lansdell, mezzo-soprano

Ryan Center for the Musical Arts

Student Recital: Thomas Fong

Carnegie Mellon University

Daniel Hope has toured the world as a virtuoso soloist for 25 years and is celebrated for his musical versatility as well as his dedication to humanitarian causes. Winner of the 2015 European Cultural Prize for Music (whose previous recipients include Daniel Barenboim, Plácido Domingo and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Hope appears as soloist with the world’s major orchestras and conductors, also directing many ensembles from the violin. Since the start of the 2016/17 season, Daniel Hope is Music Director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra – an orchestra with whom he is closely associated since his early childhood.

Daniel Hope, violin & Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano

See another side of Daniel Hope in this charming recital program with pianist and frequent collaborator Simon Crawford-Phillips. Romantic showpieces for violin and piano share the evening with the US premiere of a new work by beloved San Francisco composer Jake Heggie, inspired by Beethoven’s 1803 residency at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien.

Daniel Hope In Recital

The passionate melody and lyrics of arias, duets, trios, and choruses by Mozart, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, Masagni, and Wagner come to life when the South Bend Lyric Opera and Vesper Chorale join the Symphony for this dynamic performance.

A Night at the Opera

Here On Earth features musical depictions of our planet earth, its evolution, and the lives of its inhabitants, expressed through music that spans centuries, from Haydn’s Sunrise Quartet to Darius Milhaud’s La Création du Monde (composed in 1923) and Clarice Assad’s A World Of Change, newly commissioned in 2023. The concert begins with Jake Heggie’s Earthrise, reflecting on the fragility of our tiny blue planet from the perspective of the iconic photograph taken from the surface of the moon during the 1968 Apollo 8 landing. Traveling through time and space, the program telescopes in to celebrate the beauties of the natural world, and explore our relationship to this changing earth that is our home.

Lara Downes and The Miró Quartet

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

In pursuit of their degrees at SFCM, each student presents a recital that represents their artistry and craft. Student Recitals feature repertoire curated by students with guidance from their faculty instructor.  

Emilia Perrotta, soprano - Senior Recital

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Though our visibility has evolved over time, the creative contributions of the Queer community have been ever-present. Throughout history we have told our stories, sometimes implicitly coded into larger tales or even offered with our queerness removed altogether. 

Salon Series

Garrett Jacobs Mansion

Dive into the riveting production of "Flesh & Stone," a triad of song cycles that seamlessly intertwines the allure of sculpture and music. From the ethereal musings of Greek gods in Matthew Recio's "Statues in London" to the poignant reflections of Michelangelo in Britten’s "Seven Sonnets," and the haunting journey of sculptress Camille Claudel in Heggie and Scheer’s evocative piece. Curated by Director John de los Santos, inspired by his passion for song cycles and sculpture, this masterpiece brings to the fore pressing issues of appropriation in art and the tumultuous lives of artists. Join esteemed cast members, alongside live art model Pasqualino Beltempo, for a transcendent experience. After the show, immerse yourself further by sketching Beltempo and make your own artistic discoveries.

Flesh & Stone

The Blue Gallery

Lyric Opera of Orange County reprises their breathtaking performance of Jake Heggie's "Two Remain," the operatic memoirs of two Holocaust survivors, for the California New Music Festival.

Lyric Opera of Orange County

Huntington Beach Central Library

Back after popular demand, Lyric Opera OC reprises their January 2023 production of Jake Heggie’s Two Remain for the inaugural statewide California Music Festival. Kicking off the festival’s calendar, this production will leave you with tears in your eyes and silence on your lips. Heggie crafts a visceral memoir based on the true story of two Holocaust survivors and their reflections, and the choices that haunt them, from their time in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp of WWII.

Jake Heggie's Two Remain

The Civil War is raging, and the country is burning. Men are slaughtering each other on the battlefield, but it is two women who possess the deadliest weapon of all: Intelligence, made more powerful by its invisibility. Who would guess that Elizabeth Van Lew, from a prominent Confederate family, is running a secret pro-Union spy ring? That Mary Jane Bowser, born into slavery in the Van Lew household, not only has been taught to read and write, but is also possessed of a photographic memory? The HGO-commissioned world-premiere opera Intelligence, inspired by the little-known true story of these two unlikely spies, unfolds as Elizabeth sends Mary Jane to live in the Confederate White House. As Mary Jane uncovers the secrets of the Confederacy to share with Union military commanders, she also uncovers the secrets of her own history and identity. 

Intelligence

Wortham Theater Center

Celebrated American soprano Karen Slack’s dynamic opera and recital performances combined with her passionate advocacy for racial justice and women composers make her a sought-after artist on many fronts. For her performance at Chamber Music Detroit, Slack performs Of Thee I Sing! Songs of Love and Justice, her incredibly moving program conceived during the turmoil in the summer of 2020, when the country was forced into a long-overdue racial awakening. After witnessing the murder of George Floyd on national television – as many did while confined to their homes during the onset of the pandemic – Slack felt it necessary to create a program focusing on the healing powers of justice and love. The program will include material from composers Clayton White, Undine Smith Moore, Ricky Ian Gordon, Scott Gendel, H. Leslie Adams, Jake Heggie, and Adolphus Hailstork. 

Songs of Love & Justice with Soprano Karen Slack

Oakland University

American composer Jake Heggie’s masterpiece, the most widely performed new opera of the last 20 years, has its highly anticipated Met premiere, in a haunting new production by Ivo van Hove. Based on Sister Helen Prejean’s memoir about her fight for the soul of a condemned murderer, Dead Man Walking matches the high drama of its subject with Heggie’s beautiful and poignant music and a brilliant libretto by Tony and Emmy Award–winner Terrence McNally.

Dead Man Walking

Lincoln Center

Imagine as an aspiring tennis pro, you get an hour on the court with Venus Williams or Rafael Nadal. Or, as an early career golf talent, hitting the links with Tiger Woods? x2 is the classical music version of this dream – realized before a live audience. This unique series features our Academy Artists paired with the brilliant 2023 fellows – the energy is explosive as emerging talents dance with legends.

x2: Jake Heggie & Brahms Piano Quintet

Music Academy of the West

Montserrat Martinez Buganza (B.M. '24) presents a voice recital.

Student Recital: Montserrat Martinez Buganza, Voice

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

GRAMMY-nominated cellist Matt Haimovitz and brilliant young violinist Chad Hoopes bring their talents to the outdoor stage at Charles Krug.

The Four Seasons of Napa Valley

Charles Krug

Enjoy a rare glimpse into the exceptional musical chemistry between composer and performer in this intimate duo recital. Mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, praised by Gramophone as having “the sort of instrument you could listen to all day, in any sort of repertoire,” has captured the music world’s attention with her brilliant vocal performances, but she is also lauded for the ways she uses her powerful voice offstage—advocating for women and LGBTQ+ people and speaking out on topics such as body positivity, diet culture, and social justice issues. 
Barton is accompanied by a longtime friend and collaborator, composer/pianist Jake Heggie (Dead Man Walking, Moby-Dick), in a program featuring selections from their recent recording, which explores the perspectives of the powerful women represented in Heggie’s songs and operas. The pair also performs the West Coast premiere of Heggie’s What I Miss the Most…, a song cycle with new texts by Joyce DiDonato, Patti LuPone, Sister Helen Prejean, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Kathleen Kelly.

Recital: Jamie Barton and Jake Heggie

University of California, Berkeley

This World Premiere Event of works by Jake Heggie features three song cycles reimagined as fully staged chamber operas. These three moving narratives share one common theme: the deep human desire for love and acceptance. Festival Opera welcomes a world-class cast of West Coast artists with strong ties to Heggie’s operas and song repertoire. As we celebrate our 30th Anniversary Season, we are thrilled and honored to feature the collaboration and performance of Jake Heggie himself in this newly assembled work. This production is the result of General Director Zachary Gordin’s long standing relationship with Jake Heggie and his works, and of their conversations about what opera can be in this era of rebirth.

A Jake Heggie Triptych

Lesher Center for the Arts

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra in two works of incredible power. Written collaboratively by composer Jake Heggie, called “arguably the world’s most popular 21st-century opera and art song composer” (The Wall Street Journal); Booker Prize–winning author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale); and JUNO Award–winning baritone Joshua Hopkins, Songs for Murdered Sisters is an arresting song cycle and urgent plea inspired by Hopkins’s own devastating loss. Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, the last the composer completed, is a transcendent piece also born in trying circumstances—but not without hope.

The Philadelphia Orchestra

Carnegie Hall

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra in two works of incredible power. 

Written collaboratively by composer Jake Heggie, called “arguably the world’s most popular 21st-century opera and art song composer” (The Wall Street Journal); Booker Prize–winning author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale); and JUNO Award–winning baritone Joshua Hopkins, Songs for Murdered Sisters is an arresting song cycle and urgent plea inspired by Hopkins’s own devastating loss. Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, the last the composer completed, is a transcendent piece also born in trying circumstances—but not without hope.

Mahler's Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall

Tchaikovsky’s Fate

Naples Philharmonic

From Corigliano, “This a capella choral work, composed in 1971, is a setting of Richard Wilbur’s translation of Baudelaire’s L’Invitation au Voyage. Wilbur’s poignant setting pictures a world of obsessive imagination — a drugged vision of heaven full of sensual imagery. The music echoes the quality of the repeated refrain found in this lush translation: ‘There, there is nothing else but grace and measure, richness, quietness and pleasure.’”

Voyages

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

The 222

St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Following the haunting Met premiere of his first opera, Dead Man Walking, composer Jake Heggie returns to the company with his 2010 adaptation of Herman Melville’s sea-drenched, heaven-storming epic. A cast of standouts comes together on the decks of the Pequod, with tenor Brandon Jovanovich starring as the monomaniacal Captain Ahab, implacable in his pursuit of the white whale; tenor Stephen Costello as Greenhorn, the opera’s version of Ishmael; baritone Peter Mattei as the even-keeled first mate Starbuck; and bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as the Polynesian harpooneer Queequeg. The cast also features soprano Janai Brugger as Pip, tenor William Burden as Flask, and baritone Malcolm MacKenzie as Stubb. Maestro Karen Kamensek takes the podium for a stunning staging by Leonard Foglia that arrives at the Met newly enlarged and refined following acclaimed runs in Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

Moby-Dick

Experience the culmination of the Grand Rapids Symphony's landmark 95th season with the awe-inspiring performance of "Death & Transfiguration." Under the baton of Maestro Marcelo Lehninger, with the extraordinary talents of countertenor Key’mon Murrah, and the visionary direction and choreography of Jawole Zollar alongside the Urban Bush Women, this event promises an unforgettable evening of music and dance.

The concert will premiere Jake Heggie’s "Earth 2.0," a co-commission with the Fort Worth Symphony that delves into themes of nature and conservation. This piece, alongside R. Strauss's "Tod und Verklärung" (Death and Transfiguration), will offer audiences a thrilling and epic finale to the season. The performance will be enriched by the choreography and movement of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and the Brooklyn-based dance company, Urban Bush Women, ensuring a spectacle of auditory and visual artistry.

Join us at DeVos Performance Hall for this monumental event on Friday, May 9, 2025, and Saturday, May 10, 2025, both evenings at 7:30 PM. Secure your tickets now for a night that celebrates the power of music and dance to reflect on our relationship with nature and the transformative journey of life and beyond.

This performance is made possible thanks to our generous sponsors, including the Series Sponsor: Richard and Helen DeVos, with Marcelo Lehninger occupying the Daniel & Pamella DeVos Music Director Chair, and the Guest Artist Sponsor: Edith I. Blodgett Guest Artist Fund.

Don't miss this pinnacle of the Grand Rapids Symphony's 2023-2024 season. Buy your tickets today and be part of a historic celebration of music, movement, and the human spirit.

Jake Heggie

Composer

Events

Upcoming events

Jan 15, 2025

The Philadelphia Orchestra · Carnegie Hall

Jan 15, 2025

Mahler's Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall · Philadelphia Orchestra

30 - 31 Jan, 2025

Tchaikovsky’s Fate · Naples Philharmonic

14 - 16 Feb, 2025

Voyages · Vox Humana SF

3 - 29 Mar, 2025

Moby-Dick · The Metropolitan Opera

Past events

6 - 8 Dec, 2024

Spano Conducts Beethoven and Jake Heggie · Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Nov 10, 2024

Angela Brower mezzo-soprano; James Baillieu piano · Wigmore Hall

Future and recently performed repertoire

Piano in At the Statue of Venus by Heggie

Festival Opera

About

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