Conductor

Chorus Director

Infiltrate the castle. Rescue the princess. Bring her home. That’s the mission that unites two unlikely allies: a dashing young prince and a bumbling bird-catcher, armed only with a set of magical musical instruments. Their journey into a world of sorcerers and serpents, spirits and secrets, takes an unexpected turn in The Magic Flute, a fairy-tale quest for love and wisdom.
Mozart’s final opera comes alive in an acclaimed, inventive production from Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade, conjured from the topsy-turvy delights of silent cinema, 1920s cabaret, early Hollywood animation, and the illustrator Edward Gorey.
Music Director Eun Sun Kim takes us on a humanistic journey of awakening with some of the most sublime music ever written by Mozart.

EPSG:4326

The Magic Flute

War Memorial Opera House

A joyous wedding celebration takes a shocking turn when the darkest of family secrets is revealed and a young bride has an impossible decision to make.
Acclaimed by the The New York Times as a “masterpiece,” Innocence takes us to the limits of a family’s ability to deal with tragedy. In a gripping one-act drama, Kaija Saariaho and Sofi Oksanen unfold a harrowing story of emotional shock and surprise in which our understanding of innocence and guilt is continually upended.
Premiered in Aix-en-Provence in 2021 and making its American premiere in San Francisco, Innocence makes clear the power of the opera stage to tell emotive stories impossible in any other art form. Saariaho specialist Clément Mao-Takacs leads an international cast of singers and actors in this towering work performed in multiple languages.

Innocence

King Gustav III secretly harbors a love for Amelia, the wife of his closest advisor and friend. When a visit to a fortune teller confirms that his love is reciprocated and reveals a plot against his life, the seeds of his undoing take root.

Lavish costumes adorn masked courtiers as they gossip through the political machinations of eighteenth-century Sweden. Leo Muscato’s direction makes this new-to-San Francisco Opera production a must-see return to Verdi’s thrilling drama.

Un Ballo in Maschera

In a dystopian future, women are forced into childbearing servitude by an extremist theocratic regime. Escape is nearly impossible—but Offred, a handmaid, is determined to find a way back to her child, no matter the cost.

Based on the landmark novel by Margaret Atwood, this intense operatic drama gives voice to a terrifying, fictional world that is becoming increasingly prescient.

The Handmaid's Tale

Isolde has been captured by Tristan, who is delivering her as a trophy to his uncle, King Marke. She seeks death for them both, but when her maid swaps out the intended poison with a love potion, so begins an epic romance.

Tristan and Isolde

As free as a rebellious bird, it is hard to escape the magnetic allure of Carmen. Entranced by her passionate seguidilla, the soldier Don José descends into a dangerous spiral of desire.

Carmen

Rent is overdue, and the poet Rodolfo’s manuscript is reduced to kindling. But as the fire in the hearth dwindles, passion burns brightly amongst a group of young friends.

La Bohème

Amidst a terrible storm, Idomeneo promises the god Neptune that he will sacrifice the first person he sees if he and his crew survive the tempestuous waters. Arriving to shore, his relief at safe passage quickly transforms into horror as the first person he lays eyes upon is his own son, Idamante.

John Keene

Conductor, Chorus Director

Events

May 30 - Jun 30, 2024

The Magic Flute · San Francisco Opera

1 - 21 Jun, 2024

Innocence · San Francisco Opera

6 - 27 Sep, 2024

Un Ballo in Maschera · San Francisco Opera

Sep 14 - Oct 1, 2024

The Handmaid's Tale · San Francisco Opera

Oct 19 - Nov 5, 2024

Tristan and Isolde · San Francisco Opera

About

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