Name: Mad Scenes
Start: 2026-10-25T16:00:00
Location: Piedmont Center for the Arts

Aura Veruni

Daniel Lockert

Lila Khazoum

Marina Polakoff

Festival Opera

Join us for Festival Opera’s Spring Soirée, an evening that celebrates our deep roots in the Bay Area’s creative culture—and a moment to reflect on where we’re headed next. For 35 years, Festival Opera has provided a launchpad for emerging talent, a home for bold artistry, and a platform for meaningful engagement with our communities, earning a trusted place in the region’s arts scene.

 Spring Soirée

Piedmont Center for the Arts

On a magical island, the sorceress Alcina lures men with beauty and desire, using them for pleasure before discarding them—transforming former lovers into the stones, animals, trees, and other objects that populate her enchanted world. Her allure, like her palace, is sustained by powerful spells that conceal the truth: both Alcina and her island are in ruins. When her latest conquest is given a magical ring that reveals this reality, the illusion begins to collapse. As Alcina’s powers fade, she loses her hold—and ultimately her conquest—to the force of true love.

Alcina

University of California, Berkeley

Lesher Center for the Arts

Love, laughter, and a little liquid courage take center stage in Elixir of Love, Donizetti’s beloved romantic comedy—reimagined for our FREE and open to the public Opera in the Park series.

Opera in the Park

Civic Park California

Orinda Community Park

Celebrate the launch of Festival Opera's new Resident Artist Program with a concert of arias and scenes featuring the exceptional talents of our inaugural class of resident artists. Casting and program to be announced in May, 2026.

Resident Artist Showcase

Mad Scenes

Praised for his "theatrical charisma and musical bravado", baritone Efraín Solís recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Salvador Dalí in the world premiere of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. A graduate of San Francisco Opera's Merola Program and Adler Fellowship, he comes to Festival Opera for a special performance of favorites from the opera and art song repertoire.