With no money, no confidence, and no hope of winning the hand of the alluring hotel owner Adina, the young waiter Nemorino entrusts his chance of romance to a quack salesman and a dubious bottle of. . . magic elixir.
Passions bubble to the surface in Gaetano Donizetti’s effervescent comedy The Elixir of Love, a quest for passion and romance on the sunny Mediterranean Riviera.
Director Daniel Slater and designer Robert Innes Hopkins create a sun-soaked world of pleasure where cocktails flow freely and hot-air balloons glide across the sky—a harkening back to Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, brought to musical life under the baton of conductor Ramón Tebar in his company debut.

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The Elixir of Love

War Memorial Opera House

Experience act one of The Elixir of Love sitting in the audience, and then immerse yourself in the world of the effervescent comedy in a transformed opera house.

The Elixir of Love Encounter

Spotlighting celebrated artists from Newark and beyond, the New Jersey Symphony lauds the power of the first instrument—the human voice—with a gospel music-inspired holiday extravaganza. Come ready to sing, dance and clap along!

New Jersey Symphony Family Concert: Fun for All Ages is presented in NJPAC's Victoria Theater.

A Gospel Holiday

Victoria Theatre

In this special abridged evening performance, perfect for the whole family, you’ll hear the Christmas portion (Part I) of Handel’s Messiah along with music of the season by Baroque composers including Michel Richard de Lalande and Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The finely tuned voices of the American Bach Choir and the polished sheen of sonorities brought by ABS’s period-instrument orchestra soar within the majestic interior of San Francisco’s Nob Hill landmark. Together with the best highlights of Handel's peerless composition, ABS will perform Charpentier's Messe de Minuit (“Midnight Mass”), one of the most treasured Christmas compositions from the Parisian Baroque.

A Baroque Christmas 4545

Grace Cathedral

Podcast link: https://youtu.be/4hagYvrYbuM

The Artelize Podcast and Kasper Holten - Pedefining Opera for the modern world

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36M5Hi6O80

The Artelize Podcast - A legacy of innovation in Opera: Celebrating Marc A. Scorca

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E40S_EQSY

The Artelize Podcast: A love letter that was never sent

Podcast link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THv6htilWtI

The Artelize Podcast and Adolfo Corrado: Mediterranean flavors, opera and social media

No other Bay Area performances come close to offering the visual, aural, and emotional qualities that have made ABS’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral so superlative. Featuring a stellar cast of vocal soloists, American Bach’s annual tradition of performing Handel’s Messiah in San Francisco’s historic Grace Cathedral perennially provides a treasured December holiday event to capacity audiences.

Handel's Messiah in Grace Cathedral

Back by popular demand, “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera” will usher in the new year within San Francisco’s beautiful Herbst Theatre. Start an early night on the town with a delightful program of arias, duets, and instrumental music from Baroque opera and concert, with plenty of time left for more celebrations in the evening or an early return home for a peaceful night. Bring your family and friends to celebrate a New Year full of wonderful music.

A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Boasting a powerful, accomplished style and the ability to perform practically anything, the Beijing Guitar Duo is credited with inspiring and energizing the next generation of classical guitarists. “The Beijing Guitar Duo’s performance was a model of elegant clarity, sumptuously beautiful tone production, and emotional contrast” (San Francisco Classical Voice). Legendary guitarist Manuel Barrueco proclaimed them “the best guitar duo in the world.”

Beijing Guitar Duo

St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco

Superb swordsman. Violin virtuoso. Coruscating kaleidoscopic composer. Widely considered to be the first known classical composer of African heritage, Joseph Bologne, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges took the 18th-century French music scene by storm. This brand-new Classical Kids LIVE! show features 15 of Bologne’s compositions as well as several guest appearances from other composers of his era. Whether this is your first introduction to Bologne or you’ve loved him for years, Saint-Georges’ Sword & Bow is sure to delight you, excite you, and inspire you to dream big.

Music for Families: Saint-Georges’ Sword & Bow

Davies Symphony Hall

It’s never too early to plan a holiday tradition—let Deck the Hall be yours! Treat your family to a concert of holiday favorites and sing-alongs led by conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser with members of the San Francisco Symphony, guest artists, and beloved costumed characters.


Deck The Hall

Join Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik, Associate Principal Cello Peter Wyrick, and pianist Anton Nel in concerts at the Legion of Honor’s beautiful Gunn Theater. This series features the gorgeous 1742 Guarnerius del Gesù violin, once owned by Jascha Heifetz, now generously on loan from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Chamber Music at Legion of Honor

Legion of Honor

Handel offers a musical meditation on Christ’s birth, life, and resurrection—and his message of redemption. An instant classic.

Handel's Messiah

Expect the Unexpected: Step into adventure as the Symphony brings extraordinary, multisensory experiences to the underground club atmosphere of the SoundBox space.


Mazz Swift

Prokofiev's tale of a boy and his animal friends' bravery is brought to life with a guest narrator. Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra Daniel Stewart conducts the ensemble in this classic musical fable, along with other seasonal and holiday favorites. 

Peter And the Wolf

Experience intimate chamber music programs curated and performed by small ensembles of SF Symphony musicians. In this concert: piano quartets by W.A. Mozart and Johannes Brahms, plus Arnold Bax’s Oboe Quintet, featuring Associate Principal Oboe James Button.

Chamber Music at Davies Symphony Hall

Pound for pound, no other band does what Pink Martini does. With the combined power of a dozen musicians, the self-described “little orchestra” performs a rollicking cross-genre mix of classical, jazz, and old-fashioned pop The Washington Post called “rich, hugely approachable, utterly cosmopolitan yet utterly unpretentious... it seems to speak to just about everybody.” The return with their infectiously joyous, dance-friendly takes on classic holiday music to make your season swing.

Pink Martini featuring China Forbes

SFJAZZ Center

With five consecutive DownBeat Critics Poll Rising Star nods and a Best New Artist award from the New York Jazz Critics Circle to his name, drummer, bandleader, educator and composer Matt Wilson is one of the most in-demand musicians in jazz. 

An Illinois native, Wilson got his start as a freelancer in the Midwest before moving to Boston and working with the innovative ensemble Either/Orchestra. Upon his arrival in New York, Wilson established a reputation as a peerless bandleader and sideman whose career includes stints with Joe Lovano, Lee Konitz, John Scofield, Charlie Haden, Denny Zeitlin, Jane Ira Bloom and dozens more.

Matt Wilson's Christmas Tree-O

Much like the American Songbook contains dozens of sublime ballads that have been interpreted by countless jazz and pop artists, the Latin American Songbook brims with love-besotted boleros. The Los Angeles ensemble Tres Souls is dedicated to interpreting this exquisite body of songs with three-part harmony arrangements redolent of the golden age of Mexican Cinema (1930s-1960s), when Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican composers wrote many of the era’s biggest hits. The trio performs a sublime program of holiday music for their SFJAZZ debut.

Tres Souls

The former SFJAZZ Collective trumpeter who meshes a profound knowledge of the jazz tradition with the bone-deep Creole influence of his Trinidad upbringing, Etienne Charles brings his tropical approach to holiday classics — the music documented on his joyous 2015 Culture Shock Music release Creole Christmas, along with new arrangements.

Etienne Charles: Creole Christmas

A finalist in the National Trumpet Competition, the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition, and the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition, rising star trumpeter Jonathan Dely declined an investment banking position at Wall Street’s largest bank to pursue his musical passion. This decision led to production of the 2023 short film Goodbye Jonathan’s Soul starring Dely as himself and directed by the legendary film and music video director Bob Giraldi (Dinner Rush, Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” video).

Jonathan Dely

Holiday Concert with Choristers from the San Francisco Boys Chorus, part of the Sunset Music and Arts Series. Affordable, high-quality, cultural and music programs in San Francisco.

Events in San Francisco, CA

The Elixir of Love

San Francisco Opera

The Elixir of Love Encoun...

San Francisco Opera

A Gospel Holiday

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

A Baroque Christmas 4545

American Bach Soloists

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: A l...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

Handel's Messiah in Grace...

American Bach Soloists

A Baroque New Year's Eve ...

American Bach Soloists

Beijing Guitar Duo

San Francisco Performances

Music for Families: Saint...

San Francisco Symphony

Deck The Hall

San Francisco Symphony

Chamber Music at Legion o...

San Francisco Symphony

Handel's Messiah

San Francisco Symphony

Mazz Swift

San Francisco Symphony

Peter And the Wolf

San Francisco Symphony

Chamber Music at Davies S...

San Francisco Symphony

Pink Martini featuring Ch...

San Francisco Jazz

Matt Wilson's Christmas T...

San Francisco Jazz

Tres Souls

San Francisco Jazz

Etienne Charles: Creole C...

San Francisco Jazz

Jonathan Dely

San Francisco Jazz

Sunset Music and Arts Per...

San Francisco Boys Chorus