The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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  • 2025 Adler Fellows Concert

    * Notes *

    The 2025 Adler Fellows (pictured, photograph by Kristen Loken) had their concert last Friday at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. Every season we see and hear these apprentice artists in supporting roles on the main stage of San Francisco Opera, so it is nice to have a program completely focused on them.

    had their concert last Friday at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. Every season we see and hear these apprentice artists in supporting roles on the main stage of San Francisco Opera, so it is nice to have a program completely focused on them.

    Conducted by Ramón Tebar, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra accompanied the young singers, but the evening did start with the overture from Die Fledermaus. It was very jaunty and fun.

    There was much fine singing of very famous arias, duets, and ensembles. The singers have very loud, clear voices. The performance was directed by Omer Ben Seadia, and was quite naturalistic and worked just fine.

    Bass-baritone Jongwon Han did equally well with “Tutto è disposto – Aprite un po’ quegli occhi” from Le Nozze di Figaro and “il mulino il fonte il bosco.. vi ravviso o luoghi ameni” from La Sonnambula. There was a lot of ease to his sound.

    Baritone Olivier Zerouali was very enjoyable in “Largo al factotum” and quite charming. He was also quite good in the trio from “Nein, mit solchen Advokaten” from Die Fledermaus as Dr. Blind with soprano Georigiana Adams as Rosalinde and tenor Samuel White as Eisenstein. Everyone seemed quite well matched and strong.

    Soprano Mary Hoskins is one to watch, her “Es gibt ein Reich” from Ariadne auf Naxos was seamless. The Wagnerian duet she sang with tenor Thomas Kinch was an intense finale for the performance. “Wehwalt heißt du fürwahr…Siegmund heiss ich” from Act I of Die Walküre was nothing short of impressive. One can only imagine that Hoskins will be in the upcoming Ring and also in the performances leading up to the full cycles in 2028.

    * Tattling *

    The audience included many familiar faces and as such was rather well-behaved. There was very little talking or electronic noise. A very small and happy infant was also in attendance and seemed nonplussed by the singing.

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  • Ars Minerva’s Ercole Amante

    * Notes *

    Ercole Amante (ovation pictured, photograph by author) premiered at ODC Theater from Ars Minerva this past weekend. The piece by Antonia Bembo was written in 1707 and features absolutely beautiful music. It is startling that Ars Minerva can keep finding these obscure operas that are all so lovely.

    The production directed by Céline Ricci, leans into the absurdity of a convoluted plot, which involves Hercules falling in love with Iole whose father he killed and who is loved and in love with Hercules’ son Hyllus. There are the usual projections to switch the scenes plus various props including a bear rug and a deer head.

    Conductor and harpsichordist Matthew Dirst did not have the small orchestra particularly together, though the prettiness of the music did come through. Likewise the singers were not always exactly with the instruments.

    There was much fine singing from many people we are accustomed to hearing at Ars Minerva. I always like hearing mezzo Nina Jones (Licco) and contralto Sara Couden (Paggio), both these artists have smooth, rich voices and do humor well.

    Soprano Lila Khazoum makes for a clear-voiced Iole and sounds nice with tenor Max Ary as Hyllo, whose burnished sound is quite pleasant. His high register does sound slightly strained.

    Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich’s resonant tones as Deianira are sympathetic. The contrasting sopranos of Melissa Sondhi (Venere) and Aura Veruni (Giunone) really work well, Sondhi is more bird-like and Veruni more icy. Baritone Zachary Gordin certainly looks the part of Ercole, his bare torso is impressive but his voice could have been smoother, and he seemed to forget a line on Saturday night and had to consult the score, as there was no prompter.

    * Tattling *

    There was a supertitle right before the music started explaining that the dead bear and deer were not killed specifically for this performance.

    Many entrances were made through the audience, and one of my companions was brushed against by Aura Veruni’s rather bulky gown at one point.

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  • The Monkey King World Premiere at SF Opera

    * Notes *

    The Monkey King (Act I pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) had a world premiere last night at San Francisco Opera. Composed by Huang Ruo and with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, this new opera is a spectacular piece of theater.

    Director Diane Paulus’ production features puppetry, projections, and dancing. Basil Twist’s set design has many layers to it and employs a lot of cloth, either draped or as curtains.There was always something to look at, and there were many bright colors.

    It was disorienting to hear the San Francisco Opera Orchestra play Wagner the night before to this contemporary work by Huang Ruo. Maestra Carolyn Kuan kept the orchestra moving, but the sound was more diffuse than with Music Director Kim.

    The orchestra included a pipa, a four-stringed Chinese lute played by Shenshen Zhang. Huang Ruo’s music at times has lots of repeated arpeggios and novel percussion such as Indonesian button gongs, a Chinese opera gong, and Chinese crash symbols. The textured, atmospheric sounds were enjoyable to listen to and sustained the drama.

    Commissioned by San Francisco Opera in partnership with the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, the story is based on the beginning of the classic novel Journey to the West from the Ming Dynasty. David Henry Hwang’s libretto is mostly in English with some Mandarin sprinkled in, which somehow works fine. Hwang is very funny, and it is suitable for the adventures of the Monkey King. Some choice lines included “Awesome” and “This Buddha is so dumb,” which are less amusing in isolation but in context engaged the audience.

    The chorus sounded great, it’s so impressive that these singers went from entirely different music in a heartbeat and are so cohesive. The principals are also strong. Tenor Kang Wang had a very fine Company debut in the title role of this opera. He’s very appealing, both in his pretty voice and his physical presence. Tenor Konu Kim sounded bright and blustery as the Jade Emperor. Best of all was perhaps soprano Mei Gui Zhang as the goddess of mercy Guanyin. Her voice is so clear and smooth, she truly embodied this part.

    Another stand out is bass Peixin Chen, as Supreme Sage Laojun. The depths of his sound are commanding. Baritone Jusung Gabriel Park sang Master Subhuti very beautifully, with humor and graveness in turns as appropriate.

    I also enjoyed hearing former Adler Fellow baritone Joo Won Kang as both Dragon King Ao Guang and Lord Erlang. Mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu made her own notable contributions as the Crab General and Venus Star, and it was nice to hear another vocal type amid so many tenors, baritones, and other male voices.

    * Tattling *

    The audience was very excited for this performance, and seemed to rapt by the action. I heard some light talking but not much electronic noise, but perhaps that is a function of how loud much of the instrumentation was.

    Many fancy people were celebrating the work on the box level of the opera house, including former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi.

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  • Parsifal 5 at SF Opera

    * Notes *

    Last night was the fifth and final performance of Parsifal at San Francisco Opera. I attended in balcony standing room and the sound of the orchestra under Maestra Eun Sun Kim was better than ever, lucid and shimmering. The chorus is likewise very powerful and together.

    The singing was strong though tenor Brandon Jovanovich (pictured as Parsifal with Kwangchul Youn as Gurnemanz, photograph by Cory Weaver) started feeling ill during Act II, and General Director Matthew Shilvock appeared on stage before Act III to say Jovanovich would graciously sing the rest of the performance despite not being well. There were some moments in Act III that Jovanovich was clearly not singing out and sounded fragile, but he made it through the opera.

    * Tattling *

    The audience at the back of the balcony was pretty quiet until Act III. A young woman in Row L Seat 121 talked a lot during the music and filmed the performance. I eventually moved myself away from her as she kept talking even after being hushed. There were some mobile phone rings heard, and some hearing aid feedback as well.

    Many people were very excited about the announcement on Tuesday that Wagner’s Ring Cycle is coming back to San Francisco Opera in Summer 2028, with Maestra Kim conducting and Brian Mulligan as Wotan. I was asked if I would attend all the performances, and judging by my perfect Parsifal attendance, I think it is likely.

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  • Parsifal 4 at SF Opera

    * Notes *

    Yesterday evening I went to the fourth performance of San Francisco Opera’s Parsifal San Francisco Opera and read the score in standing room. The way Maestra Eun Sun Kim has set up the strings is novel, she has the violins in the middle, the cellos on the outside to her left, and the violas to her right.

    Having the violas exposed made them stand out more to me, and it was easy to hear their lines from the back of the balcony. The playing of the whole orchestra keeps getting better and better. It was especially lovely hearing the clarinet soli and the harps, and it was fun to follow the music with the score.

    The singing is consistent, everyone sounds very appropriate for their roles. Hearing mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz (A Voice) from the balcony was intensely beautiful, it was easier to appreciate from this location, even though the singer doesn’t appear on stage regardless. Tenor Brandon Jovanovich (pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) is truly a fine Parsifal, and it was great to be able to hear him yet again.

    * Tattling *

    There were very few tickets sold for standing room, but since there were so many latecomers to the 6pm performance, it was quite crowded in the balcony. There were very many young people, and one wanted to read the score with me at the end of Act I.

    A person whose cellular phone was ringing during Act II rushed out of the hall, but gave me quite a start as he was passing me as the ring tone went off, and I almost thought it was my phone as I use the same one.

    The Doechii show at Bill Graham got out at the same time as the opera performance, and it was surreal trying to get to BART with so many young people.

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  • Parsifal 3 at SF Opera

    * Notes *

    The third performance of Parsifal  (Act III, Scene 1 pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) San Francisco Opera was yesterday afternoon. I was lucky enough to attend this opera in Box Z, which is pretty much as close as one can get to the stage. Again, new details revealed themselves, and as always, it was fascinating to watch the orchestra and Maestra Eun Sun Kim.

    On Saturday, the Wagner Society of Northern California hosted a talk by Professor Thomas Grey entitled Outside/Inside: Sacred Spaces in Parsifal that I attended and it made me notice that the three dancers in Act I Scene 2 were fluttering their hands to represent the Holy Ghost.

    I did spend most of my time watching Maestra Kim and the orchestra and was very much impressed by the woodwind and string soli. The brass were right under me and it was interesting to feel the vibrations of the instruments in my body.

    Mezzo-soprano Tanja Ariane Baumgartner is growing on me, her voice is not beautiful but it is appropriate for her role and her German diction is exceedingly clear.

    * Tattling *

    The line to get into the opera house was quite long at noon, and someone jumped ahead, causing great dismay.

    There was a lot of electronic noise, in Act I it sounded like either a cellular phone had a chiming ring or there was a hearing aid having lots of feedback, but it lasted for a long time, which makes me suspect it was the latter.

    Two rings were also heard in Act III during some quieter moments.

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  • SF Opera Orchestra Plays Beethoven’s Fifth

    * Notes *

    The Fall concert for San Francisco Opera was held last night. It was lovely to hear the orchestra (pictured, photograph by Matthew Washburn) front and center under the baton of Maestra Eun Sun Kim. The sound was clear and buoyant throughout the program of Manuel de Falla and Beethoven.

    Beethoven’s Fifth was the main attraction of the evening and it was a nice change of pace to hear both Kim and this orchestra perform a symphony rather than an opera. The musical lines were all exceedingly lucid, and it was a joy to hear every note. The shape and color of the movements were varied, from the familiar Allegro con brio to the triumphant final Allegro brimming with vim and vigor. The brass was strong, the trumpets played especially well. The woodwinds, as always, were wonderful to hear.

    The first half of the program included an orchestral suite version of Falla’s El Sombrero de Tres Picos highlighted dance rhythms and syncopation, each of the three movements was based on a dance: Seguidillas, Farruca, and Jota. The full piece is a ballet, so this makes sense. It was fun to hear the orchestra’s talents on full display.

    The evening began in a more conventional way,with the orchestra accompanying mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack in Siete Canciones Populares Españolas by Falla. All the songs involve love, some are more playful and others are melancholic. The horn and percussion had the most to do, and sounded very nice. Mack has a light, agile voice, she sounded best in the sadder songs, she channels mournfulness quite well. She was particularly good in III. Asturiana whose text speaks of consolation, weeping, and a green pine.

    * Tattling *

    An elderly woman whose ticket was for Row M Seat 15 of the orchestra level was sitting in Row O Seat 5, confusing the young couple that had this seat and the adjoining one.

    The opera audience did not know when to clap, they interrupted the Falla suite before it was done, and applauded in between movements of the Beethoven, someone even screamed “Bravo” after the Allegro con brio.

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  • Adler Fellows 2026

    The incoming 2026 Adler Fellows are soprano Sofia Gotch (Oakland, California), mezzo-soprano Sadie Cheslak (Duluth, Minnesota), and baritone Gabriel Natal-Báez (Toa Alta, Puerto Rico).

    Soprano Mary Hoskins (Saratoga Springs, Utah), coach/pianist Ji Youn Lee (Seoul, South Korea), and baritone Olivier Zerouali (Middletown, Delaware continue in the program as second-year fellows while tenor Thomas Kinch (Cardiff, Wales) returns as a third-year fellow.

    The 2025 Adlers concluding their fellowships at the end of this year are sopranos Georgiana Adams, Caroline Corrales and Olivia Smith, tenor Samuel White, baritone Samuel Kidd, bass-baritone Jongwon Han and pianist Julian Grabarek.

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  • Parsifal 2 at SF Opera

    * Notes *

    The second performance of Parsifal  (Act I, Scene 2 pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) San Francisco Opera last night. It was interesting to experience this opera from the orchestra level, I was better able to appreciate the details of the production. Also the orchestra sounded even better than the previous two times I have heard the piece, and I am sorely tempted to come to hear as many performances of this as I can.

    Msestra Eun Sun Kim has the orchestra sounding iridescent and completely clear. I hope to read the score at the back of the balcony. The singing too was all strong, everyone is appropriate for their roles.

    From closer quarters, it was easier to see all the facial expressions that singers and dancers alike hold, and the hand gestures. There were many gaping mouths and sweeps of arms. I noticed that the first and second esquires flip their palms as they prostrate themselves. There are lots of small details in the movements, and it would be easy to get lost in these, there is always something to look at on the stage.

    * Tattling *

    My companion was deeply delighted that I was seated in front of a person in Row N 1 who belched at least twenty times in Act I, as she could pretend that it was me and act affronted. When she mentioned this to me at the first intermission, I truly laughed so hard. To be honest, I felt bad for said person, sometimes it just seems difficult being in an aging human body, he also had a cough, as did many people in the audience.

    We sat behind a very sweet couple who sat next to us at dinner, so that was a funny coincidence. They inquired about our dinner, and we all agreed a Mano was a good spot to eat before the performance.

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  • Hello, Star at Opera Parallèle

    A Children’s Opera About Space

    Opera Parallèle in a dress rehearsal of the Hands-On-Opera World premiere of “Hello, Star” by Composer Carla Lucero, Librettist Jarrod Lee, based on the book Hello, Star by Stephanie S. V. Lucianovic. With Christabel Nunoo, Adult Celeste, Aniyjah Garrett, Young Celeste,Aisha Campbell, Mother/Trainer, and Bradley Kynard, Big Star, and Nicole Paiement, Conductor, L. Peter Callender, Director, and Rebecca PN Seeman, Associate Conductor. At the Creativity Theater on Thursday evening, October 23, 2025.

    * Notes *

    Opera Parallèle held the world premiere of Hello, Star (pictured, photograph by Stefan Cohen) an earnest chamber opera for children by composer Carla Lucero and librettist Jarrod Lee last weekend. Music director Nicole Paiement had the tiny orchestra of nine people sounding utterly crystalline and beautiful.

    Based on the picture book of the same title by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, the story concerns a girl named Celeste who is fascinated by a dying star and dreams of becoming an astronaut.

    The USF University Choir made up an angelic chorus. There was much other lovely singing particularly from soprano Christabel Nunoo who plays the adult Celeste, her voice has an ethereal quality, while her counterpart mezzo-soprano Aniyjah Garrett has a more eerie, childlikeness appropriate for the young Celeste.

    Soprano Aisha Campbell has a warmth as Celeste’s mother. Her sound is well-supported and clean. Baritone Bradley Kynard (Big Star) also has a rich voice, with a lot of power.

    Director L. Peter Callender’s production glittered and had much charm. The small spinning set was almost like a dollhouse and worked well in the small space of the Creativity Theater at the Children’s Creativity Museum at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.

    Lucero’s music took shape under the baton of Maestra Paiement. There were interesting percussive elements as well as parts that felt full of dance and movement. As usual Paiement had the musicians well in hand, every line felt intentional and smooth.

    * Tattling *

    As I brought my own 8-year-old daughter to this performance, I suggested the opera to a friend with a child as well, and was surprised that the show on Sunday was sold out. We were lucky that the Marketing Director of the company very kindly accommodated said friend.

    There were not that many children at this opera, but I was seated near a woman with three small kids in tow, who spoke rather a lot and at full volume, but in Spanish, so somehow it was less annoying than it could have been, perhaps.

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