Season Update from
General Director Khori Dastoor
Dear Friends,
At long last, it is time to mark our calendars! Today, I’m thrilled to announce Opera San José’s 2021-22 season, and our return to in-person performances beginning this November in the California Theatre.
We could not have come to this moment without your stalwart, unwavering support. This last year, Opera San José has led the industry in the production of world-class virtual performances introducing this incredible artform to newfound patrons in our community and across the globe.
Now, as the world begins the long road to recovery, we look ahead, with excitement, anticipation, and unmitigated eagerness, at the relaunch of the 2021-22 season. Our season launches with a Heiman Digital Media Studio production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart and Salieri in September, followed by California Theatre mainstage productions of Purcell’s exquisite Dido and Aeneas, Bizet’s fiery classic Carmen, and Bernstein’s acclaimed West Side Story, marking our return to regularly scheduled in-person performances.
This season, we explore the necessity of human connection. We explore love—and love interrupted. We witness people who are confronted by a world incompatible with who they are or who they wish to be. A composer drowns in envy of another’s fame; a queen succumbs to the enormity of love, lost; a woman stands defiant in the face of societal conformity; star-crossed lovers confront the prejudices which keep them apart. If this last year has shown us anything, it is that human connections are integral to our spiritual and mental well-being. This season, we celebrate our connections to one another, in all of their complexity, messiness, and beauty.
As Mozart and Salieri is a streamed production, subscribers will receive access to the production and gift tickets to share with your friends and loved ones.
We continue to work closely with our local health officials, and will be implementing rigorous COVID-19 safety protocols to protect the well-being of our staff, artists, musicians, and patrons. Health recommendations will continue to evolve as vaccination rates continue to climb.
The future of our artform is bright—and Opera San José is leading the way. Soon, we will be seated together in the California Theatre, basking in the resplendent voices and glorious orchestral music that we all know and love.
Thank you for being a patron, a supporter, and a member of our OSJ family.
In gratitude,
Khori Dastoor
General Director
Join Us for the 2021-22 Season!
New Curtain Times
Starting in the November 2021, patrons will enjoy earlier performance times:
Evening Performances at 7:30pm
Matinee Performances at 2pm
More Flexibility
Ultimate flexibility to build your own subscription and enjoy up to 45% off single tickets.
First Access
Subscribers enjoy priority seating, access to additional insider events and pre-sale of special offerings when announced.
'CREATE YOUR OWN' SUBSCRIPTION AVAILABLE
Mix and match three or four productions, dates and times to best fit your schedule.
Rumors and intrigue swirled after the passing of famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, inspiring this one-act opera by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. MOZART AND SALIERI follows the Italian composer Antonio Salieri lamenting the envy gnawing away at his heart – “Mozart!” Believing him unworthy of his genius, Salieri sets in motion a devious plot to poison the famed composer. But as Mozart plays his Requiem, Salieri weeps – not knowing whether villainy or genius will be his legacy. Based on Alexander Pushkin’s play of the same name, this intensely intimate psychological drama, conducted by Donato Cabrera and directed by Fenlon Lamb, incorporates quotations from Mozart’s Requiem and Don Giovanni to create an unforgettable portrait of a genius, of a villain, of Salieri. Baritone Sidney Outlaw, lauded by the San Francisco Chronicle as “an opera powerhouse” takes on the role of Salieri.
Heiman Digital Studio: Streaming Begins September 30, 2021
Subscribers receive household access and may order additional free gift tickets for friends and loved ones!
One of the earliest and most celebrated operas, Dido and Aeneas is arguably one of the most important operatic works of the 17th century. Having foresworn romantic love, Dido, Queen of Carthage, is tormented by the Trojan hero, Aeneas, who is desperate for her affections. But as their love is kindled, a powerful sorcerer plots the queen’s downfall. Through deceit, trickery, and the conjuring of a raging storm, Dido is ripped from Aeneas, in Purcell’s soaring, richly nuanced work culminating in one of opera’s greatest tragedies. Opera San José Music Director Joseph Marcheso will conduct this stunning new production, featuring celebrated baritone Efraín Solís as Aeneas, lauded soprano Maya Kherani as Belinda, and multi-award-winning bass-baritone Nathan Stark as the Sorcerer.
California Theatre: November 13 – 28 2021
Fiery flamenco joins brilliant singing to ignite Bizet’s classic in a vibrant production conducted by Music Director Joseph Marcheso, and reimagined by director Lillian Groag. In a new collaboration with the acclaimed Flamenco Society of San José, dance, singing, and drama will come together to tell the passionate tale of a defiant heroine, whose rebellious quest for freedom seals her tragic fate. Announced casting includes outstanding baritone Eugene Brancoveanu as Escamillo.
California Theatre: February 12 – 27, 2022
Opera San José will close this unforgettable season with Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s classic American tale of two star-crossed lovers and the prejudices that keep them apart. Bursting with passion, humor, dancing, and some of the most memorable music ever written, this stunning production of West Side Story – the company’s first-ever musical – will be conducted by Christopher James Ray and staged by director Crystal Manich. Among the announced casting: baritone Brian James Myer will appear as Riff.
California Theatre: April 16 – May 1, 2022