CONTACT PATRON SERVICES

(408) 437-4450
boxoffice@operasj.org
M–F 10am–4pm

Tosca

Puccini’s Tosca is the quintessential opera. Iconic, breathlessly paced, romantic, murderous, tragic. From its first performance it has held every stage and been interpreted by history’s greatest singers. Every character in it is opera royalty. Floria Tosca, the passionate diva with the fiery temperament, Mario Cavaradossi a painter, lover and ardent freedom fighter and Baron Scarpia one of the most famous villains in all music. The story of their lust, passion, ardor and the consequences they bring make this a thriller like no other. Resident Stage Director Tara Brahnam makes her mainstage directing debut, the culmination of her time at OSJ as a Resident Artist.

Buy Tickets
View Program

Purchase Tickets

April 15, 20237:30 PMBuy Tickets
April 16, 20232:00 PMBuy Tickets
April 20, 20237:30 PMBuy Tickets
April 23, 20232:00 PMBuy Tickets
April 28, 20237:30 PMBuy Tickets
April 30, 20232:00 PMBuy Tickets

Length

The performance will run approximately three hours with two intermissions

Content Warning

This production features depictions of violence, the sound of a gunshot, haze, and a brief strobe effect.

Venue

California Theatre

Covid-19 Guidelines

Our Updated Health & Safety Guidelines

The performance will run approximately three hours with two intermissions

Length

The performance will run approximately three hours with two intermissions

The run time includes the intermission in its overall time. 

Doors open 90-minutes before the performance. 12:30 PM for matinees and 6:00 PM for evening performances

Join us for a preshow discussion at 1:00 PM for matinees and 6:30 PM for evening performances.

Opera San José General Director & CEO Shawna Lucey will be leading all preshow discussions

The organ player will be performing 30 minutes before curtain.

Venue

California Theatre
Box Office Entrance
345 S 1st St, San Jose, CA

Market Street Entrance
340 S Market St, San Jose, CA 

Covid-19 Guidelines

Keeping in line with industry-wide best practices, Opera San José requires vaccination against COVID-19 and masks are kindly requested while indoors. OSJ will update these policies as conditions evolve. 

Parking

We always encourage you to choose public transportation when possible, but if you do drive, please give yourself plenty of extra time and carpool whenever possible. 

For those being dropped off / picked up, there is a passenger loading zone directly in front of the theatre entrance. For more information on parking in Downtown San Jose please visit parksj.org

Cast & Crew

MARIA NATALE, soprano | Tosca 

Praised by The New York Times for her “plummy, penetrating voice,” soprano Maria Natale is the recipient of many awards and grants from some of the most prestigious vocal competitions nationwide. She was awarded First Prize in the National James Collier Vocal Competition, Second Prize and Audience Choice in the Elizabeth Connell Prize, Second Place in the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, a Grand Finalist in the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition, a grant recipient from the Licia Albanese–Puccini Foundation, Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition, and the Second Prizewinner of the Opera at Florham Vocal Competition. 

Recently, Ms. Natale made her debuts at Tulsa Opera as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly and at Opera San José as Nedda in Pagliacci. She has also been seen as OSJ as Cio-Cio San and as Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus. Other engagements include Opera Maine as Violetta in La Traviata under conductor Stephen Lord, about which Opera News proclaimed “her powerful soprano easily filled the house,” and her Sarasota Opera debut as Liù in Turandot, where she was hailed as having an “unequivocal as Italian sound” (New Outpost). 

As a concert soloist, Ms. Natale has been featured at Carnegie Hall in Fauré’s Requiem and Mozart’s Missa Solemnis with Mid America Productions. She has also appeared as the soprano soloist with NYC Master Chorale in Dvořák’s Te Deum and Mozart’s Requiem. 

The 2022/2023 season will feature her return to Opera San José as Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, as well as her debut as the title role in Puccini’s Tosca. 

Maria Natale

Tosca

ADRIAN KRAMER, tenor | Cavaradossi 

Tenor Adrian Kramer has earned critical praise in recent seasons with companies throughout North America and Europe for his vocal appeal and strong theatrical engagement.  In the 2022-23 season, he joins the roster of the Metropolitan Opera where he will cover the role of Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer. Additionally, he will make an exciting debut as Hoffegut in Die Vögel with Pacific Opera Victoria and in 2024, Mr. Kramer appears as Don José in Carmen with Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes. Mr. Kramer has sung several roles with Opera Philadelphia, Opera Omaha, San Diego Opera, Edmonton Opera, and Santa Fe Opera, as well as making his off-Broadway debut in collaboration with Ensemble for the Romantic Century as the Tenor in Tchaikovsky: None But the Lonely Heart.  Recent performances include his European operatic debut with the Komische Oper Berlin as Toby Higgins in a new Barrie Kosky production of Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, and as Die Nase, Iaryzhkin, and a Eunuch in Die Nase.  

Adrian Kramer

Cavaradossi

KIDON CHOI, baritone | Scarpia 

Baritone Kidon Choi is a recent graduate of the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera. While in the program he was seen in La fanciulla del West (José Castro) conducted by Marco Armiliato, Otello (Herald) conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, and Madama Butterfly (Prince Yamadori).  

 

Kidon’s 22/23 season begins with his return to The Korea National Opera for Les Contes d’Hoffmann (Four Villains). Other engagements this season include his role and company debut with Opera San José for Tosca (Scarpia) and his company debut with San Francisco Opera for Madama Butterfly (Prince Yamadori) and Die Frau ohne Schatten (Night Watchman #2).  

 

Last season, Kidon made his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra in Otello (Montano) conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and returned to Wolf Trap Opera for La traviata (Germont). Recent appearances include La fanciulla del West (Jack Rance) with The Korea National Opera, scenes from Verdi’s Otello at the Bay Street Theatre followed by debuts at North Carolina Opera in I pagliacci (Tonio) conducted by Keitaro Harada and Opera Idaho in La bohème (Marcello). 

Kidon Choi

Scarpia

ROBERT BALONEK, baritone | Angelotti 

Robert Balonek, baritone, is thrilled to be working with Opera San José again this year as Angelotti and covering Scarpia!

After moving from NYC with his wife during the beginning of the pandemic, he now lives in Sonoma county where he is quickly adding to his West Coast repertoire. Aside from classic operas, Robert was known on the East Coast for his adaptability and readiness to learn new works in a short amount of time while working with modern composers in world premier operas such as Ricky Ian Gordon, Mohammad Fariouz, Vid Guerrero, Gerald Cohen, and Stefania DeKenessey.

Robert has also performed a wide variety of oratorios such as the title role in Handels Saul, and the bass-baritone soloist for Haydn Creation Mass, Bach St. Matthew Passion, as well as many Messiahs and Requiems. Professional recordings include Prospero in Lee Hoibys Tempest and Father Francis in Lucas’ Confession for Albany Records.

More at www.robertbalonek.com 

Robert Balonek

Angelotti

JOSHUA HUGHES, bass-baritone | Sciarrone 

Bass-baritone Joshua Hughes, lauded for his “lush, rich” voice (TheatreBloom), "powerful lyricism” (Texas Classical Review), and "brilliant vocal range” (DC Metro Theater Arts), has performed in a wide variety of repertoire. The "rising young singer" (Baltimore Sun) approaches every role with "power and dramatic effect” (Dallas Morning News) and “brings a palpable energy to every scene” (Theatre Eddy’s).

His  2022/2023 season includes a house debut at West Bay Opera performing  La Traviata  (Dottor Grenvil) and  Don Giovanni  (Masetto and Commendatore), continued work with Opera San José in  Tosca  (Sciarrone) and Alma Deutscher’s Cinderella (Minister), and a principal debut at Lamplighter’s Music Theatre in  Iolanthe  (Lord Chancellor).

Currently based in the Bay Area, Joshua is a frequent soloist with Soli Deo Gloria and often sings with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and San Francisco Opera Chorus. He has performed internationally at Hong Kong Disneyland and across the United States with American Baroque Opera, Dallas Bach Society, Young Victorian Theatre Company, Victorian Lyric Opera Company, Opera in Concert, Orchestra of New Spain, and Lyric Opera Baltimore.

www.joshuahughesbassbaritone.com 

Joshua Hughes

Sciarrone

ALEXANDER SCHEUERMANN, tenor | Spoletta 

Described as “a performer's performer,” (Arts Louisville) Alexander has been praised for his beautiful tone and nuanced stagecraft in operatic and concert productions across the US and in Europe. Although his Carnegie hall debut (Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass) was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexander bounced back with the opera world and has continued to perform with companies including Arizona Opera, Opera Tampa, Winter Opera St Louis, and the Laporte Symphony Orchestra. Recently he has performed roles including Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Tony in West Side Story (concert version), Marco in The Gondoliers, and concert repertoire spanning from Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola to Candide in Candide. In 2021 he covered Tim Laughlin in Fellow Travelers as an apprentice artist at Des Moines Metro Opera. 

 In 2019-2020, Alexander was a Sanford Studio Artist at Kentucky Opera, and in 2018-2019 an Artist in Residence at Pensacola Opera. Alexander holds degrees in voice from Florida State University and the University of Houston where he studied with tenor Joseph Evans. 

Alexander Scheuermann

Spoletta

IGOR VIEIRA, baritone | Sacristan 

Baritone Igor Vieira has performed 106 operatic roles, in 11 different countries with companies such as the San Francisco Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Phoenix Hall (Japan) and the Rudolfinium (Czech Republic) to name a few. 

 Parallel to his singing career, Mr. Vieira is a prolific Stage Director, having worked with companies such as the Tacoma Opera, West Bay Opera and Opera Cultura. 

Igor Vieira

Sacristan

ANDREW FELLOWS, baritone | Jailer  

Baritone Andrew Fellows has performed in opera, musical theatre, and concerts. Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Andrew made his professional debut in 2019 singing the roles of Man One & Two, while covering the role of Elder McLean, in Festival Opera’s production of Susannah. During the pandemic he took part in Lisette Oropesa’s masterclass series, and in 2021 he made his return to the operatic stage appearing in the role of Rodin’s Apprentice in the world premiere of A Jake Heggie's Triptych  with Festival Opera. In 2022 he joined Opera San José in their production of  Carmen. Later he went on to debut as Figaro in the Stanford University opera department’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro, as well as Escamillo with Varna International Music Festival’s production of  Carmen, under the baton of Gregory Buchalter. Andrew has studied voice and trained privately since 2010, studying with teachers and coaches such as Amy Shoremount-Obra, Zachary Gordin, Eugene Brancoveanu, John Brancy, and William Sauerland.  

Andrew Fellows

The Jailer

Previous
Next

Sponsors & Credits

Opera San José is supported, in part, by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose, the National Endowment for the Arts, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundations, The Packard Humanities Institute, and The Wadhwani Foundation.