Last fall, we here at San Francisco Opera were struck by how many connections existed between sights in our beloved Bay Area and the operas presented in our fall season. This inspired us to think about where the characters in our three summer operas – The Tales of Hoffmann, Cosi fan Tutte, and The Gospel of Mary Magdalene – might sightsee while they spent their time in the Bay. Where would E.T.A. Hoffmann go to drink his troubles away? In what seaside community would Mary of Magdala (a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee) feel most at home? And where would Cosi’s Ferrando and Guglielmo get their infamous beard disguises groomed?

Last fall, we here at San Francisco Opera were struck by how many connections existed between sights in our beloved Bay Area and the operas presented in our fall season. This inspired us to think about where the characters in our three summer operas – The Tales of Hoffmann, Cosi fan Tutte, and The Gospel of Mary Magdalene – might sightsee while they spent their time in the Bay. Where would E.T.A. Hoffmann go to drink his troubles away? In what seaside community would Mary of Magdala (a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee) feel most at home? And where would Cosi’s Ferrando and Guglielmo get their infamous beard disguises groomed?

Last fall, we here at San Francisco Opera were struck by how many connections existed between sights in our beloved Bay Area and the operas presented in our fall season. This inspired us to think about where the characters in our three summer operas – The Tales of Hoffmann, Cosi fan Tutte, and The Gospel of Mary Magdalene – might sightsee while they spent their time in the Bay. Where would E.T.A. Hoffmann go to drink his troubles away? In what seaside community would Mary of Magdala (a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee) feel most at home? And where would Cosi's Ferrando and Guglielmo get their infamous beard disguises groomed?

Drew Farley, Assistant Technical Director for the SF Opera Production Department, had not seen The Tales of Hoffmann before he started to work on drawings and planning for the production, but after he researched the themes and the story, he understood and appreciated the inspiration for the production’s design coming from Belgian painter Leon Spilliaert.

Erin Johnson is a mezzo-soprano in her first year of the Adler Fellowship at San Francisco Opera. Originally from Washington, New Jersey, Erin studied music and religious studies at Cairn University in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and completed her Master in Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas. She was a participant in the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Program in 2009 prior to her participation in the Merola Opera Program in 2012. She made her San Francisco Opera debut in the role of Mrs. Medlock in the world-premiere production of Nolan Gasser's The Secret Garden this past spring. She will be featured on the War Memorial Opera House stage this coming summer in the world-premiere of Mark Adamo's The Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Erin is the next of our talented young artists to be featured this week on Backstage at San Francisco Opera.