Last Saturday, the audience for Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Opera House was joined by a few extra viewers, as some 27,000 fans packed AT&T Park for the annual Opera at the Ballpark simulcast. Despite the cold and some competing events (the Giants at Arizona, Stanford at USC) judging from the Twitter stream it looked like a lot of people enjoyed the opera, the ballpark, and a night out with friends.

Željko Lučić is currently wowing audiences in Rigoletto at the War Memorial Opera House. In our ongoing video series, Behind the Voice, we strive to give a voice to our singers off-stage. In the featured video below, Lučić shares his thoughts on the role of Rigoletto, fatherhood and how it affects his performance.

Arturo Chacón-Cruz is currently with us singing The Duke of Mantua in one of our two casts of Verdi's Rigoletto. While this is his mainstage debut at San Francisco Opera, the Mexican tenor is no stranger to our stage--he was a Merola Opera Program participant in 2002! Of his debut on September 8, the San Francisco Chronicle wrote: "[Chacón-Cruz] stepped into the role for a company debut of enormous grace, charisma and stamina. Here, clearly, is a singer of major promise." The young tenor sat down to answer our questions about singing the Duke, his love of San Francisco and making opera accessible to the public.

Much like baseball fans, we here at San Francisco Opera count down the days until the opening of the Fall 2012 opera season. But as we were strolling around the City, enjoying the last days of summer, we realized that San Francisco was practically tailor-made for the five fall operas. We found so many connections between our beloved city and the fall season that we had to share them!

We all do it. You're out with friends, having dinner or going to a show or having a drink after work. What are the chances that someone in the group will pull out a smartphone and snap a picture to put on Facebook or Twitter? We like to show our friends and family what we are doing and we like to have something to help us remember a fun evening out. If this sounds like something you've done (or even if you haven't...yet) then our Snap & Post to Win contest is going to be the easiest drawing you've ever entered! Want the chance to win a fantastic night out—dinner and a show at San Francisco Opera? Read on.