Two of the Bay Area’s best-loved musical artists, composer Jake Heggie (Dead Man Walking) and mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, reunite for this poignant new chamber opera, based on a play by Terrence McNally (Master Class). Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer use operatic ensembles and Broadway-style solo numbers to explore the loving but often-strained relationship between a famous actress and her two grown children, one of whom is a gay man whose partner is dying of AIDS. The ten-piece instrumental ensemble features two pianists intimately familiar with Heggie’s gift for lyricism: conductor Patrick Summers and the composer himself.

This special production is a co-production with Houston Grand Opera and Cal Performances presented at Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley.

• Approximate running time: 2 hours including one intermission
• Sung in English with English supertitles


• Commissioned by Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances
• Three Decembers (Last Acts) is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.
• Production photo: Brett Coomer, courtesy of Houston Grand Opera
• Cast, program and schedule are subject to change

Performances

• Thu Dec 11 2008   7:30 pm
• Fri Dec 12 2008   8 pm
• Sun Dec 14 2008   3 pm

This special presentation is currently only available as an add-on to a subscription package. Become a subscriber today.

Cast

Production