This week we open an extraordinary production new to the San Francisco Opera stage – Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd, based on the novella by Herman Melville of the same name. It has been 15 years since we have had any Britten on the War Memorial stage, and I am so excited for its return.

In the brief weeks between our summer and fall seasons, a few of us at the Opera take to the road to hear singers, see productions, meet with colleagues at other companies, and connect with the broader world of Opera. This year we started rehearsals for the fall season very early on July 28. Though it’s been a lighter summer of travel than usual, it has still been important to squeeze in little trips where possible!

On October 11th we will raise the curtain on a brand-new production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, beginning an exciting three-season journey through the operas Mozart wrote with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. In a unique approach, The Marriage of Figaro, Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni will be produced on a shared set, but a set that evolves through time.