As we come to the close of another great year of opera on the War Memorial stage, I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for all that you do to support world-class opera in the Bay Area. I have been so proud of the artistry we have shared together over the past year, and the thrilling appointment of Eun Sun Kim as our next Music Director was the most joyful way to close out the year.

There’s a degree of mystique surrounding the combination of unlike things — and composer Mason Bates’ fusion of classical music and electronica is no exception. It’s a recipe that’s won him acclaim and even a Grammy: His opera, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, nabbed the 2019 prize for best opera recording.

For eight weeks beginning January 16, 2020, the San Francisco Bay Area will play host to the Violins of Hope, a collection of string instruments once played by Jewish prisoner-musicians in World War II-era ghettos and concentration camps.