Waitress
Acclaimed by the New York Times as a “masterpiece.”
Innocence
By Kaija Saariaho, Sofi Oksanen and Aleksi Barrière
Overview
Composer
Kaija Saariaho
Original Finnish Libretto
Sofi Oksanen
Multilingual libretto
Aleksi Barrière
Dates
June 1-21, 2024
Languages
English, Finnish, Czech, Romanian, French, Swedish, German, Spanish and Greek
Price
Starting at $26
Run Time
1 hour, 50 minutes (no intermission)
Healing at the Edge of Tragedy.
A joyous wedding celebration takes a shocking turn when the darkest of secrets is revealed and a young bride faces an impossible decision.
Stela, Lilian Farahani, believes she’s found love with her new husband, played by Miles Mykkanen. But amid the joy of their wedding reception, a waitress recognizes the groom as the brother of a gunman in a school shooting ten years ago. And the bride doesn’t know.
Premiered in Aix-en-Provence in 2021 and making its highly-anticipated American premiere in San Francisco, Innocence makes clear the power of the opera stage to explore critical stories in uniquely impactful ways.
See a Performance
Join us 55 minutes before every performance for an engaging 20-minute overview of the opera. Click on the below Learn More button for more information.
Learn more about Innocence during a 90-minute exploration of the music and history, led by dynamic opera experts and scholars. Click on the below Opera Previews button for more information.
Opera Previews
OperaVision, HD video projection screens featured in the Balcony level for the first three performances.
In connection with the production of Innocence, San Francisco Opera is working with local and national partner organizations to create opportunities for discourse about the effects of gun violence on individuals and communities. More information will be announced closer to the performance period.
Content Warning: This production contains depictions of the aftermath of gun violence.
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SAT, JUN 1, 2024
7:30 PM
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FRI, JUN 7, 2024
7:30 PM
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WED, JUN 12, 2024
7:30 PM
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SUN, JUN 16, 2024
2:00 PM
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TUE, JUN 18, 2024
7:30 PM
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FRI, JUN 21, 2024
7:30 PM
Synopsis
The story occurs across two timelines. A wedding is being celebrated in Helsinki in the 2000s; in the world of memory, seven people recount a traumatic event they experienced ten years earlier. The connection between these realities is gradually revealed.
Creative Team
* San Francisco Opera Debut
PERFORMANCES
June 1, 7, 12, 16, 18, 21, 2024
World premiere in July 2021 at the Grand Théâtre de Provence, in Aix-en-Provence
Co-Commission and Co-Production of Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, San Francisco Opera, Dutch National Opera Amsterdam, Royal Opera House-Covent Garden London, Finnish National Opera and Ballet Helsinki
In partnership with the Metropolitan Opera
Innocence Healing Circle
Backstage with Matthew: Anticipating Innocence
Made Possible By
This production is made possible, in part, by the Phyllis C. Wattis Fund for New Productions; Keith and Priscilla Geeslin; Louise Gund; Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.