San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Giants Present Opera at the Ballpark
Free Live Simulcast of Verdi's La Traviata at Oracle Park on Friday, November 11
Music Director Eun Sun Kim Conducts Opera Stars Pretty Yende, Jonathan Tetelman and Simone Piazzola in New Production by Director Shawna Lucey
Register and learn more about Opera at the Ballpark: sfopera.com/ballpark
Opera at the ballpark 2022.pdf Photos
San Francisco, CA (October 27, 2022) — San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Giants partner to present Opera at the Ballpark, a one-night-only free, live simulcast of San Francisco Opera’s brand-new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata on Friday, November 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Oracle Park.
Part of San Francisco Opera’s celebratory Centennial Season, this popular Bay Area live-music event, now in its 14th edition, brings San Francisco Opera performances to Oracle Park’s stunning 71-foot high x 153-foot wide, 4K videoboard for free. Since 2007, Opera at the Ballpark has attracted more than 300,000 attendees for opera under the stars at one of major league baseball’s most beautiful ballparks. Classical KDFC’s Dianne Nicolini and Maggie Clennon Reberg are the hosts for the evening. The event is free to the public, but registration is encouraged at sfopera.com/ballpark.
Enjoy Verdi’s popular masterwork—whose musical prelude, well-known tune “Libiamo,” and famous soprano aria “Sempre libera” will be familiar to many ears—and witness the Company debuts of three opera stars for free, all while enjoying ballpark concessions. As San Francisco Opera Music Director Eun Sun Kim gives the down beat and the curtain rises on opening night of this new production of La Traviata at the Opera House, audiences on the field and in the stands at Oracle Park can share in the opening-night excitement.
Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim, now in her second season as leader of San Francisco Opera’s artistic forces, leads the cast, starring South African soprano Pretty Yende, Chilean American tenor Jonathan Tetelman and Italian baritone Simone Piazzola, with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus. In 2019 soprano Pretty Yende added the role of the courtesan Violetta to her repertoire in “a magical performance” (Opera News) in Paris. This engagement in San Francisco is her first Violetta in the United States. Known for his portrayals in Italian operas, tenor Jonathan Teleman has previously performed Violetta’s love interest, Alfredo, at London’s Royal Opera. His first solo album for the Deutsche Grammophon record label, Arias, featuring works by Verdi, Puccini and Mascagni, was released in August. Baritone Simone Piazzola has built a reputation for his roles in many Verdi works, including Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, Attila and La Forza del Destino. San Francisco operagoers will experience Piazzola’s moving interpretation of Alfredo’s father, Giorgio Germont, which has been heard on major stages around the world. Director Shawna Lucey, who in addition to her career as an opera stage director is Opera San José’s general director, collaborates with production designer Robert Innes Hopkins, lighting designer Michael Clark and choreographer John Heginbotham for San Francisco Opera’s first newly built production of La Traviata since 1987.
San Francisco Opera opened its first season on September 26, 1923. The current Centennial Season, running September 2022 through July 2023, includes a blockbuster season of operas, community events and more. Visit sfopera.com/100 to learn more about San Francisco Opera’s historic season.
REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION
The Opera at the Ballpark live simulcast of La Traviata at Oracle Park is free and open to the public. Advance registration is encouraged but not required. Those who register will receive a ticket discount code for upcoming San Francisco Opera performances. For more information about the event and to register, visit sfopera.com/ballpark.
Entrance to the stadium begins at 6 p.m. and field access is available on a first-come, first-served basis via the Marina Gate. The opera begins at 7:30 p.m. All guests will be required to pass through a metal detector and all bags are subject to search prior to entry. Lawn chairs are not permitted on the Field and backpacks, glass containers, alcohol and hard-sided coolers will not be allowed into the ballpark. Oracle Park is accessible by public transportation. Please see sfopera.com/ballpark for complete event information.
Face masks are recommended for all ballpark attendees when accessing indoor spaces. For more information about Oracle Park’s safety protocols, visit sfgiants.com/fansafe.
Casting, programs and schedules are subject to change. For further information about San Francisco Opera’s 2022–23 Centennial Season, visit sfopera.com.