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‘This Is Me’: Soprano Heidi Stober on Leaving It All on Stage “I bring so much of my real life onto the stage with me,” Stober explains in a new interview. “This is me. This is the essential core.”
And yet, Stober is something of an opera chameleon: She disappears into any number of operas, from the bel canto to the Baroque, Verdi to Wagner.
As she prepares to make yet another role debut as the heroine Blanche de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites, she sits down with San Francisco Opera to share how she’s overcome injuries and insecurities to become the acclaimed opera star she is today.
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Faith Under Fire in This Month’s Dialogues of the Carmelites Gripped with fear, a young noblewoman named Blanche flees behind the walls of a convent in Compiègne, France. But instead of sanctuary, she finds the threat of death pressing ever closer—and a higher calling summoning her to action.
The French Revolution rages on stage in Dialogues of the Carmelites, a 20th-century masterpiece by the edgy French composer Francis Poulenc. On Saturday, October 15, the curtain rises on a story ripped from the history books: about a group of French nuns facing a choice between renouncing their faith or facing the guillotine.
Music Director Eun Sun Kim conducts an all-star cast, including Heidi Stober, Michelle Bradley, Melody Moore, Deanna Breiwick and more.
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Explore the Theater World With San Francisco Opera’s Community Open House The doors of the War Memorial Opera House are open to you, no tickets required, with San Francisco Opera’s Community Open House, a free, family-friendly event designed to welcome visitors into the wide world of theater.
On Sunday, October 23, come explore San Francisco’s historic opera house, a 90-year-old Beaux-Arts jewel box located in the heart of the city. There, you’ll discover backstage secrets, straight from the experts. Discover how on-stage combat unfolds, and learn the tricks of the makeup trade with live tutorials.
Plus, performers will be on site to serenade you as you explore 100 years of San Francisco Opera history, with tours and presentations. Find out how you can attend today!
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Back to the Convent: Deanna Breiwick on Returning to Dialogues of the Carmelites This fall’s production of Dialogues of the Carmelites is a homecoming of sorts for soprano and Seattle native Deanna Breiwick. At age 21, she launched her opera career with the character of Sister Constance, one of the 16 nuns in the opera facing death during the French Revolution.
Now, she’s back in the habit, making her San Francisco Opera debut in the same role.
“I would say, of any character in opera, I relate to Soeur Constance the most,” Breiwick reveals in a new video interview. “I really love her, and I learn from her.”
Unfailingly chipper in the face of danger, Sister Constance faces the prospect of death with serenity—and even a few laughs. Speaking from the halls of the War Memorial Opera House, Breiwick takes you inside her role, offering insight into Dialogues of the Carmelites and the trajectory of her career.
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Grab Your $10 Tickets for La Traviata and Orpheus and Eurydice Mark your calendars this month: The Dolby Family’s Opera for the Bay initiative is dropping $10 tickets for two of fall’s most anticipated operas.
If you are a Bay Area resident who has not bought tickets to the opera in the past three years, this is your chance to snag a steal. The Opera for the Bay program is designed to welcome you back to the opera house, with a pair of $10 tickets to some of the greatest seats in the house.
On Tuesday, October 11, Opera for the Bay tickets go on sale for La Traviata, Giuseppe Verdi’s timeless tale of a courtesan in love. Then, on Saturday, October 15, it’s time for $10 tickets to Orpheus and Eurydice, an underworld adventure that’s rarely seen on the opera stage.
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| Eligible Opera for the Bay patrons can only purchase two $10 tickets as part of the program in the 2022–23 Season. Any additional Opera for the Bay tickets will be cancelled and refunded. Please note this offer does not apply to previous purchases and cannot be combined with any other offer.
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Catch the Final Performances of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin Only five performances remain in the second production of San Francisco Opera’s Centennial Season: the romantic masterpiece Eugene Onegin.
Set to the sweeping melodies of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin plunges you into a world of love, longing, and jealousy, as an ice-cold urbanite named Eugene makes a fateful visit to the countryside. There, he meets the beautiful Tatyana, who sparks emotions in his heart he thought were dead. But to maintain his steely facade, Eugene is prepared to go to any length—including bloodshed.
Canadian bass-baritone Gordon Bintner leads the cast in his Company debut, a portrait of a man trapped by pride.
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Behind the Scenes at Antony and Cleopatra With Stage Manager Jessica Barker The world premiere of Antony and Cleopatra is a production of epic scale: with a fiery chorus, towering sets and a veritable parade of costumes, as characters dash from one corner of the globe to another.
But to make a show this complex run smoothly, you need stage managers, the air-traffic controllers of the theater world.
Come backstage to meet one of them: assistant stage manager Jessica Barker. She has worked with San Francisco Opera since 2018, and challenges? She loves them. She’s currently eight-and-a-half months pregnant as she helps to usher composer John Adams’ latest masterpiece to the stage.
Barker walks you through some of the secrets behind Antony and Cleopatra—from the lightning-fast costume changes to the special effect she compares to Fred Flintstone’s car. Read on.
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The Opera Hour Spotlights Classical Music’s Top Talent Under 40 Who are the hot young artists taking opera by storm? The Opera Hour has got your introduction!
Join San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock and Classical California KDFC President Bill Lueth on the radio waves at a new time this Sunday, October 2, at 8pm Pacific for the lowdown on opera’s top talent under 40.
Discover the Chilean-American tenor whose sultry notes will make you swoon—or the Norwegian dynamo who rocketed to the top of the opera world! Plus, catch tunes from Samoan sensation Pene Pati and more. Don’t miss your insider guide to opera’s stars on the rise.
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Legendary Bass Ferruccio Furlanetto Receives San Francisco Opera’s Highest Honor The opening night of Eugene Onegin last month culminated with a surprise for one of its stars: legendary bass Ferruccio Furlanetto.
The Italian opera singer—whose careers spans more than four decades—received the San Francisco Opera Medal, the Company’s highest honor. General Director Matthew Shilvock appeared on stage during curtain call to present the medal to Furlanetto, who made his company debut back in 1979.
“I am extremely touched and proud to receive this honor from the Opera House where I started my international career,” Furlanetto told the cheering audience.
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Desperate for Autumn Foliage? Eugene Onegin Has It in Spades! Ah, autumn. Pumpkin spice is atop every menu. Days are growing shorter. And the leaves are starting to burst with fall colors.
Or they would be. But this is San Francisco. Our seasons are decidedly non-conformist.
If you can’t get your fall foliage fix outside, we’ve got the next best thing: Robert Carsen’s classic production of Eugene Onegin. The curtain rises on a veritable avalanche of leaves, carpeting every inch of the stage in hues of orange, red, and yellow.
According to San Francisco Opera Props Master Lori Harrison, the leafy shipment arrived from the Canadian Opera Company in one massive crate. Unpacked, there are enough leaves to fill five soft-goods hampers.
Each leaf is made of flameproofed polyester—though, just to be safe, this production uses electric candles rather than live fire. And with so many leaves fluttering from the rafters, the backstage crews are careful to ensure no strays get lodged in the wiring and catwalks above the stage, lest a leaf make a surprise appearance in a show like Antony and Cleopatra.
Eugene Onegin begins in the midst of harvest season, but these leaves are more than just a marker of time. They start to become instruments of fantasy, shaped into rooms and rings, a colorful escape just beyond the bounds of society.
Indulge your own fall fantasies. Eugene Onegin is on stage through October 14.
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Tchaikovsky on Stage: A Conversation at the Intersection of Art and Politics In the midst of Russia’s unjust war on Ukraine, a masterpiece from Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky opened on the San Francisco Opera stage: Eugene Onegin.
Though the production had been planned years in advance, the timing of its release raises questions about the role of art in politics. Is it appropriate to present a century-old opera that represents the history and culture of a modern-day aggressor? What responsibilities do today’s artists have to address a world in conflict?
Please join veteran dramaturg Kip Cranna online on Friday, October 7, at 6pm Pacific as he hosts a free panel discussion on the intersection of art and politics, featuring conductor Marika Kuzma, music professor Maria Sonevytsky, and musician Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad.
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Coming to a Library Near You: The Opera in You Writing Workshops Every Saturday in the month of October is a chance to brush up on your writing—and harness the power of your own story—with San Francisco Opera’s new workshop series, The Opera in You.
In collaboration with the San Francisco Public Library system, The Opera in You offers free storytelling classes at libraries across the city, led by experienced teachers and artists. They include Corey Rosen, a frequent host of The Moth StorySLAM in San Francisco.
Conceived as part of San Francisco Opera’s Centennial Season, The Opera in You is an invitation for writers of all skill levels and backgrounds to explore the majesty and might of their own voice. Register today to find a workshop near you.
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Dive into the Archives With a New Drop From Streaming the First Century The San Francisco Opera archives are about to open once more for a new installment of Streaming the First Century, an ongoing digital exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of San Francisco’s hometown opera company.
On Monday, October 10, Streaming the First Century unveils a section dedicated to the French repertoire, timed to coincide with a new production of the French opera Dialogues of the Carmelites opening at the War Memorial Opera House.
Take a tour through the history of French opera on the San Francisco stage. Streaming the First Century will present a complete archival recording of Gustave Charpentier’s musical novel Louise, the story of a seamstress who escapes her family for a life of bohemian romance in Paris. A recording of Jules Massenet’s Werther will also be presented in full, with its tale of thwarted romance.
Other highlights include excerpts from 1939’s Manon, 1966’s The Trojans, 1976’s Thaïs, and 2002’s Saint Francis of Assisi.
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Join Us for An Evening on the Stage San Francisco Opera Guild invites you to An Evening on the Stage, a benefit event honoring two opera legends: mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade and opera composer Jake Heggie.
Taking place on Tuesday, November 29, An Evening on the Stage offers guests the chance to dine on the War Memorial Opera House stage, amid the sets of San Francisco Opera’s all-new production of La Traviata. McCalls Catering and Events will provide an elegant dinner, with stunning decor arranged by J. Riccardo Benavides.
Von Stade and Heggie, the night’s honorees, have been close friends and collaborators for nearly 30 years. And throughout their careers, they have promoted access to music education.
Proceeds from An Evening on the Stage benefit San Francisco Opera Guild’s award-winning education and community engagement programs, which reach thousands of students in hundreds of Bay Area classrooms. Seating is limited, and this event often sells out!
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San Francisco Opera Musicians Featured in Music at Kohl Mansion Concert Series On Sunday, October 16, the Music at Kohl Mansion Concert concert series launches its 40th season with a lineup packed with stars—including musicians from the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.
Since 1982, Kohl Mansion, a red-brick manor listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has hosted public concerts on its estate in Burlingame, California: musical showcases that celebrate the diversity and vitality of the classical repertoire.
For its 40th anniversary, the concert series has enlisted the talents of Berkeley-born composer Shinji Eshima, who plays the double bass in the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. On November 13, Eshima will present the world premiere of his latest work Hymn for Her, performed in concert by some of his San Francisco Opera colleagues, including cellist Emil Miland and clarinetist José Granero.
Music at Kohl Mansion Concert is led by Executive Director Patricia Kristof Moy, another member of the San Francisco Opera community: She often serves as a language and diction coach for the Company’s opera singers.
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Box Office Hours:
Mon 10am–5pm
Tue–Sat 10am–6pm
Performance days: 10am through first intermission
To read our ticket policy, click here.
Photos: Heidi Stober/Simon Pauly; Dialogues of the Carmelites illustration/Brian Stauffer; Community Open House/Kristen Loken; Deanna Breiwick/Daniel Volland; Opera for the Bay illustration/Brian Stauffer; Eugene Onegin/Cory Weaver; Jessica Barker/Allison Griner; Pene Pati/Kristen Loken; Ferruccio Furlanetto/Stefan Cohen; Eugene Onegin/Cory Weaver; The Opera in You/Cory Weaver; Streaming the First Century illustration/Brian Stauffer; Opera Guild/Drew Altizer; Kohl Mansion/Courtesy of artist.
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