George Gagnidze News

The Metropolitan Opera's 2017-18 season will feature 220 performances of 26 works, including two Met premieres, one co-commissioned by the company and one an older masterpiece having its first Met performances; a variety of repertory favorites, three in new productions; and performances of Verdi's towering concert work for soloists, orchestra, and chorus, the Requiem. Of note, Broadway star Kelli O'Hara is set to return to the Met in Così fan tutte this season.

The partnership between San Francisco Opera and the Bay Area's Classical KDFC continues with monthly broadcasts of performances captured during the Fall 2016 Season, including the world premiere of Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang's Dream of the Red Chamber, and a historic broadcast from the Company's archives. All performances were recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House and feature the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Ian Robertson, Chorus Director).

San Francisco Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in a new production directed by Francesca Zambello and featuring designs by Los Angeles-based, contemporary visual artist RETNA(Marquis Duriel Lewis). A co-production with Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, this striking and bold vision for Verdi's enduring classic will feature soprano Leah Crocetto and tenor Brian Jagdein their role debuts as the lovers at the heart of the opera, the enslaved princess Aida and the Egyptian war hero Radames.

San Francisco Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in a new production directed by Francesca Zambello and featuring designs by Los Angeles-based, contemporary visual artist RETNA (Marquis Duriel Lewis). A co-production with Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, this striking and bold vision for Verdi's enduring classic will feature soprano Leah Crocetto and tenor Brian Jagde in their role debuts as the lovers at the heart of the opera, the enslaved princess Aida and the Egyptian war hero Radames. Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk is Amneris, the daughter of the king who desires Radames' love, baritone George Gagnidze portrays Aida's vengeful father, Amonasro, and bass Raymond Aceto is Ramfis. The international cast and San Francisco Opera Orchestra will be conducted by Company Music DirectorNicola Luisotti. Resident Conductor Jordi Bernàcer will conduct the final performance on December 6.Ian Robertson is Chorus Director.

San Francisco Opera presents Giuseppe Verdi's Aida in a new production directed by Francesca Zambello and featuring designs by Los Angeles-based, contemporary visual artist RETNA(Marquis Duriel Lewis). A co-production with Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera and Minnesota Opera, this striking and bold vision for Verdi's enduring classic will feature soprano Leah Crocetto and tenor Brian Jagde in their role debuts as the lovers at the heart of the opera, the enslaved princess Aida and the Egyptian war hero Radames. Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk is Amneris, the daughter of the king who desires Radames' love, baritoneGeorge Gagnidze portrays Aida's vengeful father, Amonasro, and bass Raymond Aceto is Ramfis. The international cast and San Francisco Opera Orchestra will be conducted by Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti. Resident Conductor Jordi Bernacer will conduct the final performance on December 6. Ian Robertson is Chorus Director.

Opening weekend for San Francisco Opera's 2016-17 Season continues with the 43rd San Francisco Chronicle Presents Opera in the Park free outdoor concert on Sharon Meadow in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Sunday, September 11 at 1:30 p.m. This annual open-air concert celebrates the opening of San Francisco Opera's 94th season and features many distinguished artists from the Company's Fall Season performing favorite arias and duets by Donizetti, Giordano, Rossini, Verdi and others accompanied by Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti and conductor George Manahan leading the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.

San Francisco Opera's 2016-17 Season opens Friday, September 9 with a gala performance of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chenier in a new production by Sir David McVicar. Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti leads a stellar cast, including three international stars making their San Francisco Opera debuts in the demanding lead roles: South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee in the title role, Italian soprano Anna Pirozzi as Maddalena di Coigny and Georgian baritone George Gagnidze as Carlo Gerard. The opening night festivities are distinguished by San Francisco Opera Guild's glamorous Opera Ball 2016: La Revolution et L'Amour and BRAVO! Club's Annual Opening Night Gala. The opening of the Company's 94th season also marks the beginning of Matthew Shilvock's inaugural season as General Director. Shilvock is the seventh General Director in the Company's history.

San Francisco Opera Guild in collaboration with San Francisco Opera announced details of the upcoming Opera Ball 2016: La Revolution et L'Amour, celebrating San Francisco Opera's 94th season and the opening night performance of Umberto Giordano's French Revolution opera Andrea Chenier. Led by Co-chairs Sandra Farris and Patricia Sprincin, Opera Ball 2016: La Revolution et L'Amour continues the tradition of opening the opera season with a gala event to benefit the Company's education and outreach programs. Both Opera Ball 2016 and the annual BRAVO! Club Opening Night Gala will take place on the grounds of the Beaux Arts-designed War Memorial Opera House on the evening of Today, September 9.

SAN FRANCISCO (July 22, 2016)—San Francisco Opera's 2016–17 Season opens Today, September 9 with a gala performance of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier in a new production by Sir David McVicar. Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti leads a stellar cast, including three international stars making their San Francisco Opera debuts in the demanding lead roles: South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee in the title role, Italian soprano Anna Pirozzi as Maddalena di Coigny and Georgian baritone George Gagnidze as Carlo Gérard. The opening night festivities are distinguished by San Francisco Opera Guild's glamorous Opera Ball 2016: La Révolution et L'Amour and BRAVO! Club's Annual Opening Night Gala. The opening of the Company's 94th season also marks the beginning of Matthew Shilvock's inaugural season as General Director. Shilvock is the seventh General Director in the Company's history.

San Francisco Opera's 2016-17 Season opens Today, September 9 with a gala performance of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier in a new production by Sir David McVicar.

San Francisco Opera Guild in collaboration with San Francisco Opera announced details of the upcoming Opera Ball 2016: La Revolution et L'Amour, celebrating San Francisco Opera's 94th season and the opening night performance of Umberto Giordano's French Revolution opera Andrea Chenier. Led by Co-chairs Sandra Farris and Patricia Sprincin, Opera Ball 2016: La Revolution et L'Amour continues the tradition of opening the opera season with a gala event to benefit the Company's education and outreach programs. Both Opera Ball 2016 and the annual BRAVO! Club Opening Night Gala will take place on the grounds of the Beaux Arts-designed War Memorial Opera House on the evening of Friday, September 9.

San Francisco Opera will present two public Insight Panel discussions next week to explore and illuminate the operas that will open the Company's 94th season during the weekend of September 9.

Do you embody the fiery spirit of the French Revolution? San Francisco Opera is holding a public casting call seeking men between the ages of 18 and 45 to fill non-speaking and non-singing supernumerary and extra roles for the Company's season-opening production of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chenier.

SAN FRANCISCO (July 22, 2016)—San Francisco Opera's 2016–17 Season opens Friday, September 9 with a gala performance of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier in a new production by Sir David McVicar. Company Music Director Nicola Luisotti leads a stellar cast, including three international stars making their San Francisco Opera debuts in the demanding lead roles: South Korean tenor Yonghoon Lee in the title role, Italian soprano Anna Pirozzi as Maddalena di Coigny and Georgian baritone George Gagnidze as Carlo Gérard. The opening night festivities are distinguished by San Francisco Opera Guild's glamorous Opera Ball 2016: La Révolution et L'Amour and BRAVO! Club's Annual Opening Night Gala. The opening of the Company's 94th season also marks the beginning of Matthew Shilvock's inaugural season as General Director. Shilvock is the seventh General Director in the Company's history.

San Francisco Opera's 2016-17 Season opens Friday, September 9 with a gala performance of Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier in a new production by Sir David McVicar.

Fathom Events and The Metropolitan Opera present "The Met: Live in HD' 2016 Summer Encores," a series of four encore performances from past Live in HD seasons in select U.S. cinemas nationwide.

Jonas Kaufmann has canceled his performances in this season's new production of Puccini's Manon Lescaut due to illness.

San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley and Music Director Nicola Luisotti today announced the Company's 2016–17 Season repertory and roster of international guest artists, conductors and creative teams scheduled to appear at the War Memorial Opera House, as well as initial programming for SF Opera Lab 2017 presentations at the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera's Taube Atrium Theater. The Company's 94th Season will also mark Matthew Shilvock's inaugural year as San Francisco Opera's new general director, succeeding his mentor and internationally respected impresario, David Gockley, who will step down on July 31, 2016.

The popular verismo double bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci returns to the Met beginning January 21.

The Met's production of Verdi's great opera RIGOLETTO, is often referred to as the 'Ratpack' version--because it is set in the Las Vegas days of Frank Sinatra and his high-living cronies. From its debut, it was a huge success for the company and with good cause. It was brilliantly conceived and sung, even though the title role seemed fuzzier than it usually is in the standard setting. But how would it stand up, season after season, I wondered, when the novelty wore off? The good news is that the production (excitingly designed by Christine Jones) not only remains effective and entertaining, but, in a key way, it is even better than at the premiere nearly three years ago.