Photo Flash: San Francisco Opera Presents THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

On Sunday, June 14, San Francisco Opera begins a revival of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's sparkling comedy The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) as part of the Company's 2015 Summer Season. The production, featuring a stellar cast of dynamic, young singers, is conducted by Principal Guest Conductor Patrick Summers and continues through Sunday, July 5 at the War Memorial Opera House. In conjunction with these performances, San Francisco Opera returns to AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, for a free live simulcast of The Marriage of Figaro on Friday, July 3.

Based on Pierre-Augustin Beaumarchais' revolutionary 1784 play and with a libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, Mozart's poignant masterpiece tells the story of a countess and her servant joining forces to punish her aristocrat husband for his philandering. In the process, two very different couples learn humbling lessons about life and love.

San Francisco Opera's production is headlined by young bass-baritone Philippe Sly in the title role and sopranoLisette Oropesa as Figaro's fiancée, Susanna. Sly, who makes a role debut with these performances, is a recent graduate of the San Francisco Opera Adler Fellowship Program and was last seen on the War Memorial Opera House stage as Ormonte in the Company premiere of Handel's Partenope. In 2014, he brought his "vocal tone of extraordinary beauty and a wickedly ironic stage presence" (Opera News) to the Los Angeles Philharmonic's production of Mozart's Così fan tutte. Oropesa's highly-praised past performances as Susanna feature a "potent combination of charm and beautifully articulated wit, with telling touches of peasant common sense" (Opera News).

The cast of vivid characters also includes "expressive" and "vibrant" (San Francisco Chronicle) soprano Nadine Sierra as Countess Almaviva and bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni, who sang the role of Figaro in San Francisco Opera's 2010 performances of this opera to critical acclaim, appearing as her lecherous husband Count Almaviva. "Charismatic" (The New York Times) mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey returns as Cherubino, sharing the role with mezzo-soprano Angela Brower, who sings three performances. Company Principal Guest Conductor and Houston Grand Opera Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers will be on the podium for this San Francisco Opera revival, directed by Robin Guarino who makes her Company debut. Lighting design is by resident lighting designerGary Marder. Ian Robertson is San Francisco Opera Chorus Director.

Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the eight performances of The Marriage of Figaro are June 14 (2 p.m.), June 18 (7:30 p.m.), June 21 (2 p.m.), June 24 (7:30 p.m.), June 27 (7:30 p.m.), June 29 (7:30 p.m.), July 3 (7:30 p.m.) and July 5 (2 p.m.), 2015.

Free Live Simulcast of The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), AT&T Park, July 3
Continuing what has become a beloved Bay Area tradition, San Francisco Opera partners with the San Francisco Giants and presenting sponsor Taube Philanthropies to present a free live simulcast of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) at AT&T Park on Friday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Company's 13th simulcast since 2006 (in multiple venues) will be transmitted live from the stage of the War Memorial Opera House to AT&T Park's high-definition scoreboard. As a unique opportunity for fans to enjoy the sights and sounds of San Francisco Opera, the Company's simulcasts were instituted as one of the first innovations of David Gockley's tenure to bring opera into the community and have drawn more than 222,500 people, many experiencing opera for the first time.
Through state-of-the-art technology, the simulcast will be transmitted in 1920x1080 high definition (HD) to AT&T Park's 103-feet wide Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Vision scoreboard-one of the highest quality outdoor LED scoreboards in the nation. Concert quality audio combined with AT&T Park's huge screen creates an unmatched operatic experience for attendees sitting in the stands and on the baseball field itself. AT&T Park concessions will be open for the simulcast, providing audiences the rare opportunity to pair hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn with world-class opera.
San Francisco Opera at the Ballpark is made possible through the extraordinary technology of the Koret-Taube Media Suite. Free registration for early entry and best seating is available at sfopera.com/simulcast.

Tickets for The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) begin at $25 (prices subject to change); for tickets and information, call (415) 864-3330, visit sfopera.com or visit the San Francisco Opera Box Office, 301 Van Ness Avenue (at Grove Street). Standing Room tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on the day of each performance; tickets are $10 each, cash only.

Before every opera performance, listen to charismatic music scholars present a 25-minute Opera Talk including an overview of the opera, with insights on the music, composer and historical background. Talks begin 55 minutes before each performance in the orchestra section of the War Memorial Opera House and are presented free of charge to patrons with tickets for the corresponding performance.

The War Memorial Opera House is located at 301 Van Ness Avenue at Grove Street. Patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to attend San Francisco Opera performances. The War Memorial Opera House is within walking distance of the Civic Center BART station and near numerous bus lines, including 5, 21, 47, 49 and the F Market Street. For more public transportation information, visit bart.gov and sfmta.com.

Casting, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change. For further information about San Francisco Opera's Summer 2015 season, please visit sfopera.com.

Photo credit: Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera