EXPANSIVE SHOWCASE to Return for 5th Annual Concert of Transgender & Non-Binary Singers at Opera Parallèle
Opera Parallèle's concert at A.C.T.'s Strand Theatre will feature Sapphira Cristál, Katherine Goforth, and Nina Jones.
Opera Parallèle and the San Francisco Transgender District will present the 5th Annual EXPANSIVE showcase on Thursday, August 27, at 7:30 p.m. at A.C.T.'s Strand Theatre in San Francisco. Held as part of California's Transgender History Month, this year's concert, themed "Revolution Is Just the Beginning," commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Compton Cafeteria Riot of 1966, a landmark moment in transgender history.
The annual showcase celebrates transgender and nonbinary singing artists through an evening of music and storytelling. This year's performers include returning award-winning tenor Katherine Goforth alongside first-time EXPANSIVE artists Nina Jones, a mezzo-soprano, and Sapphira Cristál, bass-baritone and runner-up on Season 16 of RuPaul's Drag Race. Returning for her fifth consecutive year as host is Afrika America, with Keisuke Nakagoshi, Opera Parallèle's resident pianist, providing musical accompaniment.
A Program Honoring the Legacy of Compton's Cafeteria Riot
Invited by Opera Parallèle Founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement to curate the anniversary program, Katherine Goforth has created an evening combining spoken word and music inspired by the events surrounding the 1966 Compton Cafeteria Riot.
The program is divided into four thematic sections—"We Had Nowhere to Go," "It Ain't a Party," "One at a Time," and "Still Fighting"—and explores the lives, resilience, and experiences of transgender people in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood.
"We begin in the middle of things, with a young woman, and a young man," Goforth said. "Maybe arriving at the hotel, maybe leaving, maybe living there. Maybe trans. We're not in Joyce's Ireland, but in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, in the hotel where the 'Queens' stay."
"We hear three different stories of what that could've been like," she continued. "The Wanderer, not at home anywhere, least of all here. The Dreamer, whose life still has magic in it, no matter what she's gone through. The Mourner, holding lost friends and loved ones close, wishing things would change."
Musical selections span opera, art song, musical theater, spirituals, and popular music, including works by Samuel Barber, André Previn, Franz Schubert, and Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.
Celebrating Community Through Music
"Opera Parallèle is deeply honored to co-present the 5th Annual Expansive Showcase with The Transgender District as we mark the 60th anniversary of the Compton's Cafeteria Riot, an auspicious moment in LGBTQ+ history," said Daniel Harvey, Executive Director of Opera Parallèle. "Through this showcase, Opera Parallèle is proud to help create a space where community, artistry, joy, and reflection can come together."
"We are thrilled to return for the fifth annual Expansive in collaboration with Opera Parallèle," added Breonna McCree, Co-Executive Director of the Transgender District. "Through this showcase, we continue to center transgender and gender-expansive artists in the classical field, celebrating their brilliance while creating pathways for future generations of artists who are too often overlooked."
About the Host
Returning host Afrika America is a performer, producer, activist, and Drag Out the Vote Ambassador who has appeared across the United States and internationally. She has performed with the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, appeared on America's Got Talent, and was featured in the documentary Gay Chorus: Deep South. She currently serves as the reigning Empress of San Francisco.
About the San Francisco Transgender District
Founded in 2017 by three Black transgender women, the San Francisco Transgender District is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. Located in the Tenderloin neighborhood, the organization works to preserve transgender history while promoting economic opportunity, community ownership, and safe spaces for transgender residents.
About Opera Parallèle
Founded in 2007 by conductor Nicole Paiement, Opera Parallèle is an award-winning contemporary opera company dedicated to producing innovative works that explore contemporary social and cultural themes. Through collaborations with artists and community organizations, the company continues to expand access to opera while championing new works and underrepresented voices.
EXPANSIVE and Opera Parallèle's Bullhorn community programs receive support from the California Arts Council, OPERA America's Opera Fund, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, the Henry W. Robinson & Neue Robinson Foundation, the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, and individual donors.
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