San Francisco Opera 2017 Radio Broadcast Schedule Announced for February Through August

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).

Each San Francisco Opera performance is broadcast on Classical KDFC at 8 p.m. PDT/PST on the first Sunday of every month and hosted by radio announcer Dianne Nicolini. The broadcasts are also available for streaming on demand atkdfc.com for four weeks after the initial air date.

On February 5, the San Francisco Opera broadcast will be a "From the Archives" performance of Gioachino Rossini'sSemiramide from September 1981. Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé (Semiramide) and American mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne (Arsace)-memorably paired and both in their vocal prime-headline the historic performance. Joining this celebrated diva duo are bass-baritone James Morris (Assur) and tenor Dalmacio Gonzalez (Idreno). Richard Bonynge conducts.

Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang's Dream of the Red Chamber will be broadcast on March 5. This operatic interpretation of the famous Chinese novel by Cao Xueqin was given its world premiere by San Francisco Opera on September 10, 2016 with a cast that included soprano Pureum Jo (Dai Yu), tenor Yijie Shi (Bao Yu), mezzo-soprano Hyona Kim (Lady Wang), mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts (Bao Chai), soprano Karen Chia-ling Ho (Princess Jia) and George Manahan conducting. Two sold-out performances of Dream of the Red Chamber are scheduled for the Hong Kong Arts Festival on March 17 and 18, 2017.

Other highlights from San Francisco Opera's fall 2016 Season will be featured on Classical KDFC, including Giordano'sAndrea Chénier (April 2), Donizetti's Don Pasquale (May 7), Janá?ek's The Makropulos Case (June 4), Verdi's Aida(July 2) and Puccini's Madama Butterfly (August 6). The 2016 revival of Madama Butterfly was hailed by The Mercury News as one "that opera lovers are likely to be talking about for a long, long time" due to the unforgettable portrayal of Cio-Cio-San by Armenian soprano Lianna Haroutounian. The performance also featured Vincenzo Costanzo (Lt. B.F. Pinkerton), Anthony Clark Evans (Sharpless), Zanda Šv?de (Suzuki) and was conducted by Yves Abel.

KDFC can be heard on the FM dial at 90.3 (San Francisco, Los Gatos and Saratoga), 89.9 (North and East Bay), 92.5 (Ukiah-Lakeport), 104.9 (South Bay and Peninsula); on Comcast Cable 981; or online at kdfc.com. KDFC monthly broadcasts can also be streamed on demand atkdfc.com after each initial Sunday night broadcast for four weeks.

Sunday, Feburary 5 at 8 p.m. - FROM THE ARCHIVES: Gioachino Rossini's Semiramide (1981)

Montserrat Caballé (Semiramide), Marilyn Horne (Arsace), James Morris (Assur), Dalmacio Gonzalez (Idreno), Candace Kahn (Azema), Eric Halfvarson (Oroe), Jonathan Green (Mitrane), Gregory Stapp (Ghost of Nino); Richard Bonynge (conductor). Recorded September 1981.

Sunday, March 5 at 8 p.m. - Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang's Dream of the Red Chamber

Pureum Jo (Dai Yu), Yijie Shi (Bao Yu), Hyona Kim (Lady Wang), Irene Roberts (Bao Chai), Karen Chia-ling Ho (Princess Jia), Qiulin Zhang (Granny Jia), Yanyu Guo (Aunt Xue), Randall Nakano (Monk/Dreamer); George Manahan (conductor). Recorded September 2016.

Sunday, April 2 at 8 p.m. - Umberto Giordano's Andrea Chénier

YongHoon Lee (Andrea Chénier), Anna Pirozzi (Maddalena di Coigny), George Gagnidze (Carlo Gérard), Robert Pomakov (Mathieu), David Pershall (Roucher), J'Nai Bridges (Bersi), Jill Grove (Madelon), Catherine Cook (Contessa di Coigny), Edward Nelson (Pietro Fléville), Alex Boyer (The Abbé), Matthew Stump (Fouquier-Tinville), Brad Walker (Dumas), Anthony Reed (Schmidt); Nicola Luisotti (conductor). Recorded September 2016.

Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. - Gaetano Donizetti's Don Pasquale

Maurizio Muraro (Don Pasquale), Heidi Stober (Norina), Lucas Meachem (Dr. Malatesta), Lawrence Brownlee (Ernesto), Bojan Kneževi? (A Notary); Giuseppe Finzi (Conductor). Recorded October 2016.

Sunday, June 4 at 8 p.m. - Leoš Janá?ek's V?c Makropulos (The Makropulos Case)

Nadja Michael (Emilia Marty), Charles Workman (Albert Gregor), Stephen Powell (Baron Jaroslav Prus), Dale Travis (Dr. Kolenatý), Julie Adams (Kristina), Joel Sorensen (Vítek), Matthew O'Neill (Count Hauk-Šendorf), Brenton Ryan (Janek), Zanda Šv?de (A Cleaning Woman/A Chambermaid), Brad Walker (A Stagehand); Mikhail Tatarnikov (conductor). Recorded October 2016.

Sunday, July 2 at 8 p.m. - Giuseppe Verdi's Aida

Leah Crocetto (Aida), Ekaterina Semenchuk (Amneris), Brian Jagde (Radames), George Gagnidze (Amonasro), Raymond Aceto (Ramfis), Anthony Reed (The King of Egypt), Pene Pati (A Messenger), Toni Marie Palmertree (A Priestess); Nicola Luisotti (conductor). Recorded November 2016.

Sunday, August 6 at 8 p.m. - Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly

Lianna Haroutounian (Cio-Cio-San), Vincenzo Costanzo (Lt. B.F. Pinkerton), Zanda Šv?de (Suzuki), Anthony Clark Evans (Sharpless), Julius Ahn (Goro), Matthew Stump (The Imperial Commissioner), Raymond Aceto (The Bonze), Edward Nelson (Prince Yamadori), Julie Adams (Kate Pinkerton); Yves Abel (conductor). Recorded November 2016.