Opera Parallele Reveals 2026 Spring Season Lineup

Opera Parallèle (OP) will continue its 16th anniversary season with an ambitious and thought-provoking spring lineup that highlights the company's singular commitment to contemporary opera, interdisciplinary collaboration, and daring storytelling.

LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE: MARCH 13 AND 14, 2026

The spring season opens with La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast), Opera Parallèle's internationally acclaimed multimedia production of Philip Glass's opera, performed live to Jean Cocteau's iconic 1946 surrealist film. The work's haunting score and the film's dreamlike imagery merge into a mesmerizing cinematic–operatic experience. Presented in collaboration with Cal Performances, La Belle et la Bête will be performed in French for two nights only, March 13 and 14, at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. Tickets starting at $55 are available online at www.operaparallele.org/labelle-labete.

Conceived by OP Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, in collaboration with his remarkable creative team, the innovative production premiered in July 2022 prompting unanimous public and critical acclaim: “A spellbinding fusion of cinema and live opera, La Belle et la Bête transforms Cocteau's surreal masterpiece into a living, breathing theatrical event.”

La Belle et la Bête is the second in a trilogy of works Glass intended as an homage to Cocteau. With this production, Opera Parallèle has, by special arrangement with the composer, completed performances of all three operas, having performed Orphée in 2011, and Les Enfants Terribles in 2017.

OP Founder & Artistic Director Nicole Paiement will reprise her expert conducting of the 8-piece chamber orchestra and cast of singers including the return of Hadleigh Adams as La Bête/Le Prince/Avenant; Chea Kang, will essay the role of La Belle; Aurelien Mangwa* as Le Père/Ludovic/L'Usurier; and Sophie Delphis in the dual roles Félicie/Adelaïde.

DOUBT: MAY 29-31, 2026

The season continues with the West Coast debut of Douglas Cuomo's Doubt, an intense operatic adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award–winning, and Oscar-nominated drama. Minnesota Opera commissioned and premiered the opera in 2013. Opera Parallèle will perform a new chamber orchestration created by the composer and the production will feature a newly abridged version of Shanley's libretto penned by Kevin Newbury, sharpening the opera's emotional immediacy and moral tension.

Presented by Opera Parallèle and the Presidio Theatre, three performances are scheduled for May 29–31 at the Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco. Tickets start at $66 and are available online at www.operaparallele.org/doubt.

This reimagined version of Doubt—a gripping narrative that delves into themes of faith, morality, and uncertainty within a 1960s-era Catholic school—will feature Matthew Worth as Father Flynn; Rhoslyn Jones* as Sister Aloysius; Naomi Steele* as Sister James; and Deborah Nansteel* as Mrs. Miller. Conductor Nicole Paiement will be on the podium and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel will direct this new production.

DANGEROUS LIAISONS: MARCH 26, 2026 BENEFIT DINNER HONORING CLIFFORD “KIP” CRANNA

On Thursday, March 26, Opera Parallèle presents its annual fundraising dinner, Dangerous Liaisons, a glamorous evening at San Francisco's elegant City Club celebrating visionary leadership in contemporary opera. This year's event honors Clifford “Kip” Cranna, one of the field's most influential dramaturgs and a tireless multi award-winning champion of new work. The evening will begin at 6 p.m. with a welcoming cocktail reception followed with a seated, four-course dinner and more at 7 p.m.

Cranna's distinguished career spans decades at the forefront of American opera, including his long tenure at San Francisco Opera, where he played a pivotal role in the development and premiere of numerous newly commissioned works. Widely respected nationwide for his dramaturgical insight and collaborative spirit, Cranna has helped shape landmark operas by today's leading composers and librettists, significantly expanding the contemporary operatic repertoire and fostering deeper engagement between artists, audiences, and institutions.

Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award–winning composer John Adams, San Francisco Opera General Director Emeritus David Gockley and philanthropist Susan Norby-Anderson will serve as honorary chairs for the evening. Special guests will include Musical America's 2025 “Composer of the Year” Jake Heggie, composer Gordon Getty and philanthropist Mrs. Diane B. Wilsey. Acclaimed singers soprano Rhoslyn Jones and Tony-winning baritone Eugene Brancoveanu are the featured performers, and will be joined by the company's resident pianist, Keisuke Nakagoshi. Michael Tate will return as the effervescent emcee.

Viewed together, these spring performances and events reaffirm Opera Parallèle's role as a national leader in reimagining opera for contemporary audiences—boldly merging music, theater, and cinematic vision while championing the creators shaping the art form's future.