Opera San Jose Reveals 26/27 Season - DON GIOVANNI, FIDDLER ON THE ROOF and More

Opera San José General Director & CEO Shawna Lucey has revealed the company’s 43rd season, a line up that offers audiences classic operatic favorites, a groundbreakingAmerican musical, and the company’s first-ever John Adams opera. The 2026-27 season will feature four productions, presented September 13, 2026 through May 2, 2027, at the majestic California Theatre in downtown San José. 

Opera San José’s 43rd season opens with Mozart’s vivid retelling of the Don Juan legend, Don Giovanni (September 13-27, 2026). The “dramma giocosa” (a blend of comedy and drama) follows the comeuppance of an arrogant and reckless serial philanderer. Leading American bass Wm. Clay Thompson makes his OSJ debut in the title role. He is joined by soprano Maria Brea as the fiery Donna Elvira, following her acclaimed appearance with OSJ as Ana Maria Soza in Zorro. Tenor Jonghyun Park also joins the cast as the naïve and well-intentioned Don Ottavio, after previously appearing with OSJ as Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte. Following his acclaimed turn directing last season’s Così Fan Tutte, internationally renowned tenor Alek Shrader is set to direct, with OSJ Music Director and Principal Conductor Joseph Marcheso leading the orchestra in one of Mozart’s richest and most lyrical scores. 

Later in the fall, Opera San José will present the musical that revolutionized American theatre, Fiddler on the Roof (November 15-29, 2026). Winner of nine Tony Awards, Fiddler on the Roof  became the longest-running Broadway musical of its time, holding the record for a decade. Featuring a brilliant, enduring score, the show offers a powerful exploration of the tension between honoring tradition and embracing change. It also introduced many American audiences to Jewish culture and the profound, heartbreaking realities of diaspora. Starring as the beleaguered dairyman Tevye struggling to raise five daughters is OSJ favorite, baritone Eugene Brancoveanu. Other announced casting includes 2025–26 OSJ Artist-in-Residence soprano Nicole Koh as the eldest daughter, Tzeitel, who persuades her father to set aside the tradition of an arranged marriage so she can follow her heart. Former OSJ inaugural Wadhwani Artist-in-Residence soprano Melissa Sondhi also joins the cast as Hodel, another daughter who challenges tradition when she falls in love with a revolutionary student. Emmy Award-nominated, international Director Crystal Manich, alongside Conductor George Manahan, will bring this classic musical to life. 

In 2027, Opera San José starts the new year with the company’s first-ever John Adams opera, Doctor Atomic (February 14-28, 2027), in a new production that will honor the renowned Berkeley-based composer’s 80th birthday. Thisbrilliant work, with libretto by Peter Sellars, focuses on the intense psychological, moral, and technical pressures surrounding the creation of the first atomic bomb. Directed by Shawna Lucey and conducted by Joseph Marcheso, the production will star Grammy Award-winning Canadian baritone Elliot Madore making his OSJ debut as J. Robert Oppenheimer, with mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams also debuting at OSJ as his wife, Kitty Oppenheimer. 

The season concludes with Bizet’s passionate and dramatic opera, Carmen (April 18-May 2, 2027). This tragic work, which follows a soldier who abandons everything to pursue the fiery, free-spirited title character, will star Peruvian American mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra in her OSJ debut as Carmen. She will be joined by tenor Alex Boyer, fresh from his Metropolitan Opera debut and previously seen at OSJ in Tosca and Romeo & Juliet as Don José. Carmen will be directed by acclaimed American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. 

2026–2027 SEASON 

DON GIOVANNI  

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte
September 13–27, 2026
Sung in Italian with English and Spanish supertitles

Mozart’s Don Giovanni tells the story of a notorious serial womanizer whose reckless pursuit of women and utter disregard for consequences set him on a path toward inevitable doom. Blending dark comedy and tragedy, the operafollows his exploits as he deceives, manipulates, and outrages those around him—until a chilling encounter with supernatural justice forces him to face the consequences of his actions. This production examines immorality, accountability, and the inescapable final reckoning that awaits the unrepentant. Bass Wm. Clay Thompson makes his OSJ debut in the title role, joined by soprano Maria Brea, who captured critical acclaim at OSJ as Ana Maria Soza in Zorro, as the fiery Donna Elvira, and tenor Jonghyun Park also joins the cast as the naïve and well-intentioned Don Ottavio, after previously appearing with OSJ as Ferrando in Così Fan Tutte. Internationally renowned tenor Alek Shrader, fresh off directing last season’s Così Fan Tutte, directs this production, with OSJ Music Director and Principal Conductor Joseph Marcheso leading the orchestra through one of Mozart’s most lyrical and celebrated scores. 

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF 

Music by Jerry Bock | Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick | Libretto by Joseph Stein
November 15–29, 2026
Sung in English with English and Spanish supertitles

Fiddler on the Roof, the groundbreaking musical, won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and received three Academy Award nominations for its film adaptation, solidifying its place as one of the most celebrated and enduring musicals in history. Set in a small Jewish village in early 20th-century Russia, the story follows Tevye, a humble milkman, as he navigates the challenges of preserving his family’s traditions amid societal change. Withunforgettable songs like “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Sunrise, Sunset,” the musical explores themes of love, faith, and resilience, offering audiences a moving glimpse into Jewish culture and the trials of diaspora. OSJ favorite baritone Eugene Brancoveanu, seen at OSJ in many roles, most recently as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, stars as the beleaguered Tevye, joined by 2025–26 OSJ Artist-in-Residence soprano Nicole Koh as Tzeitel and former OSJ inaugural Wadhwani Artist-in-Residence soprano Melissa Sondhi as Hodel. Emmy Award–nominated international Director Crystal Manich, alongside Conductor George Manahan, brings a fresh, vibrant vision to this timeless classic. Fiddler on the Roof is licensed by and presented through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI) and is a co-production of Cincinnati Opera, Austin Opera, and Opera San José. 

DOCTOR ATOMIC 

Music by John Adams | Libretto by Peter Sellars
February 14–28, 2027
Sung in English with English and Spanish supertitles

Opera San José will present the South Bay premiere of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic in a new production celebrating the composer’s 80th birthday. Directed by OSJ General Director & CEO Shawna Lucey and conducted by OSJ Music Director and Principal Conductor Joseph Marcheso, the soaring opera explores the moral burden, as well as the immense pressures facing J. Robert Oppenheimer and the scientists involved in the Manhattan Project. Adams’ contemporary score and Sellar’s libretto, based on original documents, government records, and poetry (including John Donne, whose sonnet inspired the test site name "Trinity") focuses on the frenzied final hours leading to the first test of the world-altering atomic bomb. Grammy Award-winning Canadian baritone Elliot Madore makes his OSJ debut as Oppenheimer, with mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams also making her company debut as his wife, Kitty Oppenheimer. Dr. Atomic is presented by arrangement with B&H Music Publishing, Inc. 

CARMEN  

Music by Georges Bizet | Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
April 18–May 2, 2027
Sung in French with English and Spanish supertitles