San Francisco Opera Presents New Production of PARSIFAL
Performed in German with English supertitles, performances begin on October 25.
As part of San Francisco Opera's 103rd season, Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim conducts Richard Wagner’s Parsifal from October 25 through November 13.
Wagner’s enigmatic final work returns to the War Memorial Opera House stage in a new production by director Matthew Ozawa. Company Chorus Director John Keene prepares the San Francisco Opera Chorus for Parsifal’s choral scenes featuring knights of the Holy Grail, seductive flower maidens and celestial voices.
Parsifal marks the continuation of Kim’s exploration of Wagner’s works each season in San Francisco. Her Wagner journey began in 2023 with Lohengrin, the preparation for which was captured in the NorCal Emmy-nominated documentary Eun Sun Kim: A Journey Into Lohengrin. Last season, she conducted her first performances of Tristan und Isolde.
"At a time when the world seems increasingly fractured, I believe Parsifal speaks directly to the crisis of disconnection so many of us feel," said director Matthew Ozawa. "Its music and message reach into something primal — a longing for healing and meaning. As we participate together in this shared theatrical ritual, may we be reminded of the possibility of transformation — through empathy, through compassion and through art."
The creative team for Ozawa’s vision of Parsifal includes three collaborators from his critically acclaimed 2022 production of Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice for San Francisco Opera: Costume Designer Jessica Jahn, lighting designer Yuki Nakase Link and choreographer Rena Butler. Robert Innes Hopkins is the set designer.
The international cast stars American tenor Brandon Jovanovich as the tital role. German soprano Tanja Arianne Baumgartner will play Kundry. South Korean bass Kwangchul Youn will portray Gurnemanz.
Knights of the Grail, Esquires and Flower Maidens are performed by Samuel White, Jongwon Han, Elisa Sunshine, Laura Krumm, Christopher Oglesby, Thomas Kinch, Georgiana Adams, Jana McIntyre, Olivia Smith and Caroline Corrales. Bass David Soar is Titurel, and mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz is the Voice. Dancer Charmaine Butcher portrays Parsifal’s Mother.
Performed in German with English supertitles, the five performances of Parsifal are scheduled for October 25 (1 p.m.), 28 (6 p.m.); November 2 (1 p.m.), 7 (6 p.m.), 13 (6 p.m.).
The Sunday, November 2 matinee of Parsifal will be livestreamed at 1 p.m. PT. The opera will also be available to watch on demand for 48 hours, beginning on Monday, November 3 at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets for the livestream and limited on-demand viewing are $25.
Following the Sunday, November 2 matinee of Parsifal, Kim, who conducts the performance, will host a post-performance talkback in the theater. Ticketholders are invited to gather after the performance for a discussion about Wagner’s epic meditation on compassion and the work that goes into presenting it in the pit, on the stage and behind the scenes.
Also, conductor and music historian Peter Susskind will present a 20-minute overview of Parsifal beginning 55 minutes prior to each performance for ticketholders. An audio recording of the talk will be made available online.
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