Yongzhao Yu to Make San Francisco Opera Debut as The Duke in RIGOLETTO

San Francisco Opera has announced a casting update for the opening production of its 2025–26 season. Chinese tenor Yongzhao Yu will make his Company debut in the role of The Duke of Mantua in Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, replacing Giovanni Sala, who has withdrawn for personal reasons.

The production opens on Friday, September 5 and runs for eight performances through September 27 at the War Memorial Opera House.

Praised by Opera News for his “gleaming, powerful voice” and “thrilling top notes,” Yu most recently performed the Duke to acclaim at English National Opera and has previously sung the role with Seattle Opera. His 2024–25 season included returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Rodolfo in La Bohème and the Messenger in Aida, the latter broadcast globally via The Met: Live in HD. Following his San Francisco engagement, Yu will reprise the Duke for his Canadian debut with Vancouver Opera.

This summer, he appears as Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Glimmerglass Festival opposite Michelle Bradley and Greer Grimsley, and later with Pacific Opera Victoria.

San Francisco Opera’s 2025–26 season launches with Rigoletto under the baton of Music Director Eun Sun Kim, featuring Amartuvshin Enkhbat in the title role and Adela Zaharia as Gilda.

Season highlights include:

• The world premiere of The Monkey King by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang (Nov. 14–30)

• A new production of Wagner’s Parsifal conducted by Eun Sun Kim (Oct. 25–Nov. 13)

• The 25th-anniversary presentation of Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally (Sept. 14–28)