San Francisco Opera plan picnic in the park

San Francisco Opera (SFO) will open its 95th season with a free concert at Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park. The 10 September concert will feature popular arias performed by SFO under the baton of music director Nicola Luisotti.

A number of notable singers are scheduled to appear: soprano Aurelia Florian, tenor Brian Jagde, soprano Sarah Cambidge, bass-baritone Alfred Walker, soprano Amina Edris, baritone Artur Ruciński and soprano Toni Marie Palmertree. Brindisi from Verdi’s La Traviata is a highlight of the programme.

This will be the last Opera in the Park led by Luisotti, who steps down as music director at the end of the 2017-18 season. He will be officially honoured for his almost 10-year tenure in a special gala concert on 8 September. Luisotti has signed up to return to SFO as a guest conductor in future seasons.

Opera in the Park was established by former opera director Kurt Herbert Adler in 1971 and is now in its 44th edition. Past performers include Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Horne, Beverley Sills and Plácido Domingo.

No ticket is required for the concert and guests are encouraged to bring a picnic. The concert commences at 1:30pm and runs until late.

sfopera.com