Calendar of Events

Wine Thieves Spring Wine Tasting Party

Time: 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Location: Wine Thieves, 3401 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA
Cost: $35/person

Fine wine and opera are a natural pairing, so Festival Opera has once again teamed up with The Wine Thieves in Lafayette to offer a delightful evening of wine and food in the company of fellow opera lovers. More than thirty wines and nibbles will be available for tasting, and you'll have an opportunity to stock up on your favorites by the half-case. In addition, several select area restaurants will be on hand with complimentary samples of cuisine to quaff by. Proceeds benefit Festival Opera's 2013 season. To reserve, please call 925.944.9610 during business hours.

Open Chorus Rehearsal Concert Event

Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Diablo Room, Hillside Clubhouse, Rossmoor
Cost: $1/person donation (to Rossmoor Opera & Ballet Club) requested

Once a year, the Festival Opera Chorus offers an opportunity to visit a working rehearsal for an upcoming mainstage production. You'll get to see first-hand the talent, hard work and dedication that combine to bring professional opera to the theater. Sponsored by the Rossmoor Opera & Ballet Club, guest chorus master Bruce Olstad works to help the chorus prepare for this summer's production of Verdi's Otello. Open to Rossmoor residents and the general public; tell the guard at the gatehouse that you're attending the Festival Opera concert.

Otello Preview

Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: Fireside Room, Gateway Clubhouse, Rossmoor
Cost: $10/person

Please join our special guests, tenor David Gustafson, bass/baritone Philip Skinner, and soprano Lauren Woody for a sneak peek at some of the operatic delights in store as Festival Opera presents Otello. Gustafson, who sings the title role, Skinner (Iago) and Woody (understudy for Desdemona) will offer musical highlights and insights into this challenging work. Sponsored by the Rossmoor Opera & Ballet Club, this special preview is open to Rossmoor residents and the general public; tell the guard at the gatehouse that you're attending the Festival Opera preview.

Pre-Otello Dinner Party

Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: 1515 Restaurant, 1515 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek
Cost: $85/person

Help us celebrate opening night at an exclusive pre-opera dinner party at Walnut Creek's popular 1515 Restaurant, just two blocks from the Lesher Center for the Arts. Price includes cocktail, dinner and wine pairings, plus a delicious sense of anticipation as we near the opening curtain. To RSVP, please call 925.944.9610 during business hours, or e-mail mimi@festivalopera.org

Otello

Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Lesher Center for Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA
Cost: TBA

Festival Opera's 2013 season debuts with the only evening performance of Guiseppe Verdi's Otello, presented in co-production with West Bay Opera. Tenor David Gustafson will sing the title role, with soprano Cynthia Clayton as Desdemona and bass Philip Skinner as Iago. Tickets are now on sale.

Otello

Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: Lesher Center for Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA
Cost: TBA

Festival Opera's 2013 season continues with a matinee performance of Guiseppe Verdi's Otello, presented in co-production with West Bay Opera. Tenor David Gustafson will sing the title role, with soprano Cynthia Clayton as Desdemona and bass Philip Skinner as Iago. Tickets are now on sale.

The Emperor of Atlantis: A Legend in Four Scenes

Time: TBA
Location: TBA
Cost: TBA

Born in a Nazi concentration camp, the hauntingly beautiful music of Viktor Ullman's The Emperor of Atlantis survived, although its creator did not. It received its American premiere in San Francisco in 1977. Festival Opera is pleased to present a limited number of performances of this powerful 20th century parable. Stay tuned for dates, cast, and ticket information.