As San Francisco Opera, one of the country’s largest and oldest companies, is opening its 103rd season this week. SF Classical Voice takes a look at news from the War Memorial not included in our preview of the season.
To begin with, you can access the season’s offerings from the best seats for the lowest prices, without needing to drive, park, arrange for childcare, etc.: it’s possible because the company will livestream each opera’s third performance.
SF Opera’s 2025-2026 streaming schedule:
Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto (Sept. 5–27) – available on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m.
Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking (Sept. 14–28) – Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
Richard Wagner’s Parsifal (Oct. 25–Nov. 13) – Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m.
Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s The Monkey King (Nov. 14-30) – Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (May 28, 2026-June 21) – Friday, June 5 at 7:30 p.m.
Richard Strauss’s Elektra (June 7, 2026-June 27) – Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m.
Each of these mainstage operas will be livestreamed, followed by a 48-hour window for on-demand viewing, usually beginning the next day. The cost to stream each opera has decreased from $27.50 to $25 this season.
But surely “there is no substitute for being there.” If the Opera’s high ticket prices — ranging from hard-to-find $29 seats to around $400 for box seats — are a problem, here are a few ways to deal with that:
— The Dolby tickets program (discounted tickets for those who have not purchased in the past three years) offers $10 seats for every mainstage performance. These tickets always sell out quickly but those who act quickly might be able to see Parsifal for $10 — that’s about $2 per hour. Dolby tickets for The Monkey King go on sale on Oct. 7 at noon.
— Discount tickets are available through Student and Teacher Series packages for 50% savings, rush tickets for next-day performances, the BRAVO! CLUB for young professionals, and group sales for parties of 10 or more.
— The best one-shot opera bargain is the free annual Opera in the Park concert at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 1:30 p.m. This year’s event will mark the 50th anniversary of the series.
From the casts of Rigoletto and Dead Man Walking, soloists scheduled to appear at Opera in the Park include sopranos Brittany Renee, Olivia Smith, and Adela Zaharia; mezzo-sopranos Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges, Susan Graham, and Nikola Printz; tenor Yongzhao Yu; baritones Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Rod Gilfry; and bass Peixin Chen. Also on the program is an instrumental piece by SF Opera Orchestra bassist Shinji Eshima.
Besides the 2025 SF Opera world premiere of The Monkey King, the company has been calling attention to the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. The opera is returning to the repertoire this season.
Inspired by Sister Helen Prejean’s nonfiction book of the same name, the work has had more than 80 productions in 13 countries around the world, making it the most performed new opera since its premiere.
Among free ancillary events for Dead Man Walking is “Faith, Law & the Death Penalty” at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10, in the Sydney Goldstein Theater. Hosted by Sister Prejean and Heggie, the event’s participants include faith leaders and members of advocacy groups.
On Sept. 12 at 4 p.m., in the SF Public Library’s main branch, Prejean with Heggie will discuss her life and work. Before the discussion at 2 p.m., there will be a free screening of Tim Robbins’s 1995 film of her book starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn.
Free access to SF Opera is available anytime online to view and hear performances from the company’s century-long history as well as to access archival information about productions and casts. The archive has been updated through a lengthy editorial and programming process.
