Opera San José

Opera San José is the professional opera company in San Jose, California, United States, founded in 1984 by Irene Dalis. In 1988, it formed a resident company of principal artists, for which it has purchased fourteen apartment units to provide rent-free accommodation. Until 2004, the company performed in the Montgomery Theater in San Jose's Civic Auditorium complex, but since then it has performed in the remodeled California Theatre, now a performing arts venue in the city. One of the keys to the company's success over the years has been its fiscal prudence.^{[citation needed]}

Resident company

In 1988, Opera San José formed a resident company of principal artists, for which it provides rent-free accommodation. These artists are typically promising singers in the early years of their career. They are given annual contracts & coaching and are expected to fill leading roles in the company's performances. This program is modeled after similar programs in German regional opera companies.

Current resident artists

The following artists are current members of the resident company:

Alexandra Boyer Evan Brummel Betany Coffland

Michael Dailey Silas Elash Jasmina Halimic

Jouvanca Jean-Baptiste Krassen Karagiozov Isaiah Musik-Ayala

Former resident artists

The following artists have been in the resident company of Opera San José: Khori Dastoor, Jason Detwiler, Adam Flowers, Susan Gundunas, Thomas Rolf Truhitte, and Kerry Walsh.

Performances of non-standard works

Anna Karenina (David Carlson) (2010-11) La Rondine (Giacomo Puccini) (2009-10) The Crucible (Robert Ward) (2005-06)

The Pearl Fishers (Georges Bizet) (2004-05) Manon (Jules Massenet) (2001-02) The Rake's Progress (Igor Stravinsky) (1998-99)

Of Mice and Men (Carlisle Floyd) (2007-08) Il Turco in Italia (Rossini)

Non-standard repertory performed

(Barber) Vanessa (Bizet) Les pêcheurs de perles (Bohmler) The Tale of the Nutcracker (World Première) (Britten) Albert Herring and The Turn of the Screw (Cavalli) L'Ormindo (Floyd) Of Mice and Men (Handel) Serse (Henderson) West of Washington Square (World Première) (Lehár) The Merry Widow

(Mechem) Tartuffe (Menotti) The Medium and Amahl and the Night Visitors (Mollicone) Hotel Eden (World Première) (Poulenc) La Voix Humaine (Roumanis) Ode to Phaedra (World Première) (Stravinsky) The Rake's Progress (Ward) The Crucible

The California Theatre

California Theatre

The opera company opened its 2004–2005 season in the 1,119 seat California Theatre, a former vaudeville and film theatre designed by Weeks and Day. On opening day in 1927, this 1,848 seat movie palace was said to be the finest theater in California. With its magnificent Jazz Age décor, it was part of a wave of ornate theaters built to define downtowns all over the country.

For nearly 50 years the theatre showed films, until its closure in 1973. It was left vacant for many years and had decayed, but reopened in 2004 after a 75 million dollar restoration project done expressly for Opera San Jose and as the result of large donations. This came as a big relief to local historians, who feared the building would be demolished like many other historic buildings in the city center.

In 2004, the California Theatre reopened as a major performing arts facility designed both for live stage performances and for motion pictures. The new theatre is filled with modern amenities in a setting of meticulously restored 1920's opulence. It has been called one of the most beautiful theatres in the state, and is now the home of Opera San Jose and Symphony Silicon Valley.

In 2004 Team San Jose took over management of the facility and promotes its venues and the theatre itself as a favorite place to hold events. A lavish conference facility with additional meeting rooms, and state-of-the-art audio and video technology, has been added to the original structure.

References

External links

• Opera San Jose Website
• Collected reviews