Opera San Jose

Opera San José is the professional opera company in San Jose, California, USA, 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. One of the keys to the company's success over the years has been its fiscal prudence.

California Theatre

The company opened its 2004–2005 season in the 1,100-seat California Theatre, a vaudeville and film theater that was originally built in 1927. The theatre had been left vacant for many years and had decayed, but reopened in 2004 after a major restoration project done expressly for Opera San Jose and as the result of large donations. This came as a large relief to local historians, who feared that the building would be demolished, like many of the other historic buildings in the city center. It has been called one of the most beautiful theatres in the state.

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:
* Alexander Boyer
* Daniel Cilli
* Betany Coffland
* Michael Dailey
* Khori Dastoor
* Rebecca Davis
* Silas Elash
* Cybele Gouverneur
* Krassen Karagiozov

Former resident artists

The following artists have been in the resident company of Opera San José:
* Ravil Atlas, Scott Bearden, John Bellemer, Deborah Berioli, Jeanette Blakeney, Heather Calvete, Layna Chianakas, Cynthia Clayton, David Cox, Lori Decter, Jason Detwiler, Michele Detwiler, Christopher Dickerson, Barbara Divis, Kirk Eichelberger, Andrew Eisenmann, Adam Flowers, Nmon Ford-Livene, Roberto Gomez, Stephen Guggenheim, Susan Gundunas, Jonathan Hodel, Julia Kierstine, Matthew Kirchner, Eilana Lappalainen, Brian Leerhuber, Maureen Magill, Christina Major, Julie Makerov, Robert McPherson, Jesse Merlin, Dan Montez, Joseph Muir, Douglas Nagel, Donna Olson, Lori Phillips, Clifton Romig, Sandra Rubalcava, Carlo Scibelli, Etsel Skelton, Talise Trevigne, Thomas Rolf Truhitte, Tamara Tsoutsouris, Mel Ulrich, Maris Vipulis, Kerry Walsh, Joseph Wright, and Constantinos Yiannoudes

Performances

2007-2008 Season

* "Lucia di Lammermoor (Gaetano Donizetti)
* "Werther (Jules Massenet)
* "Rigoletto (Giuseppe Verdi)
* "The Magic Flute (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

2006-2007 Season

* "Roméo et Juliette" (Charles Gounod)
* "The Barber of Seville" (Gioacchino Rossini)
* "La traviata" (Giuseppe Verdi)
* "Madama Butterfly" (Giacomo Puccini)

2005-2006 Season

* "The Crucible" (Robert Ward)
* "Un ballo in maschera" (Giuseppe Verdi)
* "La bohème" (Giacomo Puccini
* "Don Giovanni" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

2004-2005 Season

* "Le nozze di Figaro" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
* "Tosca" (Giacomo Puccini)
* "Carmen" (Georges Bizet)
* "Der fliegende Holländer" (Richard Wagner)

2003-2004 Season

* "Don Pasquale" (Gaetano Donizetti)
* "Cavalleria Rusticana" (Pietro Mascagni) and "Pagliacci" (Ruggero Leoncavallo)
* "The Pearl Fishers" (Georges Bizet)
* "Die Fledermaus" (Johann Strauss II)

2002-2003 Season

* "La Cenerentola" (Gioacchino Rossini)
* "Il Trovatore" (Giuseppe Verdi)
* "Faust" (Charles Gounod)
* "Die Zauberflöte" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

2001-2002 Season

* "Falstaff" (Giuseppe Verdi)
* "Madama Butterfly" (Giacomo Puccini
* "Così fan tutte" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
* "Manon" (Jules Massenet)

2000-2001 Season

* "L'elisir d'amore" (L'elisir d'amore)
* "Eugene Onegin" (Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
* "Rigoletto" (Giuseppe Verdi)
* "La Bohème" (Giacomo Puccini)

1999-2000 Season

* "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" (Gioacchino Rossini)
* "The Tale of the Nutcracker" (Craig Bohmler)
* "Carmen" (Georges Bizet)
* "La Traviata (Giuseppe Verdi)

1998-1999 Season

* "Roméo et Juliette (Charles Gounod)
* "The Rake's Progress (Igor Stravinsky
* "Don Giovanni" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
* "Die Lustige Witwe" (Franz Lehár)

1997-1998 Season

* "Of Mice and Men (Carlisle Floyd)
* "Lucia di Lammermoor (Gaetano Donizetti)
*"Il Turco in Italia" (Rossini)
*"Die Zauberflöte" (Mozart)

External links

* [http://www.operasj.org/ Opera San Jose Website]
* [http://www.concertonet.com/san_jose.php Collected reviews]