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PROVOCATIVE THOUGHTS:
The late Patric Standford may have written these short pieces deliberately to provoke our feedback. If so, his success is reflected in the rich range of readers' comments appearing at the foot of most of the pages.
Founded in 1950 to present San Francisco Opera productions locally, San Diego Opera began generating its own productions - a balance of standard repertoire and new works - in 1965, under the leadership of its founding general director, Walter Herbert.
Herbert died in 1975, and his replacement, Tito Capobianco, was able to expand to six productions per season, bringing in big name singers such as Luciano Pavarotti, Beverly Sills and Joan Sutherland, and introducing an annual Verdi Festival, all of which brought the company to the notice of the international opera community.
The company's current general and artistic director, Australian-born Ian Campbell (previously a tenor with Australian Opera, assistant artistic administrator at New York Metropolitan Opera and a stage director, radio broadcaster and writer) took over from Capobianco in 1983. He has brought financial stability, an expanded season, a concert programme, the North American Voices Project (which became a model for opera companies throughout the United States) and the largest and most diverse educational outreach offering of any American opera company.
Further information: sdopera.org
Ensemble. Crushing Tragedy - Ron Bierman has mixed feelings about San Diego Opera's production of Puccini's 'La bohème'
Ensemble. Impressively Sung - Ron Bierman listens to a song recital by Andrea Carroll and Joshua Guerrero, accompanied by Stephen Hopkins
Ensemble. Impressive Emotional Depth - Ron Bierman experiences an almost excellent performance of Puccini's 'Madama Butterfly'
Ensemble. An Expendable Frivolity? - Ron Bierman assesses San Diego Opera's production of Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'
Profile. It's Art - Ron Bierman talks to Amerian opera director Kyle Lang
Ensemble. Thoroughly Enjoyable - Ron Bierman listens to a concert given by Latonia Moore and J'Nai Bridges, with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra and conductor Bruce Stasyna
Ensemble. Crushing Pathos - Ron Bierman listens to Nicolas Reveles' 'Ghosts'
Ensemble. Appealing Voices with Exceptional Power - Ron Bierman is entertained by San Diego Opera's production of Puccini's 'Tosca'
Profile. Big Roles - Ron Bierman talks to American soprano Michelle Bradley
Profile. A Fascinating Background and Career - Ron Bierman pays tribute to the late Nicolas Reveles, in the second part of his interview with the composer
Ensemble. Puccini Duo - Ron Bierman was in the audience for San Diego Opera's 'Suor Angelica' and 'Gianni Schicchi'
Profile. Creativity, Imagination and Curiosity - Ron Bierman talks to American mezzo Stephanie Blythe
Profile. Fascination with the Macabre - Ron Bierman talks to opera composer Nicolas Reveles
Ensemble. On the Day of the Dead - Ron Bierman reports from San Diego on Gabriela Lena Frank's opera 'El último sueño de Frida y Diego'
Profile. Opera is a Whole New World - As rehearsals begin for her new opera, Gabriela Lena Frank talks to Ron Bierman
Profile. Behind the Words and Between the Lines - Ron Bierman talks to Canadian conductor Yves Abel
Profile. Serving the Larger Community - Ron Bierman talks to David Bennett, general director of the San Diego Opera Association
Beyond COVID-19 - Ron Bierman takes a look at the current classical music scene in San Diego
Ensemble. Figaro via Laugh-in - Ron Bierman reviews San Diego Opera's parking-lot production of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'
Ensemble. Rollicking Comedy - Maria Nockin reports from San Diego Opera's drive-in performances of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville'
Ensemble. Horns and Headlights? - Ron Bierman reports on San Diego Opera's 'La bohème' from a parking lot in San Diego
Ensemble. A Nuanced, Idiomatic Portrayal - San Diego Opera's first drive-in opera - 'La bohème', appreciated by Maria Nockin
Profile. Collecting Gems - Ron Bierman talks to the American tenor Carl Tanner
Ensemble. Perfect for the Role - Ginger Costa-Jackson in Bizet's 'Carmen' at San Diego Opera, reviewed by Ron Bierman
Profile. Convincing Performances - Ron Bierman talks to American mezzo Ginger Costa-Jackson
Ensemble. Engrossing and Thought-provoking - Ron Bierman reports on San Diego Opera's staging of Jake Heggie's 'Three Decembers'
Profile. Heart and Empathy - Ron Bierman talks to Frederica von Stade, who is in San Diego to perform in Jake Heggie's 'Three Decembers'
Profile. Prodigious appetite for repertoire - Ron Bierman talks to coloratura soprano Alisa Jordheim
Ensemble. Tears Behind the Laughter - San Diego Opera's 'The Marriage of Figaro', reviewed by Ron Bierman
Profile. The Comic / Serious Mix - Ron Bierman talks to British opera director Stephen Lawless, whose 'Marriage of Figaro' is currently at San Diego Opera
Profile. Power and Agility - Ron Bierman talks to Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez
Profile. Magical Transformation - Ron Bierman talks to the American dramatic soprano Lise Lindstrom during rehearsals for Puccini's 'Turandot' at San Diego Opera
Ensemble. Final Production? - Ron Bierman was at San Diego Opera's 'Don Quixote'
Ensemble. Simply Exquisite - Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Farewell to Comedy - Donizetti's 'Don Pasquale', reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Heroic Treatment - Jake Heggie's new opera 'Moby-Dick' impresses Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Imaginative Harmonies - Richard Strauss's 'Salome' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Uncurbed Impulses - Bizet's 'Carmen' at San Diego Opera, appreciated by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Truly Beautiful - Gounod's 'Faust' at San Diego Opera delights Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Golden Sounds - 'Der Rosenkavalier' in San Diego impresses Maria Nockin
Ensemble. A Smooth Delivery - Maria Nockin was at San Diego for Puccini's 'Turandot'
Performances to Remember - Maria Nockin looks forward to San Diego Opera's 2011 season
Profile. Two Americans in Paris - Maria Nockin talks to Vivica Genaux and Lawrence Brownlee
Profile. The State of the Art - Maria Nockin talks to soprano Christine Brewer
Ensemble. Major Delights - 'La traviata' from San Diego Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Thoroughly Impressed - Maria Nockin talks to baritone Alan Opie, who is about to sing Germont for San Diego Opera
Ensemble. An Excellent Performance - Gounod's 'Romeo and Juliet' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Profile. Encouraging Others - Maria Nockin talks to Stephen Costello and Ailyn Perez, the young couple singing Gounod's 'Romeo and Juliet' this month at San Diego Opera
Ensemble. A Fine Performance - Verdi's 'Nabucco' from San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. A Bouquet of Bohèmes - Maria Nockin reviews one opera at two different venues
Ensemble. Ringing Intensity - 'Madama Butterfly' from San Diego Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Unique Sonorities - Britten's Peter Grimes, heard by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Outstanding Performance - A San Diego performance of Verdi's 'Rigoletto' impresses Maria Nockin
Ensemble. A Special Privilege - Massenet's 'Don Quichotte' in San Diego, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Amazing Clarity - Greer Grimsley sings Scarpia in 'Tosca' from San Diego, experienced by Maria Nockin
CD Spotlight. A Glistening Treasury - Songs with orchestra from Deborah Riedel, enjoyed by Howard Smith. '... a bounteous seam of unfamiliar, wholly blissful vocal gems ...'
Ensemble. An Exotic Atmosphere - Bizet's 'The Pearl Fishers' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Doomed Love - Verdi's 'Aida' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. A Trip to Heaven - 'Cavalleria Rusticana' and 'I Pagliacci' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
Musically Thrilling - 'Maria Stuarda' at San Diego Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Medieval Legends - Richard Wagner's 'Tannhäuser' at San Diego Opera, enjoyed by Maria Nockin
A Cornucopia - Maria Nockin introduces San Diego Opera's new season
Ensemble. A Magnetic Presence - Mozart's 'Figaro' at San Diego Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Worldly Forces - Alban Berg's 'Wozzeck' at San Diego Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. An Imaginative Production - 'Il Trovatore' in San Diego, reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Robust and Vigorous - Saint-Saëns' 'Samson and Delilah', reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Lustrous Sounds - Kurt Weill's 'The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny', reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Infectious Verve - Maria Nockin was at San Diego Opera's 'The Magic Flute'
Ensemble. Praiseworthy Style - Maria Nockin was at San Diego Opera for Handel's 'Julius Caesar in Egypt'
Ensemble. Shimmering Harmonies - San Diego Opera's 'Carmen' delighted Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Opulently Staged - Donizetti's 'Lucia di Lammermoor', reviewed by Maria Nockin
Ensemble. Accomplished Stagecraft - 'The Barber of Seville' at San Diego Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin
A straight line career path - Conductor Kenneth Montgomery talks to Maria Nockin about his life, his music and upcoming events