Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe made her Company debut in 2014’s A Masked Ball as Ulrica, sang in the Company’s Verdi Requiem in 2014, returned in recital that same year for We’ll Meet Again: The Songs of Kate Smith, and was last heard in 2021 in concert performing the songs of Johnny Mercer. Once the curtain falls, there will be a 10-minute break, then join us in the front of the Dress Circle section where you can ask questions of the stars and cast (subject to availability), and find out what really happened onstage and backstage during the performance! Stay after the performance for a Talk-Back. The Sunday matinee pre-opera lecture begins at 1:10 pm before the 2:00 pm curtain. The pre-opera lecture begins at 6:40 pm before the 7:30 pm evening performances.

RUN TIME – 1 hour and 55 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission Pre-Opera Lecture LANGUAGE – Sung in Italian with English text projected above the stage Making a welcome return for these performances is mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, who will sing the role of the Principessa in Suor Angelica, and will take on the title role of Gianni Schicchi, a role traditionally sung by a baritone, for an opera first! Directed by Paul Curran and conducted by Yves Abel, San Diego Opera’s Principal Conductor. Considered a comic masterpiece, this is a dark satire based on a real story mentioned in Dante’s Inferno and includes the famous aria “O mio babbino caro.” So they enlist the help of fixer Gianni Schicchi who helps turn the tables, but not in the way they expect. The comic-opera Gianni Schicchi begins with the death of wealthy Florentine Buoso Donati, and his distraught family who are upset about being forgotten in his will. After seven years, she is visited by her aunt, the Principessa, who brings tragic news of her son, which sets in motion a series of dire actions that ultimately result in tragedy, forgiveness, and peace. Suor Angelica tells the story of a woman (Marina Costa-Jackson) who bears a child out of wedlock and is sent to a convent for penance. This evening, which we are calling The Puccini Duo, brings to life two great Puccini one-act operas.

Puccini opera story