San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Giants invite you to Opera at the Ballpark. This free performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni will be simulcast live from the War Memorial Opera House.
Opera At The Ballpark
Category Archives: Music
“Billy Elliot The Musical”
April 23, 2016
“Children’s Musical Theater Marquee is honored to be one of the first local theaters to present Billy Elliot. Set in a northern English mining town against the background of the 1984-85 miners’ strike, Billy Elliot is the uplifting tale of a young boy’s struggle against the odds to make his dreams come true. The story follows Billy’ s journey as he stumbles out of the boxing ring and into a ballet class, where he discovers a passion for dance that inspires his family and whole community – and changes his life forever. Featuring a memorable score by Elton John, sensational dance numbers and a powerful story that has captivated audiences around the world, Billy Elliot is a funny, positive and spectacular theatrical experience that will stay with you forever”
Intel Free Tickets
We received free tickets from Intel for this wonderful production of one of the best loved musicals.
Ticket Memories
Seasons of Love: A Spring Pops Concert @ Jordan
May 13, 2014
A musical performance by the Jordan Middle School Choral Program. Amelia received two awards: the Jordan 8th Grade Choral Leadership And Outstanding Choral Musician Award and the Jordan Choral “Expression” Award. Congratulations!
For leadership in the choir!
For most expressive singer in the 8th grade choir!
Placido Domingo at the Greek Theater
September 7, 2013 @ the Greek Theater, UC Berkeley
The Oakland School for the Arts gave away 300 tickets to the Placido Domingo concert at the Greek Theater and we took advantage of it. We enjoyed a world class performance by one of the most celebrated tenors of our time. Placido Domingo performed with Angel Joy Blue and Micaela Oeste, both sopranos.
Their program included works from Wagner, Gounod, Verdi, Strauss and contemporary songs from Frederick Lowe’s “I Could Have Dance All Night” – M y Fair Lady, Richard Rogers’ “Some Enchanted Evening” – South Pacific, and Leonard Bernstein’s “Tonight” from West Side Story, to name a few. A truly once in a life-time opportunity!
They performed a total of six encores including “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” from Annie Get Your Gun and “If I Loved You” from Carousel and the all-time favorite “Besame Mucho”. What an evening!
Concert Program
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Ticket Memories
Midsummer Mozart Festival 2013
July 20, 2013
With my best friend forever….Maya R.
This is our 7th Annual attendance to the Midsummer Mozart Festival. Mr. George Cleve, Director of Midsummer Mozart Festival, of course, remembers Amelia and Maya and stood for the annual photo op. He also wanted to receive copies of the photos and gave us his personal email address!
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And of course, Dad cooks up a storm and tries to outdo himself each year!
MIDSUMMER MOZART FESTIVAL MENU
- Baked Mustard Lime Chicken
- Wild Rice With Shiitake Mushrooms
- Cracker, Cheese and Grapes
- Raspberries and Cream
- Shortbread
- Pellegrino on ice (grenadine + orange juice optional)
- Hot Chocolate
Jordan Winter Choir Concert @ Paly
December 5, 2013
6th, 7th and 8th Grade Choir Concert at Palo Alto High School, Haymarket
Program
- “Sing to Me”, Ramsey
- “S’vivon”, Traditional Hebrew
- “Duet for Two Cats”, Rossini
- “Somagwaza”, Traditional Rite of Passage Song
Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra, “Swan Lake”
October 13, 2012 @ Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley
Cast to include Ekaterina Kondaurova, Danila Korsuntsev, Vladimir Schklyarov, and Evgeny Ivanchenko
“One of the most influential companies in classical dance for the past 200 years, the Mariinsky Ballet (formerly the Kirov) has always showcased the world’s greatest dancers, including such legendary performers as Anna Pavlova, Vaslav Nijinksy, Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Natalia Makarova, and many more. Now, the historic company opens Cal Performances’ 2012/13 dance season with Konstantin Sergeyev’s bewitching production of Swan Lake, based on the immortal masterpiece by Petipa and Ivanov. Mysterious, lyrical, and dramatic, Swan Lake creates a magical world in which Prince Siegfried and the swan-princess Odette proclaim their love for each other, overcoming the forces of evil. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score combines with matchless choreography featuring the Mariinsky’s renowned corps de ballet in all its splendor. “The Mariinsky elevates [Swan Lake] to another realm” (Evening Standard, London).” — CalPerformances
Ekaterina Kondaurova’s performance as Odette/Odille was stunning….
Ticket Memories:
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Opera At The Ballpark
September 15, 2012
Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto” by SF Opera simulcast live at the AT&T Ballpark in SF. Admission: FREE!
They estimated there were 3,000 + people attending the performance at the War Memorial House and 30,000 + people watching from the ballpark. There was an opera-house/ballpark theme as the cast took their bows in Giants tee-shirts and the main character, Željko Lucic (Rigoletto), came out with a baseball bat for his bow. Fun.
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Rigoletto (from Wikipedia)
Rigoletto is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the play Le roi s’amuse by Victor Hugo. It was first performed at La Fenice in Venice on 11 March 1851. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had control over northern Italian theatres at the time, the opera had a triumphant premiere and is considered by many to be the first of the operatic masterpieces of Verdi’s middle-to-late career. Its tragic story revolves around the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s beautiful daughter Gilda. The opera’s original title, La maledizione (The Curse), refers to the curse placed on both the Duke and Rigoletto by a courtier whose daughter had been seduced by the Duke with Rigoletto’s encouragement. The curse comes to fruition when Gilda likewise falls in love with the Duke and eventually sacrifices her life to save him from the assassins hired by her father.
Midsummer Mozart Festival 2012
July 28, 2012
Our 6th consecutive Midsummer Mozart Festival at the Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, Napa. Arriving at our usual time of approximately 4 PM, we were able to get our awesome seating again.
We met the same older couple there that we’ve been seeing since 2007 (when we started going). Nice to see the same people year in and year out. Christina Major was wonderful as usual, I think this is the 5th time we’ve enjoyed her singing! Took photos with Maestro George Cleve as usual. One of the nice things about this festival is the accessibility of the artist.
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Ticket Memories:
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Menu:
- Cucumber sandwiches with nova lox, cream cheese and capers
- Asparagus noodles (courtesy of Robert)
- Pellegrino
- Raspberries and cream with chocolate cookies
- Chessmen cookies (courtesy of Robert)
- Hot chai
Memorable once again. Long drive home….
Idomeneo
September 24, 2011
Idomeneo, An opera by Mozart performed by Opera San Jose with George Cleve and the Midsummer Mozart Festival. By special performance, courtesy of David Packard. Free tickets. 3 hours and 45 minutes long with two intermissions. Red carpets, velvet curtains, glass chandeliers, brass hand-rails and beveled mirrors.
Idomeneo
The gods and heroes they’d read about in D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Mythology came to life in lavish sets and costumes accurately depicting the early lives of Classical Minoans in Crete and their conflict with the Trojans. So wonderful to see the vengeful spurned lover, Elettra – played exquisitely by Christina Major – and her spiteful machinations and dramatics. The orchestra could not have been without George Cleve, maestro of the Midsummer Mozart Festivals.
