Opera Parallèle

Opera Parallèle Opera Parallèle is a non-profit opera company devoted to contemporary opera and multidisciplinary projects for San Francisco Bay Area audiences

The award winning Opera Parallèle is a professional, nonprofit organization that develops and performs contemporary opera. These operas are internationally acclaimed but rarely performed here. Opera Parallèle is the only organization in the Bay Area presenting fully cast and staged contemporary operas exclusively. Opera Parallèle commissions chamber orchestrations of contemporary grand opera, to g

ive a sense of intimacy to its productions and to give an afterlife to contemporary works. These works provide a platform to bring together new audiences and emerging talent through workshops, seminars, readings of new works, and educational outreach programs.

Expansive: Revolution Is Just the Beginning opens tonight!Our fabulous singers Sapphira Crystal, Katherine Goforth and N...
08/28/2026

Expansive: Revolution Is Just the Beginning opens tonight!

Our fabulous singers Sapphira Crystal, Katherine Goforth and Nina Jones take the stage alongside host Afrika America and pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi.

Take a quick behind the scenes look at rehearsals before tonight!

Tickets are still available at https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/limited-engagements/expansive-2026. Grab yours before they're gone!

Sixty years after the Compton’s Cafeteria uprising, its legacy will find a new voice through music.A new feature from th...
08/26/2026

Sixty years after the Compton’s Cafeteria uprising, its legacy will find a new voice through music.

A new feature from the explores how “Expansive: Revolution Is Just the Beginning” brings together transgender and nonbinary classical artists to remember Compton’s not simply as a moment in history, but through the lives, emotions, resistance, and community that surrounded it.

Through opera, art song, spirituals, musical theater, spoken word, and more, this year’s Expansive asks what music can preserve that official histories often cannot: longing, anger, humor, hope, and the search for belonging.

As Breonna McCree of shares in the piece, representation is only the beginning—we must continue investing in visibility, opportunity, and the revolutionary power of our stories.

Read the full feature at https://sfbaytimes.com/history-will-find-its-voice-at-expansive-where-the-legacy-of-comptons-will-be-remembered-through-song/

Expansive: Revolution Is Just the Beginning
August 27, 2026
A.C.T.’s Strand Theater

Thank you for voting Opera Parallèle as your Favorite New Music Ensemble at this year's SFCV Audience Choice Awards!We a...
08/26/2026

Thank you for voting Opera Parallèle as your Favorite New Music Ensemble at this year's SFCV Audience Choice Awards!

We are honored by your generous support of our art and deeply appreciative for continuing to experience the stories we tell every year.

Congratulations to all of this year's nominees and winners. We look forward to seeing you in our 26/27 season!

Great stories begin with extraordinary artists.⁠⁠Behind every unforgettable performance is a community of artists united...
08/07/2026

Great stories begin with extraordinary artists.⁠
⁠
Behind every unforgettable performance is a community of artists united by imagination, curiosity, and a shared passion for storytelling.⁠
⁠
Introducing the remarkable casts and creative teams behind Opera Parallèle's 2026–27 season. From world premieres to West Coast debuts, these artists are creating experiences you won't find anywhere else.⁠
⁠
Swipe to meet them.

Salt & Spirit – November 14-21, 2026
Co-Creators Victor Ryan Robertson & Brian Staufenbiel

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – March 11-14, 2027
Composer Joby Talbot
Librettist Gene Scheer

Taking Up Serpents – May 8-16, 2027
Composer Kamala Sankaram
Librettist Jerre Dye

Meet the artists of EXPANSIVE—an extraordinary group of singers, musicians, creators, and community leaders coming toget...
08/02/2026

Meet the artists of EXPANSIVE—an extraordinary group of singers, musicians, creators, and community leaders coming together to celebrate trans and gender-expansive artistry.

This year’s program features the operatic power and unmistakable theatricality of Sapphira Cristál, internationally acclaimed tenor and program curator Katherine Goforth, rising Bay Area mezzo-soprano Nina Jones, and Grammy-nominated pianist and longtime OP collaborator Keisuke Nakagoshi.

Guiding us through the evening is the incomparable Afrika America, reigning Empress of San Francisco and EXPANSIVE host for five consecutive years.

Together, these artists invite us into an evening of extraordinary music, joyful self-expression, powerful storytelling, and collective celebration.
Join us for EXPANSIVE and experience voices that are transforming the stage—and expanding the future of opera.

August 27 - 7:30pm
A.C.T. Strand Theater
Tickets available at https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/limited-engagements/expansive-2026

Before Stonewall, there was Compton's.Sixty years ago, in San Francisco's Tenderloin, transgender women, drag queens, an...
07/17/2026

Before Stonewall, there was Compton's.

Sixty years ago, in San Francisco's Tenderloin, transgender women, drag queens, and other LGBTQ+ community members stood up against relentless harassment and discrimination—sparking one of the first known acts of collective transgender resistance in the United States.

For decades, their courage was largely left out of history books. Today, we honor the people whose fight for dignity, safety, and belonging helped shape the movement for transgender rights.

Swipe through to learn about the Compton's Cafeteria Riot and why its legacy continues to inspire generations.

Join Opera Parallèle and The Transgender District on August 27 as we commemorate the 60th anniversary of this historic moment at the 5th Annual Expansive Showcase: Revolution Is Just the Beginning.

Tickets available now at https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/limited-engagements/expansive-2026

Bonjour from Brittany, France!
07/16/2026

Bonjour from Brittany, France!

Happy Pride from Opera Parallèle!⁠⁠We hope you have a wonderful weekend of celebrations, art and music as June comes to ...
06/27/2026

Happy Pride from Opera Parallèle!⁠
⁠
We hope you have a wonderful weekend of celebrations, art and music as June comes to a close, and invite you to join us for this year's Expansive: REVOLUTION IS JUST THE BEGINNING on August 27 at A.C.T. Strand Theater.⁠
⁠
This year makes the 5th annual collaboration with our friends at The Transgender District to bring you a night of powerful performances celebrating the diverse identities of our community.⁠
⁠
This year’s theme, REVOLUTION IS JUST THE BEGINNING, is in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riots—a pivotal moment in transgender history that helped shape San Francisco and movements for liberation around the world. Expansive 2026 features incredible artists Sapphira Cristál, Katherine Goforth and Nina Jones, with host Afrika America and pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi.⁠

Expansive 2026
REVOLUTION IS JUST THE BEGINNING
August 27 - 7:30pm
A.C.T. Strand Theater

Tickets available now at https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/limited-engagements/expansive-2026

Doubt opens with a powerful premiere at Presidio Theatre!Congratulations cast and crew for your tremendous work and dedi...
05/30/2026

Doubt opens with a powerful premiere at Presidio Theatre!

Congratulations cast and crew for your tremendous work and dedication to creating exceptional art and music.

There are only two performances left of Doubt, get your tickets now at the op-sf.org/doubt

Doubt
May 29-31 @ Presidio Theatre

Address

44 Page Street Suite 400
San Francisco, CA
94102

Telephone

+14156266279

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