Lisa Hirsch

SFO’s militantly fresh approach eschews the camels and kitsch and highlights outstanding performances, potent choreography, and unapologetically modern design.

Pitch-perfect performances and stark, elegant staging deliver an emotional wallop in this must-see production.

Two commissions honor Marin Alsop, the festivals founder and guiding light.

Vocally and orchestrally, this revival is as good as it gets.

Opera Parallèle delivers an imaginative production of Peter Maxwell Davies’ mysterious opera for three voices.

The early music ensemble delivers an earthy, thrilling program exploring the relationship of the sensual and the spiritual in Renaissance vocal music.

Extraordinary singing by Michael Fabiano was the main reward in an otherwise uninspiring performance.

From the “rat” Lohengrin to the violence-saturated Ring, Bayreuth 2015 featured disturbing but provoking images along with a lot of musical highlights.

You’d be forgiven if you haven’t heard of Rebel and Aubert, but ABS’ performance highlighted the inventiveness of their lesser-known works.

The premiere of Marco Tutino's new opera delivered neo-Puccini without the punch or musical power.