SF Opera Lab Presents THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE Cine-Concert This April

Season One of SF Opera Lab in the new Taube Atrium Theater continues with The Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert. Running April 14-23 for ten performances, The Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert features a screening of Sylvain Chomet's Oscar-nominated animated film The Triplets of Belleville as composer-conductor Benoît Charest leads Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville in a live performance of his original score for the film, including his Academy Award and Grammy-nominated song, ''Belleville Rendez-vous."

The musical ensemble is made up of nine musicians (including chanteuse) with zany instruments and live Foley effects. Blending live music and cinema, Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville entices audiences into their colorful Parisian period cabaret of 1920s Paris and Le Jazz Hot.

Released in 2003, Sylvain Chomet's award-winning and much-beloved animated film tells the tale of a little boy named Champion who is adopted by his near-sighted grandmother, Madame Souza. Noticing the lad is never happier than on a bicycle, Madame Souza puts him through a rigorous training process. Years go by and Champion, now worthy of his name, is ready to enter the famous Tour de France. But during the cycling contest two mysterious henchmen kidnap Champion-Madame Souza and her faithful dog Bruno set out to rescue him. Their quest leads to a giant megalopolis called Belleville where they encounter a trio of eccentric jazz-era divas, the "Triplets of Belleville." The three music-hall stars take Madame Souza and Bruno under their wing, and the motley sleuths follow the clues to an underground speakeasy. Thanks to Bruno's brilliant sense of smell the chase is on! But will they succeed in beating the devilish plans of the evil French mafia?

POST-SHOW TALKS AND SIGNINGS WITH BENOÎT CHAREST, APRIL 15 & 21:

Following the April 15 and April 21 performances, the audience is invited to post-show talks and signings with Benoît Charest and members of Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville.

EXPLORATION WORKSHOPS, APRIL 16 & 17:

Enter the captivating world of The Triplets of Belleville with one hour workshops designed for families with youth ages 7 and up. Participants will explore the art of body percussion with Crosspulse's Keith Terry, and learn about the music that makes this film so unique. See below for complete details and ticket information.

Intimate, eclectic, adventurous-SF Opera Lab, San Francisco Opera's newly launched programming arm, celebrates the power of the human voice theatrically in intimate spaces, including the Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco Opera's new Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera. SF Opera Lab's inaugural season of innovative programming continues through May with:

- Svadba-Wedding-Ana Sokolovi?'s virtuosic a cappella chamber opera for six women in a new production premiere (final performances: April 8-10).

- ChamberWORKS­-Members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra curate eclectic and intimate nights of music and song featuring the 2016 San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows (April 20).

- Voigt Lessons-A one-woman show starring soprano Deborah Voigt, developed with Terrence McNally and Francesca Zambello with music direction by Kevin Stites (May 6 & 8).

For more information about SF Opera Lab, visit sfoperalab.com.

The Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater is a state-of-the-art performance venue designed to be configured in multiple ways. From traditional theater-style performances and seating, to cabaret settings with café tables and performances in the round, to more experimental configurations, the Taube Atrium Theater offers intimate and adventurous experiences with its public offerings. The theater is also distinguished by the Constellation acoustic system from Berkeley-based Meyer Sound, an extraordinary innovation in acoustical science enabling artists to customize different acoustic environments for their performances with the press of a button. San Francisco Opera is the first opera company to use this technology, providing a virtually unlimited palette of acoustic possibilities to create the most compelling sound experience.

The Taube Atrium Theater and the John M. Bryan Education Studio are the centerpieces of San Francisco Opera's new Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera (located on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco). Adjacent to the War Memorial Opera House, the Wilsey Center for Opera opened in late February 2016 and consolidates most of the Company's operations into a single campus in the vibrant arts district of San Francisco's Civic Center/Hayes Valley. For more information about the Wilsey Center for Opera, visit sfopera.com/wilseycenter.

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