San Francisco Opera Presents THE TROJANS

San Francisco Opera's Summer 2015 Season opens June 7 with the long-awaited return of one of the most significant pieces in the operatic repertoire-The Trojans (Les Troyens). The monumental and epic French grand opera by Hector Berlioz stars Susan Graham, Bryan Hymel (in his Company debut), Anna Caterina Antonacci, Michaela Martens (also a Company debut) and Sasha Cooke, conducted by Donald Runnicles and featuring the United States debut of a new David McVicar production.

French composer Hector Berlioz, one of the leading innovators of 19th-century French grand opera and symphonic music, set his five-act opera to Virgil's classical poem The Aeneid in two parts: "The Capture of Troy," the Greek siege of ancient Troy including the famed Trojan Horse, and "The Trojans at Carthage," the escape of the Trojans to the North African Mediterranean city of Carthage.

San Francisco Opera's presentation of this epic French opera features an international roster of the world's leading singers, headlined by mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and tenor Bryan Hymel as the ill-fated lovers Dido and Aeneas. The dramatic role of the prophetess Cassandra is shared by Italian soprano Anna Caterina Antonacci-who also stars in the Company's world premiere of Marco Tutino's Two Women (La Ciociara) this summer-and American mezzo-soprano Michaela Martens. Sasha Cooke, who shone in the title role of San Francisco Opera's world premiere of Mark Adamo's The Gospel of Mary Magdalene, returns as Dido's sister Anna. The cast also features Brian Mulligan (Chorebus), Christian Van Horn (Narbal) and René Barbera (Iopas). Former San Francisco Opera Music Director Donald Runnicles, who is currently general music director at Deutsche Oper Berlin, returns to conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Ian Robertson, chorus director).

The massive San Francisco Opera co-production by the esteemed director Sir David McVicar is the biggest and heaviest physical production ever to be presented on the War Memorial Opera House stage and requires 134 artists on stage and 95 musicians in the orchestra pit and backstage. The production first opened in 2012 at London's the Royal Opera, Covent Garden and later at Milan's Teatro alla Scala. Following the San Francisco Opera performances, the production will be seen at the Vienna State Opera. The Trojans (Les Troyens) is presented in six performances June 7-July 1, 2015 at the War Memorial Opera House.

San Francisco Opera has a distinguished history with The Trojans, having staged an abridged version of the opera in 1966 billed as the "American professional stage premiere," following an earlier stage presentation of the work by the New England Opera Theater in 1955. The Company premiere featured Régine Crespin as both Cassandra and Dido, and Jon Vickers as Aeneas. San Francisco Opera previously presented The Trojans in 1966 (San Francisco), 1968 (San Francisco and Berkeley) and 1969 (Los Angeles tour).

San Francisco Opera has commissioned famed Bay Area artist Michael Schwab to create a series of posters for operas of special significance to the Company. This season sees the debut of Schwab's striking rendering of Hector Berlioz's The Trojans (Les Troyens). The artwork will be available as a limited edition poster and is also featured on the cover of the Company's performance magazine. This marks the fifth San Francisco Opera poster created by Schwab, available through the San Francisco Opera Shop at the War Memorial Opera House and online at shop.sfopera.com.

San Francisco Opera partners with cultural and educational institutions throughout the Bay Area to present lectures and symposia, many of them free, for audiences to further explore The Trojans (Les Troyens). A calendar of remaining ancillary events to date follows below; please visit sfopera.com/trojans for more information and event updates.

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