San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Giants Announces Partnership to Bring Free Live Simulcast of Gounod's ROMEO AND JULIET to Oracle Park

San Francisco Opera partners with the San Francisco Giants for Opera at the Ballpark, a free live simulcast of Charles Gounod's Romeo and Juliet (Roméo et Juliette) on Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at Oracle Park.

Opera lovers, baseball fans and tens of thousands from around the Bay Area will have the opportunity to experience Gounod's lyric masterpiece at the home of the San Francisco Giants while seated on the baseball field or in the stands. Registration is strongly advised and is now available at sfopera.com/simulcast.

Highly in demand at major opera houses around the world, tenor Bryan Hymel and soprano Nadine Sierrastar as Romeo and Juliet. Full of romantic duets and soaring melodies, this French operatic adaptation of William Shakespeare's beloved love story will be staged in a production by Opéra de Monte-Carlo Director Jean-Louis Grinda that depicts the Renaissance Verona setting.

French-Canadian conductor Yves Abel leads a cast that also features Lucas Meachem as Mercutio, James Creswell as Friar Lawrence, Timothy Mix as Count Capulet, Daniel Montenegro as Tybalt, Philip Skinner as the Duke of Verona and Stephanie Lauricella as Stéphano.

The staging, originally a co-production by Opéra de Monte-Carlo and Genoa's Teatro Carlo Felice, premiered in 2012 with sets designed by Eric Chevalier, costumes by Carola Volles and lighting by Roberto Venturi. Chorus Director Ian Robertson prepares the San Francisco Opera Chorus.

The simulcast will be transmitted in high definition live from the stage of the War Memorial Opera House to the new 71-foot high x 153-feet wide (2,160 pixel high x 4,672 pixel wide) Mitsubishi Electronic Diamond Vision Board at Oracle Park. The newly installed model is twice the resolution and 50 feet wider and 20 feet higher than the former video-board. It is the third largest video-board in Major League Baseball and the largest movie screen in San Francisco. Performance-quality audio combined with Oracle Park's upgraded screen creates an enhanced open-air operatic experience for Bay Area audiences.

Initiated by the Company in 2006 to bring opera into the community and reach new audiences, San Francisco Opera's free live simulcasts have been experienced by nearly 303,000 people of all ages. The September 21 simulcast of Romeo and Juliet marks the 16th free simulcast presented by San Francisco Opera and the 12th at Oracle Park. 2017's Opera at the Ballpark performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni drew an audience of more than 23,000.

Classical KDFC's Dianne Nicolini will emcee Opera at the Ballpark, which includes the 3-hour performance of Romeo and Juliet along with pre-performance and intermission programing. Oracle Park exclusives include a performance of the National Anthem by the winner of the "KDFC Star-Spangled Sing-Off" and Tammy Nelson from Beach Blanket Babylon which is having its final performances this year-singing "Take me out to the ball game." Opera at the Ballpark offers the unique opportunity for everyone to picnic on the baseball field at one of San Francisco's most popular sports and entertainment venues.

The simulcast is free and open to the public, and registration is strongly advised. Entrance to the stadium begins at 5:30 p.m. Field access will be available to registered participants on a first-come, first-served basis via the Marina Gate.

Oracle Park concessions will be open throughout the simulcast, providing audiences the rare opportunity to pair hot dogs, peanuts and garlic fries with live opera. Please see sfopera.com/simulcast for prohibited items including inflatables, lawn chairs, glass containers, alcohol and hard-sided coolers, among others. Oracle Park is accessible by public transportation.

Also at Oracle Park, San Francisco Opera bass-baritone Christian Van Horn will sing the National Anthem before the June 26 game (today) between the Giants and the Colorado Rockies. Van Horn is currently appearing on stage at the War Memorial Opera House as Zoroastro in Handel's Orlando through Thursday, June 27 and will return to San Francisco Opera during the 2019-20 Season as John Claggart in Britten's Billy Budd and Don Ruy Romez de Silva in Verdi's Ernani.

Photo Credit: Alain Hanel

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