Giuseppe Verdi s Meditation on Power and Friendship, A Masked Ball, Opens March 8, 2014

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1 Contact: Edward Wilensky Phone: x248 Afterhours: Giuseppe Verdi s Meditation on Power and Friendship, A Masked Ball, Opens March 8, 2014 Return of tenor Piotr Beczala as Gustav III Important Company debuts of soprano Krassimira Stoyanova as Amelia and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as Madame Arvidson Conductor Massimo Zanetti makes Company debut San Diego, CA San Diego Opera s 2014 season continues with Giuseppe Verdi s meditation on friendship and power when A Masked Ball opens on Saturday, March 8, 2014 for four performances only. San Diego Opera has assembled some of the greatest operatic voices for these performances including returning tenor Piotr Beczala, last seen here in 2010 s La bohème, who will sing the role of King Gustav III. Joining him in anticipated Company debuts are soprano Krassimira Stoyanova as Amelia, the wife of Gustav s friend, Count Anckarström, who will be sung by debuting baritone Aris Argiris. Also making a notable Company debut is mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe as the fortune teller Madame Arvidson. Soprano Kathleen Kim makes her house debut in a trouser role as the King s page, Oscar. Returning to round out the cast is tenor Joseph Hu as the Judge/Servant, bass Scott Sikon as Cristiano, bass Kevin Langan as Count Ribbing and bass Ashraf Sewailam as Count Horn. Making an important Company debut on the podium is conductor Massimo Zanetti. Stage director Lesley Koenig returns to stage the drama. The choreographer is Kenneth Von Heidecke. The costumes are designed by John Conklin and the lighting designer is Gary Marder. The production is owned by San Francisco Opera. These performances will be the third time A Masked Ball has performed by the Company with other performances in 1999 and Although the close relationship between Sweden s King Gustav III and Amelia, wife of his best friend, Count Anckarström, has never crossed the line, jealousy and politics cause Anckarström to join a band of conspirators and ultimately to murder the King in front of his wife at a masked ball. As he dies, Gustav reveals the truth, and in operatic tradition, pardons Anckarström. Inspired by the real-life assassination of King Gustav III after which Anckarström was actually beheaded, A 1

2 Masked Ball features some of Verdi s best music and one of the best love duets ever composed. Performed in Italian with English translations above the stage. A Masked Ball will have a live radio broadcast on Saturday, March 8, 2014 at 7PM on KPBS radio, 89.5 FM (97.7 FM Calexico) and online at Pre-production photos can be found online at: sandiegoopera.smugmug.com/other/2014-pre- Production-Artwork/ The Cast Piotr Beczala, Gustav III Polish tenor Piotr Beczala made his Company debut as Rodolfo in 2010 s La bohème. Recent engagements include the title role of Faust, the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, Les Chevalier des Grieux in Manon and Rodolfo with the Metropolitan Opera, Rodolfo with Vienna Staatsoper, La Scala and the Salzburg Festival, The Prince in Rusalka with Bayerische Staatsoper, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor at Vienna Staatsoper, Hamburgische Staatsoper and in Tokyo, Riccardo/Gustavo, the Duke of Mantua, and Alfredo Germont in La traviata at Opernhaus Zurich, the Duke of Mantua at Paris Opera, Faust at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Alfredo Germont at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Count Vaudémony in Iolanta with the Salzburg Festival, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet at the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Festival and the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Lensky in Eugene Onegin with the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera, and Tamino in The Magic Flute and Rodolfo with San Francisco Opera. His first engagement was at the Landestheater Linz, and in 1997 he became a company member of the Zurich Opera, a distinction he still enjoys. His repertoire also includes the title role in Werther and The Tales of Hoffmann, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier, Camille de Rosillon in The Merry Widow, Jeník in The Bartered Bride, the Shepherd in Król Roger, Synodal in The Demon and Orombello in Beatrice di Tenda. He is very busy as a concert soloist frequently joining the leading orchestras of the world. He has released three CDs; Salut, featuring French and Italian arias, Slavic Opera Arias and Heart s Delight The Songs of Richard Tauber. His DVD releases include a series of performances from the Zurich Opera including: Rigoletto, La traviata, Die lustige Witwe, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, The Magic Flute, Simplicius as well as Don Giovanni, among others. Krassimira Stoyanova, Amelia San Diego Opera debut. Bulgarian soprano Krassimira Stoyanova began her professional career at the Sofia National Opera performing roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro, Cecilia in Il Guarany, Delia in Fosca, Rachel in La Juiva, Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito and Ilia in Idomeneo: King of Crete. Recent engagements include Tatyana in Eugene Onegin at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and Netherlands Opera, Die Primadonna in Ariadne auf Naxos, Elisabeth in Don Carlo, Desdemona in Otello, Alice Ford in Falstaff and Mimì in La bohème at Vienna Staatsoper, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Desdemona at the Metropolitan Opera and Bayerische Staatsoper, the title role of Luisa Miller at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper, and Paris Opera, Marguerite in Faust and Leonora in Il trovatore at Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Mimì at the Metropolitan Opera, the title role of Rusalka at Opernhaus Zürich, Countess Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro at Washington National Opera and the title role of Iphigènie en Tauride at Hamburgische Staatsoper, among others. In 2009, she was nominated Kammersängerin by the Vienna Statsoper. In 2008, she released her first solo CD recording, I palpiti d amor, which was awarded the prestigious Le Diamant d Opéra prize. In 2011, her second solo recording, Slavic Opera Arias, was released. 2

3 Stephanie Blythe, Madame Arvidson San Diego Opera debut. American mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe s recent appearances include Ulrica in A Masked Ball, Azucena in Il trovatore, Amneris in Aida, Eduige in Rodelinda, and Fricka and Waltraute in the Ring Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera, Azucena at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Ulrica and Katisha in The Mikado at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Mistress Quickly in Falstaff with Seattle Opera and Baba the Turk in The Rake s Progress with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Other roles in her repertoire include the title roles in Carmen, Samson and Delilah, Orfeo ed Euridice, L'Italiana in Algeri, La Grande-Duchesse, Tancredi, Mignon, and Guilio Cesare, Frugola, Principessa, and Zita in Il Trittico, Ježibaba in Rusalka, Jocasta in Oedipus Rex, Mére Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites, Ino/Juno in Semele, and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. She has also appeared with many of the world's finest orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Orchestra of New York, Minnesota Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Ensemble Orchestre de Paris, and the Concertgerbouworkest. She has also appeared at the Tanglewood, Cincinnati May, and Ravinia festivals, and at the BBC Proms. She has premiered several song cycles written for her including Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson by the late James Legg, Covered Wagon Woman by Alan Smith which was commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Vignettes: Ellis Island, also by Alan Smith and featured in a special television program entitled Vignettes: An Evening with Stephanie Blythe and Warren Jones. Blythe was named Musical America s Vocalist of the Year for Her other awards include the 2007 Opera News Award and the 1999 Richard Tucker Award. Aris Argiris, Count Anckarström North American debut. Recent performances by Greek baritone Aris Argiris include the title role Atahualpa for Ópera Perú, Giorgio Germont in La traviata, Figaro in The Barber of Seville, Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro and the title role of Don Giovanni for Theatre Bonn, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut and Marcello in La bohème at Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Giorgio Germont for Komische Oper Berlin and Aalto Theatre in Essen, Escamillo in Carmen for the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Vlaamse Opera, Heidelberg Opera Theatre and Hamburgische Staatsoper, Marcello for Hamburgische Staatsoper and the New National Theatre in Tokyo, Figaro at Arena di Verona, Francesco in I masnadieri, Rambaldo in La rondine, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor and Rodrigo in Don Carlo with Oper Frankfurt, and Lindorf in The Tales of Hoffmann for Oper Frankfurt and in Vienna, among others. Kathleen Kim, Oscar San Diego Opera debut. Korean-American soprano Kathleen Kim recently performed Oscar at the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Other notable roles include Chiang Ch ing in Nixon in China, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann and Papagena in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera, The Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute at Bayerische Staatsoper, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Atlanta Opera, Armida in Rinaldo and Melissa in Amadigi di Gaula at Central City Opera, the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor at Sarasota Opera, and Poppea in Agrippina at Boston Lyric Opera, among others. She has been recognized with numerous prizes and awards including a Sullivan Foundation Award, Sarasota Opera Guild s Leo Rogers Scholarship, and the Rose Ann Grundman Scholarship of the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation voice competition in Chicago. She was a prize winner of the Mario Lanza Competition, a National Finalist of the MacAllister Awards, and a prize winner of the Liederkranz Competition. 3

4 Joseph Hu, Judge/Servant Taiwanese tenor Joseph Hu made his San Diego Opera debut as Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor in His many performances here include Goro in Madama Butterfly, the Steersman in The Flying Dutchman, Roderigo in Otello, Pong in Turandot, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Count Lerma in Don Carlo, the Messenger in Samson and Delilah, Ruiz and the Messenger in Il trovatore, Don Curzio in The Marriage of Figaro, Spoletta in Tosca, Borsa in Rigoletto, Abdallo in Nabucco, Gaston in La traviata, Pong in Turandot, Remendado in Carmen and was last seen as the Fourth Jew in 2012 s Salome. Among other companies with which he has sung are the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Dallas Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, Nashville Opera, Tulsa Opera, Fort Worth Opera and Dayton Opera and his International debut with Israeli Opera. Scott Sikon, Cristiano Since his San Diego Opera debut in 1991 as Superintendent Budd in Albert Herring, American bass-baritone Scott Sikon has sung more than twenty roles here including Schaunard in La bohème, Dikoi in Katya Kabanova, Steve Hubble in A Streetcar Named Desire, Montano in Otello, Curio in Julius Caesar in Egypt, the Second Philistine in Samson and Delilah, the First Journeyman in Wozzeck, Antonio in The Marriage of Figaro, Reinmar von Zweter in Tannhäuser, Sacristan in Tosca, Count Monterone in Rigoletto, The Bonze in Madama Butterfly, a Mandarin in Turandot, Wagner in Faust and Morales in Carmen, Nazarene in Salome, Fiorello in The Barber of Seville and was seen last season as a Corporal in The Daughter of the Regiment and the Second Philistine in Samson and Delilah. He has performed throughout the United States with Utah Opera, Arizona Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, The Dallas Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera and Cleveland Opera. His European debut was at the Vienna Volksoper in the premiere of The Number 11 Bus. An active concert artist, Sikon has performed with the Spoleto Festival USA, the San Antonio Symphony and the Arkansas Symphony. Kevin Langan, Count Ribbing American bass Kevin Langan made his San Diego Opera debut as Duke of Norfolk in Henry VIII in 1983, returning as Dr. Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro in 1986, Basilio in The Barber of Seville and Daland in The Flying Dutchman in 1987, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor in 1989, Colline in La bohème in 1990, again as Basilio in 1993, Alidoro in Cinderella in 1996, Timur in Turandot in 1997, again as Colline in 2000, Sarastro in The Magic Flute in 2001, Olivier Michaud in Thérèse Raquin in 2003, again as Dr. Bartolo in 2007, Friar Laurent in Romeo and Juliet in 2010, A Notary/Police Commissioner in Der Rosenkavalier and Zuniga in Carmen in 2011, and as the Fourth Tempter/Fourth Knight in last season s Murder in the Cathedral. He enjoys a long history with San Francisco Opera where he has appeared in 40 different productions beginning with Samson and Delilah. Other roles he has performed in San Francisco include Timur, Colline, Ramfis in Aida, Padre Guardiano in The Force of Destiny, Henry VIII in Anna Bolena, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, Sobakin in The Tsar s Bride and Sarastro, a role he has also taken to Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Toronto, Calgary, Winnipeg, Omaha, West Palm Beach, Washington DC and Santa Fe. He has appeared in thirteen different productions with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and in twenty different productions with Santa Fe Opera. He has extensive recording credits and appears on the DVD release of David Hockney s Turandot, Aida with Luciano Pavarotti, Samson and Delilah with Plácido Domingo and Orlando Furioso with Marilyn Horne, among others. Ashraf Sewailam, Count Horn Egyptian bass-baritone Ashraf Sewailam made his San Diego Opera in 2012 as Cappadocian in Salome and appeared last season as the Third Tempter/Third Knight in Murder in the Cathedral and as the King in Aida. He made his U.S. debut in 2004 with Opera Colorado performing the 4

5 role of Leporello in Don Giovanni, a role he has also performed with Seattle Opera. Other performances include Sparafucile in Rigoletto with New Zealand Opera, the Mandarin in Turandot and Colline in La bohème with Seattle Opera, Colline for Lake George Opera, Mobile Opera and The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Ferrando in Il trovatore for Virginia Opera and Mobile Opera, Mustafá in The Italian Girl in Algiers with Opera Southwest, Basilio in The Barber of Seville and the Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance with Lyric Opera San Diego, Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Virginia Opera, and Sparafucile with Fresno Grand Opera where he also sang Alidoro in Cinderella. With Chautauqua Opera he recently performed Ferrando and the role of Secret Police Agent in The Consul. Massimo Zanetti, Conductor San Diego Opera debut. Italian conductor Massimo Zanetti has collaborated for many years with renowned opera houses such as Berlin Staatsoper, Semperoper Dresden, Opernhaus Zürich, Bayerische Staatsoper, Hamburgishe Staatsoper, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, Opéra de Paris Bastille, Teatro alla Scala di Milano, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Teatro dell Opera di Roma, Teatro Regio di Parma, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Regio di Torino and Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova. Zanetti recently held a residency in Japan conducting symphonic concerts with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra. Other recent productions include A Masked Ball at Teatro Regio di Parma and Teatro las Palmas, Don Carlo and La traviata at Berlin Staatsoper, Turandot with the Royal Stockholm Opera and Macbeth at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where in 2007, he made his debut with Luisa Miller, followed by many revivals. Other notable performances include two concert performances of Simon Boccanegra with the Vienna Symphoniker that will subsequently be released on Decca. After a highly successful visit last season with the China Philharmonic and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestras, he returned to conduct these orchestras in a special Verdi/Wagner program for the 2013 anniversary. He also conducted Verdi s Requiem in Linz and Otello at Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Over the last ten years, Zanetti has worked regularly at the Semperoper Dresden and has conducted productions of Otello, Carmen, The Marriage of Figaro, Norma, Don Carlo, Madama Butterfly, and La bohème as well as symphonic concerts with the Dresden Staatskapelle. He enjoys a close relationship with Opernhaus Zürich since his debut in 2008 where he most recently conducted Luisa Miller and revivals of La Fanciulla del West, Anna Bolena, Turandot, Otello and La bohème. As a symphonic conductor, he has worked with the Czech Philharmonic, Weimar Staatskapelle, Konzerthaus Orchestra (Berlin), Bamberg Symphony, Stuttgart Radio, NDR Symphony Hamburg, the City of Birmingham Symphony and the Hallé Orchestras as well as the New Zealand Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Finnish and Swedish Radio Orchestras, among others. Lesley Koenig, Stage Director American Director Lesley Koenig made her San Diego Opera debut in 1995 directing La bohème, returned in 1998 for The Marriage of Figaro and directed last season s Samson and Delilah. Koenig has been a stage director of opera for almost twenty years in top houses and festivals worldwide. She began her career at San Francisco Opera at 17 as a stage manager and was engaged as a stage director at the Metropolitan Opera when just 23 the youngest director then hired to date. She has directed over 30 productions at the Met, including a highly acclaimed new production of Mozart s Così fan tutte with James Levine in She holds three shared Emmy Awards from the Met for Outstanding Classical Program in the Performing Arts. In 1998, Koenig took a sabbatical from her directing career to pursue further education and, in 2001, earned two Masters degrees from Stanford University, an MBA and an MA in Education. Shortly thereafter, she joined San Francisco Ballet as General Manager in charge of all operations, including managing the opening of over 60 new productions. Koenig subsequently left the Ballet and returned to the Metropolitan Opera as Assistant Manager and Director of Production. Most 5

6 recently, she was General Director for Opera Boston, accepted a Fellowship at Stanford University in the Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society and consults with the Stanford s Institute for Creativity and the Arts. John Conklin, Set Designer John Conklin s designs have been seen at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera, Glimmerglass Opera and Santa Fe Opera, among others. In Europe, he has designed productions for the English National Opera, The Bastille Opera, Paris, the Holland Festival, Scottish Opera and the Munich Opera. Conklin s work also includes the Metropolitan Opera s first presentation of I Lombardi, Washington National Opera s premiere of Argento s The Dream of Valentino, San Diego Opera s premiere of Daniel Catan s Rappaccini s Daughter, the Lyric Opera of Chicago s new production of Die Walküre, as well as Tosca for Seattle Opera and the English National Opera. Regional theatres include the American Repertory Theatre, the Goodman Theatre (Chicago), Hartford Stage, Arena Stage, the Guthrie Theatre and Center Stage (Baltimore). Conklin teaches in the Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Kenneth von Heidecke, Choreographer American Choreographer Kenneth von Heidecke made his San Diego Opera debut in Romeo and Juliet in 1998, returning to choreograph Ariodante, and both Samson and Delilah and Aida last season. He is a world renowned choreographer for opera and ballet companies at major venues around the entire globe. Considered to be the protégé of legendary Prima Ballerina Assoluta, Maria Tallchief, Von Heidecke appeared in the 1975 world premier of George Balanchine's Orfeo ed Euridice and was a principal dancer in many ballet companies. He is in the Fox Valley Hall of Fame and has been interviewed on many television networks. He appears in the documentary on Maria Tallchief s life and is currently the subject of a new documentary on his life. Gary Marder, Lighting Designer American Lighting Designer Gary Marder made his San Diego debut lighting Norma in 2003, returned in 2009 for Peter Grimes, 2011 for Carmen, 2012 for The Barber of Seville and last season for Samson and Delilah. He has been the Assistant Resident Lighting Designer for the Metropolitan Opera for the past 12 seasons. He has designed The Makropulos Case and Samson and Delilah for Houston Grand Opera, and Dialogues of the Carmelites for Palm Beach Opera. He served as Associate Resident Lighting Designer with the New York City Opera for five years and has worked in many opera houses on the East Coast including Boston, Connecticut and Washington DC. Marder has designed plays and musicals for The New York State Theatre Institute including Big River, The Tempest, Pinocchio and Death of a Salesman. He designed the Off-Broadway production of A Terrible Beauty and served as Assistant Lighting Designer on the Broadway productions of Tru, Grand Hotel, Gypsy and Annie II. About the Sponsors The 2014 International Season Sponsors are Conrad Prebys and Debbie Turner. The 2014 Season Production Sponsor is The Erna and Andrew Viterbi Fund for Artistic Excellence. These performances of A Masked Ball are made possible by Producers Circle Sponsors Carol Lazier and Jay Merritt. Performance Schedule Saturday March 8, PM 6

7 Tuesday March 11, PM Friday March 14, PM Sunday March 16, PM Get Connected For A Masked Ball Stars in the Salon Meet the singers, conductor and director of A Masked Ball in this informal panel discussion on Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 5:30 PM in the Beverly Sills Salon, Civic Theatre. Free. Pre-Opera Lectures These 30-minute informative lectures take place in the Civic Theatre one hour prior to every performance and offer wonderful insights into the production audience members are about to see. These lectures are free to all ticket holders. San Diego Opera Spotlight Produced by San Diego Opera and UCSD-TV, the award-winning San Diego Opera Spotlight program gives viewers a unique and entertaining look behind-the-scenes of each of San Diego Opera s four mainstage productions. Viewers will see how the singers, directors, conductor and crew work together to create each opera, get a sneak peek at rehearsal footage and hear exclusive interviews with the stars. San Diego Opera Spotlight repeats daily throughout the run of the production. For a complete listing of schedules and where to view it, visit: San Diego OperaTalk! with Nicolas Reveles Join Dr. Nicolas Reveles, San Diego Opera's Geisel Director of Education, for these fascinating, half-hour overviews of our four productions. He'll take you on an intriguing journey though the story, music and history of each opera. You'll pick up rich insight into the structure and composition of the music, along with recommendations of the best recordings. It's a wonderful prelude to your opera experience and a great way to pick up some tidbits to impress your friends at intermission! For a complete listing of schedules and where to view it, visit: San Diego Opera Video Podcast Series In order to help audiences better appreciate the operas in our 2014 International Season, the Education and Outreach Department has developed a series of introductory podcasts hosted by Dr. Nicolas Reveles. These 15 to 20-minute conversations can be enjoyed by opera fans as well as those who are new to the art form. Informal yet informative, this is a great way to prepare for our season. These videos are also available on our YouTube Channel: San Diego Opera on Twitter Get frequent updates about San Diego Opera and opera in general by following us on Twitter. Follow tweets from backstage during a performance and learn about special offers and contests before anyone else by following San Diego Opera on Facebook San Diego Opera s Facebook page offers a place for fellow opera fans to discuss performances, opera news, connect with other fans and get up-to-date information on upcoming events. Look for San Diego Opera at 7

8 San Diego Opera Blog: Aria Serious Aria Serious is San Diego Opera's official blog. It focuses on the serious and not-so-serious world of opera with behind-the-scenes looks at our productions, artist interviews and industry as well as pop-culture news. Come and join in the conversation at: San Diego Opera on YouTube Now viewers can watch a large portion of San Diego Opera s programming at their convenience on YouTube. OperaTalk!, Stars in the Salon, Opera Spotlight, our video podcast series and much more can be found on the San Diego Opera channel at: Purchasing Tickets Single tickets for all operas are on sale. Prices start at $35 and can be purchased by calling (619) or online at Subscriptions range from $105 - $1,120 and can be purchased by calling (619) or online at Tuesday Night Senior Discounts are also available for a full series four-opera subscription. Proof of age is required. Call (619) or online at for more information. The 2014 International Season Pagliacci Ruggero Leoncavallo January 25, 28, 31 and February 2 (mat), 2014 The Elixir of Love Gaetano Donizetti February 15, 18, 21 and 23 (mat), 2014 A Masked Ball Giuseppe Verdi March 8, 11, 14 and 16 (mat), 2014 Verdi Requiem Giuseppe Verdi March 20, 2014 Don Quixote Jules Massenet April 5, 8, 11 and 13 (mat), 2014 General Information A widely respected member of the international opera community, San Diego Opera brings the world s finest artists to San Diego. Founded in 1965, and led for the last 30 years by General Director, Artistic Director and CEO Ian D. Campbell, San Diego Opera produces performances of the highest artistic quality while remaining financially stable. 8