Back by popular demand, “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera” will usher in the new year within San Francisco’s beautiful Herbst Theatre. Start an early night on the town with a delightful program of arias, duets, and instrumental music from Baroque opera and concert, with plenty of time left for more celebrations in the evening or an early return home for a peaceful night. Bring your family and friends to celebrate a New Year full of wonderful music.
One of San Francisco’s great New Year’s Eve traditions, “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera” presents some of the most acclaimed Baroque opera specialists in programs of scintillating arias and duets conducted by JEFFREY THOMAS. Opera News wrote, “Jeffrey Thomas draws crisp, vital playing from the ace Baroque instrumentalists of American Bach Soloists, who provide galvanizing vigor but also caress the gut strings of their period instruments with unusual beauty.” Previous soloists have included sopranos Liv Redpath and Mary Wilson, mezzo-soprano Sarah Coit, countertenors Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and Kyle Tingzon, baritones Hadleigh Adams and Christian Pursell, and bass Alex Rosen. This year's soloists are soprano Maya Kherani and countertenor Eric Jurenas.
Praised by Opera News for her “rich, soaring soprano" and "crystalline tone,” Indian-American soprano MAYA KHERANI has been lauded for her vibrant voice and exciting characterizations in repertoire from the Baroque to the modern. San Diego Story wrote about her brilliant singing of “Handel’s effusive coloratura with gleaming precision and impassioned conviction,” and the Boston Music Intelligencer applauds her performances as evoking “the sparkling effervescence of a fine champagne.”
Praised by The New York Times for his “beautiful, well-supported tone and compelling expression … powerful and pliant,” American countertenor ERIC JURENAS has been featured on some of the world’s largest and most reputable stages. He “stuns the audience with his remarkable voice and musicianship" (Opus Colorado), and the Berliner Morgenpost extolled his “beguilingly beautiful and nuanced counter-tenor voice.”
Join us at intermission in the Horn Bar & Lounge on the lower level of the War Memorial for an inviting no-host reception, where you can enjoy a selection of red, white, and sparkling wines chosen to elevate your New Year's Eve experience. This gathering is open to all ticket buyers, providing an opportunity to connect with fellow attendees and share in the excitement of the performance.
The program will last approximately 2 hours with one intermission.
"A Gift for the New Year from American Bach Soloists" — Steven Winn, San Francisco Classical Voice