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Dead Man Walking at 25

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Dead Man Walking at 25

San Francisco Opera presented the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally's Dead Man Walking on October 7, 2000. The work has gone on to have more than 80 productions worldwide, making it the most-performed American opera of our time. For the work's 2025 return to the War Memorial Opera House stage, San Francisco Opera spoke with participants from the original production about the work's genesis and reverberating impact 25 years later.

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CELEBRATING 100 YEARS THROUGH AUDIO

Streaming the First Century

Streaming the First Century features 25 precious audio artifacts from previous seasons to open a series of magical portals into the Company’s first 100 years, allowing us to experience, as if through time travel, the moments that touched the hearts of generations of audiences and continue to move us.

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Streaming the First Century, Brian Stauffer illustration
Illustration of a computer monitor showing the Digital Exhibits web page. In the background are seveal other monitors and lights hanging from the top.

Digital Exhibits

Artists at San Quentin Prison explored the powerful themes and story presented in the opera Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally, based on the memoir by Sister Helen Prejean.


You can view this digital exhibit and more by clicking on the button below.

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Eun Sun Kim conducting

Nominated for two Northern California Emmy Awards!

Eun Sun Kim: A Journey into Lohengrin

“A Journey into Lohengrin, A San Francisco Opera/Lumahai Productions Film” takes viewers behind the scenes as a musical Everest is readied for the stage. With Music Director Eun Sun Kim at the helm, the many layers of Wagner’s epic work come together, offering a rare glimpse into the complex process of staging a monumental opera. The cast featured singers familiar with their roles (tenor Simon O'Neill and bass Kristinn Sigmundsson), while others (soprano Julie Adams, mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi, and baritone Brian Mulligan), along with Kim, take on the opera for the first time. Hear their frank thoughts on the challenges of daunting roles and orchestra members discuss their “Vulcan mind meld,” as large-scale rehearsals reveal the military-level precision and impressive artistry from hundreds of artists, company, and crew. Directed by Elena Park, this illuminating film chronicles the collective pursuit of something transcendent.

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The north stage door to the War Memorial Opera House

Podcast Series

North Stage Door

Step into the world of opera through North Stage Door, a podcast series that takes you into the swirl of creativity, stagecraft, and performance at San Francisco Opera. You’ll hear lively stories and insightful interviews—a window into the complex inner workings of this vibrant company, and the many aspects necessary to make a rich, multi-faceted art form come to life.

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Made Possible By

In Song, the North Stage Door Podcast, and the Atrium Sessions are made possible, in part, by the Creative Edge Fund,
with major support from Carol and Dixon Doll, Peter Fenton and Kate Greer, and Bob Ellis.