What do you get when you combine world-class professional singers with towering sets, amazing costumes, lush curtains, an engaging story and unforgettable performances? Certainly not the next highlight at Caesars Palace. All these things and more can be found in our own San Diego. A mecca for live musical theater in Southern California, the city of San Diego is home to two professional opera companies. Their incredible casts, creative directors and challenging repertoires have brought both the San Diego Opera and the Lyric Opera San Diego high praise in the United States and beyond.

With the advent of the new year comes an equally momentous program of opera performances through this summer. Ranging from classic Verdi to compelling 20th century compositions, our San Diego-based opera companies have prepared a season that makes other cities pale in comparison. Whether you’re a longtime patron or new to the scene, the San Diego Opera and the Lyric Opera San Diego have something for everyone this season.

“As always, San Diego can expect the finest singers, musicians, stage directors and artists to produce five distinctly different operas on the Civic Theatre stage from January to May,” said Edward Wilensky, director of media relations for the San Diego Opera.

Ranked as one of the top 10 opera companies in the United States by Opera America, San Diego Opera is a widely respected member of the international opera company. The company is both a national and regional model for all arts organizations in terms of artistic product, impact of community education and outreach, and consistently sure-footed fiscal management. Founded in 1950 to present San Francisco Opera productions to the San Diego community, it became a private company in its own right with the staging of La Boheme in 1965. Since then, the company has only grown and become more respected in the local, national and international arts communities.

“San Diego Opera will continue to explore every means of serving its audiences and community with the finest artistic and educational product it can offer,” Wilensky said. “We are committed to both full participation in the civic and the cultural life of San Diego and will endeavor always to do our part in realizing the evolving vision of America’s Finest City.”

This season’s first opera is Boris Godunov, an extraordinary story set amid the glittering opulence of 16th century czarist Russia. It is a historic opera with sumptuous costumes and sets, lush orchestration, a huge chorus and an incredibly compelling storyline. Boris is the tale of Czar Boris Godunov, a czar who arranges the murder of young Dimitri, rightful heir to the throne. Boris now occupies the throne, as underlings plot around him and a false Dimitri plans to attack Moscow. Driven to an insane, agonizing death by his guilty conscience, Boris dies in the council chamber - a broken man.

“We have the world’s foremost bass, Ferruccio Furlanetto, making his American debut as Boris Godunov, a role he has sung at the world’s major opera houses, including the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia, making him the first Italian to sing this role at the opera’s birthplace,” Wilensky said.

The challenging role of Boris requires a performer to literally take over the stage and give a tour de force performance in Russian, an equally difficult language to learn. It certainly does not roll off the tongue as exquisitely as French or Italian.

Usually, such a role requires a native Russian speaker. The Russian soul is not something you would expect an Italian opera singer to understand, but for Furlanetto this is not the case.

“To prepare for this extraordinary role, I have spent hours reading books about this particular czar, but also about Russia, its political history, its traditions, its strengths and weaknesses in order to absorb their mentality and soul of the character,” Furlanetto said. “Only through deep preparation can one get close to this complex role. As a singing actor, I am totally taken by the sound of the Russian soul. I am only a filter between the score and the audience, and as the filter this must be the way I really feel and I must live these dramatic events under my own skin.”

The role of Boris requires a great deal of work, research and talent – something Furlanetto was happy to provide.

“It is a lot of work,” Furlanetto said. “The role of Boris doesn’t last more than 40 or 45 minutes in the total context of the opera. Yet, in this very short amount of time, one has to show the storm that swept away the life of one of the most powerful men on earth. You have to present to the audience the cunning politician, the ruler ready to step on whoever could hamper his political plans, a man who is afraid to go against the will of God, and also a man who was extremely affectionate and full of tenderness for his children. You need to portray a man that, in the end, loses his dignity in the delirium of his craziness and then finds it again, in his final moments, in his faith.”

“This is the first time in San Diego history that the original version of this opera has been performed,” Wilensky said. “It is a powerful opera, a gripping opera with great music, stunning arias and some of the most powerful choral music ever written for the opera stage. It is a perfect beginning to a wonderful season.”

Boris hit the stage Jan. 7 and will run through Feb. 4.

The second opera of the season is also one of the most anticipated: Samson and Delilah. The opera follows the Bible’s passionate story of a Philistine temptress who pits her wiles, and her sex, against the superhuman strength of the mighty Hebrew warrior, Samson. Shearing his hair, she steals his strength and triumphs in her battle, only to lose the war as he brings the pillars of her world crashing down upon them in a memorable and spectacular finale.

“We have operatic superstar Denyce Graves making her much-anticipated San Diego Opera debut in Samson and Delilah, in a role she is known for throughout the world,” Wilensky said. “Add to this amazing tenor Clifton Forbis as Samson and sets worthy of a Hollywood epic, and you have one incredible night of music and theater.”

The score moves expressively from the sounds of romance to an erotic pagan bacchanal, painting a dazzling picture of the ancient world. The international superstar cast along with lavish sets and costumes give opera-goers a taste of the glamorous, erotic, exotic and primitive.

“We’ve never done Samson and Delilah before, so I knew it was time,” said San Diego Opera general and artistic director Ian Campbell. “I always knew Denyce Graves would make a great Delilah for us, but we needed a great Samson to match her strength, and we finally found it in American Clifton Forbis. When you add that to Greer Grimsley as High Priest, you have a balanced cast, which is extremely powerful vocally and theatrically. And therefore it’s time for Samson and Delilah to take the stage.”

Samson and Delilah will be performed at the San Diego Civic Theatre Feb. 17-25.

Returning to the roots of classic Italian opera, San Diego Opera will present Verdi’s Il Trovatore this March. From the composer of La Traviata comes another incredibly popular opera that is rich in melody, exceptional arias and exciting choruses, and has one of the most intriguing plots in opera.

“Il Trovatore tells the story of a vengeful mother who steals the baby of her enemy, raises him as her own and sets him against his brother, who competes for the same woman and political power,” Wilensky said. “Not knowing they are related, one brother captures, tortures and executes the other, only to find out too late from the deranged woman that it was his own brother.”

Singing the roles of the brothers will be Covent Garden stars Alexandru Agache and Nicola Rossi Giordano, accompanied by Vienna State Opera star Paoletta Marrocu and Marianne Cornetti of the Metropolitan Opera.

Cornetti has always been in demand for the portrayal of Azucena, the gypsy who vows revenge for unjust deeds done to her mother, and whose actions lead to one of opera’s most tragic endings.

“In today’s language, she just needs a therapist very badly,” Cornetti said. “She has this horrible struggle with both her love and hate for Manrico. She’s a very complex character, and Verdi lays it out beautifully. At the end, if I haven’t grabbed people I haven’t done my job.”

Il Trovatore will appear March 24-April 4.

“Our fourth production, Wozzeck, is a collision of the operatic and theatrical world,” Wilensky said. “A short opera, spanning 90 minutes, we anticipate this opera to be the theatrical experience of the year.”

Tony Award-winner Des McAnuff makes his opera directing debut for an opera he calls “a breathtakingly brilliant masterpiece of music and theater … one of the great musical accomplishments of the 20th century.”

In a single 90-minute act, the drama of Wozzeck, with its intense emotion and an extraordinary musical score, will fascinate and disturb audiences.

“It has a devastating story, a hero that defines the word ‘antihero’ and a very modern world view that brings sympathy to a character who is, at times, almost comically pathetic,” said McAnuff, who added that Berg’s Wozzeck is one of the few times he has seen a musical stage piece improve upon its source material (the other being, in his opinion, My Fair Lady, Lerner and Loewe’s musical adaptation of Shaw’s Pygmalion).

Franz Hawlata, in the titular role, makes his San Diego Opera debut as the poor, oppressed soldier who becomes a guinea pig for medical experiments to support his common-law wife, Marie, and their young son. Repeated humiliation at the hands of his captain, his mistress and her lover turn the soldier to insanity, murder and suicide.

“I think it speaks very much to the world we live in today,” McAnuff said. “We’re not planning to do anything trite, like setting it at Camp Pendleton, but I think it’s impossible not to think about the world we’re in right now.

“My hope is that it will be pertinent,” he added. “I don’t plan to hit people over the head with a sledgehammer. I plan to tell the story as clearly as I can. It’s not an easy ride. It’s a dark journey.”

Wozzeck will be presented at the San Diego Civic Theatre April 14-22.

The close of San Diego Opera’s season is highlighted with Mozart’s comic and delightful The Marriage of Figaro, considered by many to be the perfect opera.

“And to do this perfect opera justice, one needs a perfect cast, which we have assembled with Richard Bernstein, Isabel Bayrakdarian and Mariusz Kwiecien, all Metropolitan Opera stars and excellent artists,” Wilensky said.

A light and fun story, The Marriage of Figaro tells the story of the ultimate love triangle (or hexagon). Rosina wants the count, who is in love with Susanna. Susanna wants Figaro, who just wishes everyone would come to their senses. This delightful comedy of love and marriage, passion, deception and lots of laughs is one of the most well known operas on the circuit.

“Portraying Figaro is a lot of fun,” Bernstein said. “He’s a jack-of-all-trades: barber, valet to the count, etc. He runs the household. It’s my favorite role. From the overture to the very end, it’s just gorgeous.”

Figaro will run at the San Diego Civic Theatre May 5-16.

San Diego Opera is known for more than its international casts and challenging repertoire. The opera is also home to resident conductor, Karen Keltner.

“I love being able to work with the beautiful medium of music that is opera,” Keltner said. “Conducting opera is my passion and what moves me. It combines two glorious instruments, that of the human voice and that of the human orchestra, and puts them together to make … music theater!”

Keltner loves her job, and it shows in her dedication to her work and the final results.

“I look forward to each day working with wonderful colleagues and artists in a medium of unparalleled beauty, which has the ability to move and touch deeply both individuals and great groups of people,” she said.

What drives Keltner to pursue her dream is ultimately music.

“Music is unique. It challenges your brain, your heart, your physical being,” she said. “It is craft, inspiration, discipline, abandon, exploration, simplicity, complexity, art, life. You have to dig deep, have a thick skin, be moved to tears, laugh uproariously, dare despair, love living. … Welcome to my world.”

San Diego Opera is hardly alone in our beautiful city. Also sharing the local opera stage is the acclaimed Lyric Opera San Diego, a company that makes musical theater and traditional opera fun for families and those new to the art form.

This year, Lyric opera San Diego celebrates 27 years of bringing accessible and affordable opera and our favorite musical theater productions to San Diego. The celebrated company performs operas and musicals from American and European traditions in English, making these productions more approachable for those experiencing opera and lyrical theater for the first time. The young musical talent in these productions is phenomenal, as is the full orchestration, chorus and stage direction.

Thriving in its second season at the remodeled and restored North Park Theatre, Lyric Opera San Diego is certainly making headlines.

“When this company started 26 years ago, it was, for all intents and purposes, a community-based company,” said Leon Natker, director of Lyric Opera San Diego. “It actually started in a church basement. Lyric Opera San Diego has since built itself up into a regional opera company.”

What makes Lyric Opera San Diego unique is its talent. Focusing on integrating local stars and rising international singers into its lineup, Lyric Opera gives back to the community by providing a venue for these budding performers and at the same time bringing high-quality theater to the San Diego community.

“We are particularly committed to doing opera in English and working with young professionals who are at the beginning of their career, as opposed to San Diego Opera, which is a major international house,” Natker said.

Lyric Opera is locally recognized as the company for developing professional artists. The company’s mission is to create a vehicle where young professionals can hone their craft working alongside established artists. Many alumni of Lyric Opera have gone on to perform with illustrious companies, such as New York City Opera, the Opera Company of Philadelphia, Houston Grand Opera and Seattle Opera. Many have gone on to European tours or to perform on Broadway.

“Our principal singers usually have been through a sort of young artists program with some major company, and they’re obviously not ready to do the big roles on the big stages, but they are certainly more than capable of doing a major role,” Natker said. “And doing it in a smaller house like ours gives them the opportunity to not sweat so much in front of 3,000 seats.”

The home of Lyric Opera has its own history; the newly restored North Park Theatre has been the stage for many performances since its completion nearly 80 years ago.

“We want Lyric Opera to be here for many years to come, and the North Park Theatre to be around for at least 100 years after its 100-year anniversary in 2028,” Natker said.

Upon completion of the North Park Theatre’s rebirth, Lyric Opera San Diego has been the historic theater’s managing tenant, moving its offices and productions to the theater in 2005. The company purchased the theater in 2006, becoming only one of 12 opera companies in the United States to own its own venue. It is the only opera company in California to own its own performance hall. This is quite remarkable since the company basically began as a mom-and-pop production 26 years ago.

“By working at the North Park Theatre, there is a great opportunity to be a part of this community and redevelopment,” Natker said. “The whole Hillcrest/North Park area is certainly the up-and-coming neighborhood.”

A smaller company, Lyric Opera typically presents three or four operas each season. The 2006-07 season has already featured two sensational pieces: Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow, in October, and Gaetano Donizetti’s Don Pasquale in November. The close of the season is Gilbert and Sullivan’s much-anticipated operetta, Iolanthe.

Twenty-five years before the action of the opera begins, the fairy Iolanthe commits the heinous crime of marrying a mortal. The fairy queen banishes Iolanthe on the condition that she leave her husband. At the start of the opera, Iolanthe is allowed to return from exile in a frog bog. Unfortunately, her half-human, half-fairy son is having some difficulty with the Lord Chancellor, who will not grant permission for him to marry Phyllis. But the fairies agree to help him despite the opposition of the entire British Parliament.

Mixing satire with ethereal fantasy, Iolanthe will delight audiences of all ages. Lyric Opera’s interpretation of the classic operetta will star J. Sherwood Montgomery, as the Lord Chancellor, and Martha Jane Weaver as the fairy queen.

“Iolanthe hasn’t been seen in San Diego for 27 years,” Natker said. “It’s a lot of fun, very approachable and a wonderful piece to get your feet wet in the whole opera/operetta format.”

Iolanthe will run March 16-April 1 at the North Park Theatre. Tickets are available by calling the box office at (619) 231-5714.

The continuing theme of Lyric Opera’s repertoire is its easy acceptance by the general public.

“Our repertoire is designed to help introduce people to the broadest idea of singing or musical-based theater,” Natker said. “We do not only comic operas and operettas but also some classic musicals as well.”

Affordability is also a trademark of Lyric Opera.

“Our average ticket price is $35,” Natker said. “With half-priced children’s tickets, you can actually take a family of four to see a show here for less than $100. I’m not sure you can even go to the movies for that much if you buy nachos, popcorn and candy.”

Opera is a truly different kind of theatrical experience at Lyric Opera. With its small, 700-seat theater, its regionalism and local talent, Lyric Opera is accessible to San Diegans from all walks of life.

“I hope the audience understands that telling a story with words and music is a wonderful way to communicate, and that it is something they will want to experience over and over again throughout their lives in its many different forms,” Natker added.

Whether an opera newbie or Verdi’s biggest fan, San Diego’s diverse opera community has something for everyone this year. From international features to local favorites, San Diego Opera and Lyric Opera San Diego are bringing the best of the best to our community this season.