San Diego's opera roots date back decades, with many memorable productions and vocalists gracing the stage to perform for our community.
Let's have a quick look at the history of the opera in San Diego and then dive into what you can expect in 2026!
The San Diego Civic Theater
The San Diego Opera: A Brief History
Founded on May 5, 1965, the San Diego Opera opened to a packed house with an English-language production of the classic "La Bohème".
It all began humbly, presenting touring companies and productions from San Francisco and across the US to an audience of mainly local students. During the opening year the company stuck with performing productions sung in English, slowly introducing the works in their original languages as the audience grew.
After years of success, the San Diego Opera became an esteemed member of the international opera community. Then before nearly shutting down in 2014, a handful of passionate employees raised $2 million from the public to keep the art alive in San Diego. Over half of those donations were from first-time donors.
Today the San Diego Opera has become a cherished and respected cultural resource for all of San Diego, offering a full season of performances for the 2026 and into the 2027 season!
What Have Been the Most Memorable San Diego Opera Productions?
The San Diego Opera has had so many memorable productions over the past few years. My personal favorite classics have included:
- Madama Butterfly
- A Masked Ball
- Salome
- The Daughter of the Regiment
- La Bohème
- We'll Meet Again: The Songs of Kate Smith
- Aging Magician
San Diego Civic Theater Marque
Famous Vocal Performances at the San Diego Opera
The San Diego Opera is very prestigious and highly respected among the international opera community. It's no wonder then that many well-known vocalists within the opera community have also performed in San Diego including:
- Bobbie Ball-Bradley
- Dame Joan Sutherland
- Karen Valentino
- Luciano Pavarotti
- Plácido Domingo
- Renée Fleming
- Steve Howard
- And many more…
And with that, there are more amazing productions on the schedule for the year ahead!
2026 & 2027 Productions
The 2026-2027 opera schedule includes four incredible selections.
- Fellow Travelers - July 10th - 12th, 2026
- Rigoletto - October 23rd - 25th, 2026
- Susannah - February 12th - 14th, 2027
- The Marriage of Figaro - April 2nd - 4th, 2027
I'm hoping to see at least one of these productions with Fellow Travelers and The Marriage of Figaro being my top choices.
Fellow Travelers
This production is based on Thomas Mallo's novel that recently became a Showtime miniseries. It tells the story of Timothy Laughlin. He's a college grad when he arrives in the nation's capital to join the fight against communism. When he meets a State Department official, it leads to a secret love affair and much more.
This production will be performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.
You can see it at the Balboa Theatre from July 10th - July 12th, 2026.
The Marriage of Figaro
Figaro is back from The Barber of Seville, and he's getting married! This time he takes the stage with disguises, desires and deception in a Mozart masterpiece that is sure to enchant the audience.
You can see this performance at the San Diego Civic Theatre from April 2nd – April 4th, 2027.
More Opera
Earlier this year, the San Diego Opera put on The Barber of Seville at The San Diego Civic Theatre. They also performed a riveting rendition of Carmen with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in March.
There was also a production of Cotton with the La Jolla Music Society at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. It was a co-production with the La Jolla Music Society. While I couldn't make it to the show, I heard it was amazing! I hope they do another one next year that I can catch.