This season Jennifer Holloway appears as Bianca in a concert performance of Zemlinsky’s Florentinische Tragödie by Deutsche Oper Berlin, makes her role debut as Senta in a new production of Der fliegende Höllander at the Hamburg State Opera, returns to the Vienna State Opera in the title role of Salome, and appears at Opera Frankfurt both as Grete for a revival of Schreker’s Der ferne Klang and as Chrysothemis for a new production of Elektra. She makes her San Francisco Symphony debut with these performances.

Highlights of recent seasons include Elisabeth in Tannhäuser at Hamburg State Opera; Cassandre in Les Troyens at Munich Opera Festival and Semperoper Dresden; Salome at Dutch National Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Bilbao Opera, and Atlanta Opera; Sieglinde in Die Walküre at Hamburg State Opera, in concert with Orchestre de Paris, and at the Vienna Konzerthaus; her role debut as Elsa in Lohengrin at Leipzig Opera; and Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Teatro Colon Buenos Aires. After initially performing as a mezzo-soprano, she has more recently taken on lyric-dramatic soprano roles.

Ms. Holloway has also appeared at the Glyndebourne Festival, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Théâtre du Capitole Toulouse, Théâtre du Châtelet Paris, Opera Theater of Saint Louis, Bard Music Festival, and Chautauqua Music Festival.

(May 2023)

Ian Bostridge sings in the foremost concert halls of Europe, Asia, and North America. His operatic appearances include Aschenbach in Death in Venice, Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, the title role in Jephtha, Nerone in L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Tom Rakewell in The Rake’s Progress, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Jupiter in Semele, and Caliban in The Tempest. He makes his San Francisco Symphony debut with these performances.

Mr. Bostridge also appears this season as Renaud in Armide for Opéra Comique and performs Saint Matthew Passion with Les Talens Lyriques on tour. Highlights of his concert schedule include Hans Zender’s orchestral Winterreise with Pappano at La Monnaie, War Requiem with Sinfonica di Milano, Les Illuminations at the MITO festival, Des Knaben Wunderhorn for the Sinfonica di Milano, Oli Mustonen’s Taivaanvalot with the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra, Les nuits d’été with Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Das Paradies und das Peri with Capella Cracoviensis, Benjamin Britten’s Serenade with the Hallé Orchestra and City of Birmingham Orchestra, and Folly of Desire with Brad Mehldau at the Wiener Konzerthaus. He also sings Schubert’s Winterreise in recital with Julius Drake on a Korean tour, and performs in Europe with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Mr. Bostridge’s recordings have won many major international awards and 15 Grammy nominations. His performance of Schubert’s Winterreise with Thomas Adès won the Vocal Recording of the Year 2020 in the International Classical Music Awards. His book Schubert’s Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession was published in 2014. He was made a CBE in the 2004 New Year’s Honours.


(May 2023)
 

Baritone Brian Mulligan is renowned as an interpreter of classic works by Verdi, Wagner, and Strauss, as well as the most challenging 20th- and 21st-century operas.
 
This season he has performed as Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and as Heerrufer in Lohengrin at the Metropolitan Opera. Other recent appearances include Wotan in Das Rheingold with the Vienna Symphony; Don Pizzaro in Fidelio with Irish National Opera; and Jochanaan in Salome, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande with Dutch National Opera. He also created the role of Jack Torrance in the world premiere of The Shining at Minnesota Opera.
 
Mr. Mulligan has made numerous appearances at San Francisco Opera, where he has sung the title roles in Sweeney Todd and Nixon in China; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor; Count Anckarström in Un Ballo in Maschera; and Chorèbe in Les Troyens. Other engagements include the Vienna State Opera, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestra. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 2017.
 
A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Mulligan has been awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant, Sara Tucker Study Grant, George London Award, and first prize at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Vocal Competition. Early 2022 saw the release of his third solo record, Alburnum, with music by Mason Bates, Missy Mazzoli, and Greg Spears.

(May 2023)

Ragazzi Boys Chorus is one of the Bay Area’s premier music and performance organizations for boys. Currently serving more than 200 boys from more than 100 schools in more than 30 communities, Ragazzi is the largest boys chorus in the region. Ragazzi means “boys” in Italian, and is the term used in opera to refer to children’s voices.

Ragazzi has performed with the San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, Symphony Silicon Valley, and the Stanford University Symphonic Chorus, among others. Ragazzi was honored for its contribution to the San Francisco Symphony’s Grammy Award-winning recording of Stravinsky’s Perséphone, and also produces its own recordings. Under the leadership of Artistic and Executive Director Kent Jue, the group tours internationally to widen chorus members’ cultural and musical horizons and deepen Ragazzi’s reputation for excellence.

Kent Jue, Artistic and Executive Director
Kent Jue is an experienced choral conductor, music educator, and facilitator for lifelong learning in music. An energetic teacher, adjudicator, guest clinician, workshop presenter, and mentor, he is known for building musicianship skills through his engaging style and rapport with students. He has a passion for uncovering the full artistic and expressive potential of individual choristers in an ensemble setting. Mr. Jue conducts Ragazzi’s most accomplished treble singers, Concert Group, and the select tenor and bass Choral Scholars. He has toured extensively with the Ragazzi program and has led Ragazzi choirs to numerous festivals. An avid collaborator, he has prepared ensembles for performances with the San Francisco Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Opera San Jose, and West Bay Opera.