A member of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra since 1988, Mr. Miland enjoys a much acclaimed career as a soloist, chamber & orchestral musician. He made his solo debut with the San Francisco Symphony at age 16, the same year he was selected to perform in the Rostropovich Master Classes at the University of California, Berkeley. A… Continue reading Tales from the Pit
Aidan Lang arrived at Seattle Opera from Auckland, New Zealand in March 2014 to "shadow" Speight Jenkins and learn the ropes at the company. After a year at the helm, Aidan Lang will tell us about his plans for the 2016-2017 season which will be the first full season he as programmed in his new… Continue reading Aidan Lang, General Director Seattle Opera
The Society is excited to announce its annual fundraiser for the William O. Cord Memorial Grant Fund on April 14th 2016 at 6:00 p.m. The event will be held at the beautiful German Residence in San Francisco. Located in Pacific Heights, the German Residence Music Parlor has a sweeping views of the Golden Gate and San… Continue reading Annual Fundraiser Concert at the German Residence
Linda Riebel conducted years of research, interviews and conversations with many people who knew Irene Dalis, the reknown Wagnerian mezzo soprano and opera impressario. In her talk Ms. Riebel will talk about the career of Irene Dalis as a singer and then later in life as the Founder and General Director of Opera San José.… Continue reading Irene Dalis – A Rememberance
In Fall 2016, the Livermore Valley Opera will present Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer. This is a bold move for this innovative company. Livermore Valley Opera was founded in 1992, and presents fully-staged operas in the spring and fall at the Bankhead Theater in the historic downtown area of Livermore, California. The theater is located just 45… Continue reading Der fliegende Holländer sails into Livermore
The Wagner Society is excited to present this wonderful Sommer Liederabend in conjunction with Lieder Alive! To Purchase Tickets on this website, navigate to the bottom of this page Our guest is the wonderfully gifted soprano Mirella Hagen, formerly of the Oper Studio Stuttgart. Ms. Hagen sang the roles of the Forestbird and Woglinde in… Continue reading Mirella Hagen, Soprano – Liederabend of Wagnerian Composers
The Wagner Society welcomes a favorite speaker, Professor Simon Williams. Much of the scholarly discussion of Richard Wagner as a tragic dramatist focuses on the influence upon him of the great dramatists of the past and in his own time. However Wagner's music drama can also be seen as the first iteration of a tragic… Continue reading Simon Williams – "The Modernity of Wagner"
The Wagner Society is pleased to welcome John Mastrogiovanni, President of the Wagner Society of Southern California, for this expanded program on Parsifal. Parsifal is Richard Wagner's final musical and philosophical treatise to the world. Since its introduction to opera houses beyond Bayreuth, manyhave shared their insights about what the spiritual and religious meanings were… Continue reading John Mastrogiovanni "Parsifal"
More details will follow JCC-SF 3200 California Street @ Presidio (2nd Floor Gallanter Hall) San Francisco, CA 1:00 p.m.
The Wagner Society is pleased to present the 2016 Cosima Holiday Celebration This year we start early with an 11:00 champagne welcome and social time At 12:00 we will be seated for a performance of Wesendonck Lieder, Richard Wagner. Our musical guests are mezzo soprano Kindra Scharich accompanied by the Alexander String Quartet.… Continue reading 2016 Cosima Holiday Brunch Celebration
A Memory in which Spring can be Recognized: Wagner’s Die Meistersinger Saturday January 7th at 1:00 p.m JCC-SF 3200 California Street, San Francisco, CA In one hour, Larry Oppenheim will present a guided tour of Richard Wagner’s comic masterpiece, Die Meistersinger. Larry will combine his commentary with extensive video excerpts from the wonderful Glyndebourne… Continue reading A Memory in which Spring can be Recognized: Wagner’s Die Meistersinger
February 4, 2017 - 1:00 p.m. The Wagner Society is excited to welcome Speight Jenkins to our meeting on February 4th. Speight Jenkins served as General Director of Seattle Opera for over 30 years and has been a guest speaker for the Society on numerous occasions. Presently retired, but still active in opera education, adjudicating… Continue reading Speight Jenkins, General Director Emeritus, Seattle Opera
Paul Heise’s zoom talk “How Elsa Showed Wagner the Way to Siegfried” is an update of his article of the same name originally published in the May, 1995 issue of Wagner, the peer-reviewed journal of The Wagner Society (London, UK). Its subject is how Wagner’s last traditional opera Lohengrin paved the way for Wagner’s revolutionary music-drama… Continue reading How Elsa Showed Wagner the Way to Siegfried – A Zoom Lecture with Paul Heise
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Our traditional Wagnerian Celebration returns once more to the Classic Marines’ Memorial Club and Hotel. This year, in addition to a festive repast served in the beautiful Crystal Lounge, the musical program will feature a performance by current Adler Fellows, Sadie Cheslak and Ji Youn Lee. Mezzo-soprano Sadie Cheslak, a first-year Adler Fellow at the… Continue reading 2026 Cosima Wagner Holiday Celebration Brunch
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An erudite and engaging speaker, Leo Eylar returns for another fascinating lecture to the Society. His last talks with us covered “thematic transformation” – aka leitmotifs. This lecture will be a continue his examination of this key area of Wagner’s art, focusing on aspects of this subject that he did not have time to cover… Continue reading Leo Eylar Returns!
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Well known to Wagner Society members, Thomas Grey will examine the meaning and functions of the “ring” Wagner’s epic cycle. Grey is a Professor Emeritus of Musicology and by courtesy, German Studies, at Stanford University. His special fields of study are: Wagner, 19th-century opera, the history of musical aesthetics and criticism, Romantic music and visual culture.… Continue reading What does the Ring actually do in Wagner’s Ring Cycle? with Prof. Thomas Grey
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Join us for a Zoom meeting where Erica will examine the relationship between these two vastly different 19th-century composers. Wagner and Mendelssohn knew each other, and Wagner expressed admiration for Mendelssohn early on, but turned against him after his early death. Mendelssohn was a focus of Wagner’s infamous screed, Das Judenthum in der Musik (Jewishness in… Continue reading Wagner and Mendelssohn a Zoom talk with Erica Miner
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As the San Francisco Opera starts the monumental undertaking of producing Wagner’s Ring Cycle with performances of Das Rheingold this month, Katherine Syer’s presentation will enhance our experience with a talk focused on this pinnacle of musical and dramatic art. Further details on her talk will available later. Katherine Syer has taught at the University… Continue reading Aspects of the Ring with Katherine Syer
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