HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL RECORDING OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/Zrm688rX86k What is it about power? It fascinates, it terrifies. Tyrants cling to it. Inevitably they fall, and often their world collapses around them. That is the stuff of theater and of opera. In Claudia Stevens' presentation, she considers Wotan's loss of power and… Continue reading Wotan and Prospero – The Price of Power with Claudia Stevens

We are very sorry that the video of this lecture wasn't up to our usual standard. https://youtu.be/u35wbPBMB1s San Francisco has had a love affair with opera for more than 168 years. In fact, citizens during the Gold Rush were mad for it. Between 1851 and the earthquake of 1906, nearly 5,000 opera performances were given… Continue reading 100 Years at the San Francisco Opera with Jeffrey McMillan

HERE IS THE LINK TO AN ARCHIVAL RECORDING OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/LdPp_p5RHtA A native of Mexico, Ragnar Conde is one of the most important Mexican opera stage directors. He has participated in over 150 performing arts projects in Mexico, the United States, France, Switzerland, Italy and Colombia. These projects include theatre, opera, musicals, concerts and… Continue reading A Preview of The Flying Dutchman at West Bay Opera with Ragnar Conde

HERE IS THE LINK TO AN ARCHIVAL RECORDING ON THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/UU3uAEVw4-g As the Bay Area braces for the San Francisco Opera's production of Strauss' opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten, The Wagner Society welcomes renowned author Larry Wolff. Wolff will discuss his new book, "The Shadow of the Empress: Fairy-Tale Opera and the End of… Continue reading Author Larry Wolff – In The Shadow of the Empress

Join the Wagner Society of Northern California in celebration of Richard Wagner's Birthday. We are gathering immediately following the West Bay Opera performance of Flying Dutchman on Sunday May 28th at: Bistro Maxine - in Palo Alto's historic downtown 548 Ramona Street Palo Alto, CA Ramona Street is pedestrian only, however, there are parking lots… Continue reading Richard Wagner Birthday Reception

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL RECORDING OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/JgYsw8359uQ In this Zoom Webinar, we get to know heldentenor Clay Hilley. Praised in The New York Times for his “vocal heft, clarion sound and stamina,” by de Volkskrant for a “sublime” voice, in the Financial Times for his “extraordinary energy and stamina,” and… Continue reading Heldentenor Clay Hilley in Conversation

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL VIDEO OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/HBQ0gCHIFo4 Strauss's collaboration with the poet and dramatist Hugo von Hofmannsthal on Elektra (1909) spawned a creative relationship that swiftly moved in new stylistic directions with Der Rosenkavalier (1911) and Ariadne auf Naxos (1912). Ideas that would lead to Die Frau ohne Schatten (1919)… Continue reading Strauss’s Evolving Relationship with Wagner’s Creative Legacy with Katherine Syer

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL VIDEO OF THIS PROGRAM: https://youtu.be/Q-6QGZN62jk Lohengrin is, arguably, the Wagnerian music drama that is most closely tied to the time in which it was composed. In dramatic form, staging, and in much of the music, Lohengrin appealed directly to mid-19th century audience tastes; thematically it also engaged with… Continue reading Lohengrin in the 21st Century: The Challenge of Production with Simon Williams

A Musical Evening with Heldentenor Simon O'Neill Monday October 30, 2023 REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS NOW CLOSED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST. Simon O'Neill participated in the San Francisco… Continue reading A Musical Evening with Heldentenor Simon O’Neill

Our next meeting will take place at the JCC-SF on Saturday, November 11th at 1:00 p.m. This is a Member's Meeting and we have 5 member volunteers who will make presentations to the group. Three members will recount their first trip to the Bayreuth Festival and we will have 2 book reports on recent publications… Continue reading WSNC Member’s Meeting – Members share their Wagner Memories from 2023

Our first Member's Meeting for 2024 will be a film presentation. Our film is entitled "The Flying Dutchman, Fire and Ice" In this film we will be introduced to a real "Flying Dutchman" a sailor circumnavigating the globe in his sailing ship. This will be juxtaposed with a production of Wagner's Flying Dutchman at the… Continue reading Flying Dutchman – a video presentation

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE ARCHIVAL VIDEO OF THIS EVENT: https://youtu.be/QhtFRauyy64 Maestro Jonathan McPhee is an artist in residence at Boston University, the Music Director of the Lexington Symphony and since 1992 has been a guest conductor for the Houston Ballet. McPhee will introduce us to his most recent work "Wagner - the Essential… Continue reading Jonathan McPhee – Ring Reduction for Piano