Opera San Jose set to perform new ‘Zorro,’ reinvent ‘Bluebeard’s Castle’

Timeless classics, a suspenseful drama and an opera new to the Bay Area are waiting in the wings for Opera San José’s 2024-25 season.

The new season announced by Opera San Jose general director/CEO Shawna Lucey runs Sept. 14 through May 4, 2025 at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose. It marks OSJ’s 41st campaign.

“The Magic Flute” (playing Sept. 14-29), opens the season in a family-friendly production of Mozart’s opera, led by British composer-conductor Alma Deutscher, whose opera “Cinderella” was a 2022 hit for the company. Brad Dalton directs a cast that includes tenor WooYoung Yoon as Tamino, Melissa Sondhi as Pamina, baritone Ricardo rJosé Rivera as Papageno and Emily Misch as Queen of the Night.

“La Bohème” (Nov. 16-Dec. 1) follows , with resident stage director Michelle Ainna Cuizon making her mainstage directorial debut. Opera San Jose music director Joseph Marcheso will conduct Puccini’s beloved score, and the cast features WooYoung Yoon as Rodolfo and sopranos Kearstin Piper Brown and Mikayla Sager alternating as Mimi.

“Bluebeard’s Castle” (Feb. 15-March 2) will be presented in an all-new production, directed by Lucey and conducted by Marcheso. Soprano Maria Natale stars in Bartók’s chilling 1918 masterpiece, with bass-baritone Jason Zacher as Duke Bluebeard.

“Zorro” (April 19-May 4, 2025), is set to close the season in the Northern California premiere of this new opera, with music and libretto by Héctor Armienta. It’s the second Spanish-language opera to appear on the company’s mainstage, following this season’s upcoming production of “Florencia en el Amazonas,” which is set to make its premiere on April 20. The “Zorro” cast includes sopranos Arianna Rodriguez and Maria Brea, mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Paz, and baritone Eugene Brancoveanu, who recently starred in the company’s production of “Rigoletto.”

All performances will be at the California Theatre, 345 S. 1st St., San Jose. Subscription packages run $115-$650; single tickets become available on July 1. More information is at 408-437-4450 or operasj.org.