Opera Parallèle
Nicole Paiement, Artistic Director

“As Opera Parallèle, we are enlarging our presence in the world of contemporary opera,and I am thrilled that we are able to offer the community three fully staged operas from such highly respected composers as Golijov, Bernstein and Barber, in addition to giving a first hearing to the world premiere commission from Dante De Silva. With the popularity of our past productions, we realize that there is a pressing interest for both high quality performances of contemporary opera and for community activities that expand knowledge and appreciation of this art form. Changing our name to Opera Parallèle better reflects who we are now and gives us a broader platform in which to serve the passionate opera audiences here in the Bay Area.”

-Nicole Paiement, Artistic Director 

News

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Opera Parallèle Announces 2013-2014 Season
(read full release)

Tod Brody Appointed First Executive Director of Opera Parallèle
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Opera Parallèle's First Fundraising Event with Jake Heggie
(read full release)

About

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The award winning Opera Parallèle is a professional, nonprofit organization that develops and performs contemporary chamber opera. These operas are internationally acclaimed but rarely performed here. Opera Parallèle is the only organization in the Bay Area presenting fully cast and staged contemporary chamber operas exclusively.

Opera Parallèle commissions chamber orchestrations of contemporary grand opera, to give a sense of intimacy to its productions and to give an afterlife to contemporary works. These works provide a platform to bring together new audiences and emerging talent through workshops, seminars, readings of new works, and educational outreach programs.

Artistic director Nicole Paiement founded Ensemble Parallèle (currently Opera Parallèle) in to perform new music and to collaborate with various artists such as dancers, choreographers, and visual and multimedia artists — as the Ensemble’s name suggests, in parallel. These collaborations allowed Opera Parallèle to reach a wider-ranging and younger audience.

In 2007 Opera Parallèle began to focus exclusively on contemporary chamber opera. In February of that year, the organization presented the world premiere of Lou Harrison’s opera Young Caesar. Most recently its productions have included the California premiere of Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck in the chamber orchestration by composer John Rea (2010); the San Francisco Bay Area premiere of Philip Glass’ opera Orphée (2011); and The Four Saints in Three Acts opera collaboration with SF/MOMA (2011). In February 2012 Opera Parallèle embarked on the world premiere of the chamber orchestration of John Harbison’s opera The Great Gatsby.  2013 has been a year filled new works from Osvaldo Golijov’s riveting opera  Ainadamar and Opera Parallèle’s Graphic Opera Project Gesualdo – Prince of Madness. In additon, Opera Parallèle thrilled audiences with Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti.

Since it was founded, Opera Parallèle has presented 134 performances including 30 world premieres, released 14 recordings, and commissioned 20 new works; and has performed in North America, Australia, and Asia. It is an ensemble in residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. (learn more)