San Francisco Opera announce their 26/27 season…
Robbie Guthrie
San Francisco Opera recently announced their program for season 2026-27, featuring a new production of Thea’s modern classic Mary, Queen of Scots among several staple works from Tosca and The Marriage of Figaro to Das Rheingold which features as a warm up ahead of the company’s planned performance of Wagner’s full Ring Cycle in 2028. Mary, Queen of Scots will take the stage from Sept. 20–Oct. 4, 2026, conducted by Clelia Cafiero and featuring soprano Heidi Stober, who also starred as the tragic royal figure in the English National Opera’s 2024 production.
Shortly after its composition, Mary, Queen of Scots made its West Coast premiere with San Francisco Opera affiliate Spring Opera Theater, marking the first time the company presented a work by a female composer. Returning now in an updated production, SF Opera’s general director Matthew Shilvock says of the work:
“It is also an extraordinary privilege to present Thea Musgrave’s Mary, Queen of Scots on our mainstage. When I saw this work in London last year, I was awed by the power of Thea’s dramatic writing. She brings the Tudor queen into vivid relief, revealing both the fierce determination and the profound vulnerability of an 18-year-old woman fighting to retain her agency against overwhelming odds.”
“This production updates the action from the Tudor period to contemporary Scotland, in which we feel the tension of sectarian violence playing out in a regular town," Shilvock said. “We are reminded of how sectarian violence can rip apart neighbors, families, communities — and we see Mary’s heroic struggle to hold onto her power amidst the fight for power, faith and identity.”
Discover the full season announcement here.
Photograph: Mary, Queen of Scots - Heidi Stober - English National Opera, 2025 (© Ellie Kurttz)