FEAUTURING INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED BARITONE LUCIA LUCAS
AUGUST 7,2025 A.C.T. TONI REMBE THEATER
We’re honoring the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot with a night of ALL-BLACK drag, killer DJs, aerial performances, and queer TRANS JOY—because reparations look like a damn good time!
PROGRAM
Lucia Lucas
• Funeral of Queen Mary (Purcell)
• Funeral of Queen Mary (Lucia Lucas edit inspired by Wendy Carlos)
• “Leb’ wohl” from Die Walküre (Wagner)
Wilford Kelly
• “Losing My Mind” from Follies (Sondheim)
Lucia Lucas
• Excerpts from Lili Elbe (Picker/Stollman)
Wilford Kelly
• “Madamina, il catalogo è questo” from Don Giovanni (Mozart/Da Ponte)
Lucia Lucas & Wilford Kelly
• “O Statua Gentilissima” from Don Giovanni (Mozart/Da Ponte)
Lucia Lucas
• Excerpts from Winterreise (Schubert, based on the poems of Müller)
Lucia Lucas & Wilford Kelly
• “Agony” from Into the Woods (Sondheim/Lapine)
Lucia Lucas & Wilford Kelly with members of the cast of The Rocky Horror Show at Oasis
• “I’m Going Home” from The Rocky Horror Show (O’Brien)
HOST–AFRIKA AMERICA
Host, artist, producer, and social justice warrior are just some of the titles associated with this Drag Out the Vote Ambassador! Utilizing her platform to get out the vote, Afrika America continues to raise funds in the fight against inequity and injustice. Standing up for the most marginalized in the community has long been her calling. She has participated in “Politics are a DRAG!” in Northern California’s Bay Area, Phoenix’s Party at the Polls for DOTV, and “When We All Vote” initiatives across the nation. Expansive is pleased to welcome back, for her fourth consecutive year as concert host, the reigning Empress of San Francisco—Her Most Imperial Majesty, Afrika America.
“Leb’ wohl” from Die Walküre WOTAN
Farewell, thou valiant, glorious child!
Thou once the holiest pride of my heart! Farewell! farewell! farewell! Must I forsake thee, and may my welcome of love no more greet thee; may’st thou now ne’er more ride as my comrade, nor bear me mead at banquet; must I abandon thee, whom I loved so, thou laughing delight of my eyes? Such a bridal fire for thee shall be kindled as ne’er yet has burned for a bride! Threatening flames shall flare round the fell: let withering terrors daunt the craven! let cowards fly from Brünnhilde’s rock! For one alone winneth the bride; one freer than I, the god! Thy brightly glittering eyes, that, smiling, oft I caressed, when valor won a kiss as guerdon, when childish lispings of heroes’ praise from sweetest lips has flowed forth: those gleaming radiant eyes that oft in storms on me shone, when hopeless yearning my heart had wasted, when world’s delights all my wishes wakened, thro’ wild wildering sadness: once more today, lured by their light, my lips shall give them love’s farewell! On mortal more blessed once may they beam: on me, hapless immortal, must they close now forever. For so turns the god now from thee, so kisses thy godhood away!
“Madamina, il catalogo è questo” from Don Giovanni LEPORELLO
Pretty lady, here’s a list I would show you, Of the fair ones my master has courted, Here you’ll find them all duly assorted, In my writing, will’t please you to look, Here is Italy, six hundred and forty, France is down for five hundred and twenty, Only two hundred the Rhineland supplied him, But mark the climax, Spain has already one
thousand and three,
Here are Countesses in plenty. Waitingmaids, nineteen or twenty. Rustic beauties, Marchionesses, Ev’ry grade his pow’r confesses. Here are courtly dames and maidens, Young and handsome, old and plain. Is a maiden fair and slender, He will praise her for modest sweetness, Then the dark ones are so tender! Lintwhite tresses shew discreetness; When ‘tis cold he likes her portly, In the summer, slim and courtly, Tall and haughty, ne’er she alarms him, If she’s tiny, no less she charms him.
Ripe duennas he engages, That their names may grace these pages, But what most he’s bent on winning, Is of youth the sweet beginning, Poor or wealthy, wan or healthy, Stately dame or modest beauty, He to win them makes his duty, And you know it, not in vain.
“O Statua Gentilissima” from Don Giovanni LEPORELLO
Oh, thou most noble monument, Our Commandant resembling, Oh, sir, see how I’m trembling, I cannot further go.
DON GIOVANNI
Proceed at once, or I’ll spear thee, I’ll kill thee at a blow. His cowardice diverts me. How can one tremble so?
LEPORELLO
He’s madder now than ever. If I could only go. to the statue
Oh, thou most noble monument, I speak with fear and wonder, Master, look! Oh, look yonder, See how his eyeballs glow, see how his eyeballs glow.
DON GIOVANNI
Die then.
LEPORELLO
No, no, oh, wait a moment! My master here invites thee,
Not I, great sir, it frights me, To sup with him this night. the statue nods its head
Ah, ah, ah, I’m not inventing, He nods, he nods consenting!
DON GIOVANNI
Thou fool, what’s there to scare thee?
LEPORELLO
Oh, master, oh look yourself and spare me!
DON GIOVANNI
What is this wondrous sight?
LEPORELLO
See, with his head of marble, imitates the statue He nods, just so, just so.
DON GIOVANNI
See, with his head of marble, He nods just so. to the statue
Give answer, if thou hear’st me, Wilt come to supper?
THE STATUE
Yea!
LEPORELLO
Now we are ruin’d truly, He takes it all so coolly, Oh, let us go, oh master, my limbs I cannot steady, To run away is best, oh, come, to run away is best.
DON GIOVANNI
Ah, strange adventure truly, He hath accepted duly, Come let us go, make ready, To meet this stony guest.
Excerpts from Winterreise 11. FrühlingstraumIch
I dreamed of bright flowers such as blossom in May; I dreamed of green meadows and the calling of birds.
And when the cocks crew, my eyes opened; it was cold and dark, on the roof the ravens croaked. But on the window panes who had been painting leaves? Well may you laugh at the dreamer
who saw flowers in winter.
I dreamed of love for love, of a fair maiden, of hearts and kisses, of bliss and ecstasy.
And when the cocks crew my heart opened: now all alone I sit here and ponder my dream.
I close my eyes again: my heart still beats as warmly. When will you leaves at the window be green? When will I hold my darling in my arms?
13. Die Post
Up from the street a posthorn blows. What is it that makes you beat so fast, my heart?
The post-coach brings you no letter; then why do you throb so strangely, my heart?
Ah yes, the post comes from the town where I had a best beloved, my heart!
Do you just want to peep across and ask how things are going there, my heart?
24. Der Leiermann
Just beyond the village stands a hurdy-gurdy man, and with numb fingers he plays as best he can.
Barefoot on the ice he totters to and fro, and his little plate has no reward to show.
No-one wants to listen, no-one takes a scan, and the dogs all growl around the aged man.
And he lets it happen, as it always will, grinds his hurdy-gurdy; it is never still.
Curious old fellow, shall I go with you? When I sing my songs, will you play your hurdy-gurdy too?
LUCIA LUCAS
Lucia Lucas, celebrated for her powerful and emotionally resonant performances, has captivated audiences around the globe in operatic staples such as Verdi’s Rigoletto, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Wagner’s Die Walküre, in addition to numerous contemporary operas. With her trailblazing presence and profound artistry, Lucas continues to redefine the operatic stage, bringing visibility and inspiration to transgender artists in classical music. She made history as the first transgender artist to perform a principal role on the American operatic stage.
Lucia Lucas has appeared with opera companies worldwide, including performances at the New York Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, London’s English National Opera, and Deutsche Oper Berlin. Originally from Sacramento, Lucas has resided in Germany for the past decade and has performed in Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Torino, Essen, Daegu (Korea), and the United States. Among other current work, Lucas will collaborate with Beth Morrison Projects for the premiere of Paola Prestini and Brenda Shaughnessy’s Sensorium Ex, a multimodal arts project exploring fundamental questions of what it means to have a voice, and the nature of voice beyond language. In 2019, Lucas made a triumphant début at Tulsa Opera in the title role of Don Giovanni, with the Tulsa World exclaiming, “In the title role, Lucia Lucas is nothing short of a revelation. She possesses a voice that can rattle the rafters with its power…” Her highly acclaimed performance is the subject of the 2020 feature documentary The Sound of Identity, directed by James Kicklighter.
At Switzerland’s Theater St. Gallen in 2023, Lucas created the title role of Lili Elbe in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s eponymous opera, expressly composed for her and for which she also served as dramaturg. Her performance as Lili was described by Tagblatt as “…sung in a ravishing and extremely multifaceted manner…” and Mannschaft raved, “Lucia Lucas brings a fundamental credibility to Lili Elbe that is important… [she] sings the title role with an impressive baritone and carries the production confidently…” The production won ‘Best World Premiere’ at the 2023 Oper! Awards. The Santa Fe Opera will present the American premiere of Lili Elbe by Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman, with Lucia Lucas in the title role for the 2026 opera festival.
GUEST ARTIST–WILFORD KELLY
Florida-native bass-baritone Wilford Kelly is a multi-talented singer based in San Francisco, where he studies under César Ulloa. He is the youngest ever tenured member of the San Francisco Opera Chorus. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he earned his Master of Music degree in Voice and performed leading roles in productions including Le nozze di Figaro, Later the Same Evening, Tamerlano, and Ariadne auf Naxos. He also appeared in musical theater productions such as The Threepenny Opera and The Fantasticks. Kelly has also performed with West Edge Opera, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. As a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, he sang two principal roles and covered four more in their 2019 season. He is also a recipient of the Encouragement Award at the San Francisco District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
PIANIST–TAYLOR CHAN
Taylor Chan holds an M.M. in Collaborative Piano from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she is a staff accompanist and coach/ repetiteur. Favorite past performances include: the full-length premiere of Mortal Lessons (2018), a medical oratorio by Ryan Brown; Meredith Monk’s Ellis Island, with pianist Kate Campbell, in a side-by-side concert between SFCM and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (2018); Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians at the 2019 Hot Air Music Festival; and Cycles of Resistance (2022), an art song recital which premiered international works commissioned during lockdown by coloratura and operatic activist Chelsea Hollow, founder of Concert Rebels. Chan is always looking for novel interdisciplinary collaborative creative experiences.
A Hands-On-Opera World Premiere
Cal Performances UC Berkeley & Opera Parallèle present
Presidio Theatre & Opera Parallèle present
Commissioned by Opera Parallèle
COMPOSER
Carla Lucero
LIBRETTIST
Jarrod Lee
BASED ON THE BOOK BY Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic
CONDUCTED BY Nicole Paiement
DIRECTED BY L. Peter Callender
October 25 & 26, 2025
Creativity Theater, Children’s Creativity Museum
AN OPERA BY Philip Glass
BASED ON THE FILM BY Jean Cocteau
CONDUCTED BY Nicole Paiement
DIRECTED BY Brian Staufenbiel
March 13 & 14, 2026 Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances
© 1994 Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. Used by Permission.
A New Chamber Orchestra Version
COMPOSER
Douglas Cuomo
LIBRETTIST
John Patrick Shanley after his play and film
ABRIDGED LIBRETTO BY Kevin Newbury
CONDUCTED BY Nicole Paiement
DIRECTED BY Brian Staufenbiel
May 29–31, 2026 Presidio Theatre
The Transgender District was co-founded by three black trans women in 2017, originally as Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, it is the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. The district encompasses six blocks in the southeastern Tenderloin crossing over Market St. and two blocks of 6th St. Our mission is to create and preserve an urban environment that fosters the rich history, culture, legacy, and empowerment of transgender people and its deep roots in the southeastern Tenderloin neighborhood. We aim to stabilize and economically empower the transgender community through ownership of homes, businesses, historic and cultural sites, and safe community spaces. transgenderdistrictsf.com
WHAT IS TRANSGENDER HISTORY MONTH? In August 1966, Black and Brown transgender women, alongside drag queens, bravely confronted police harassment at Compton’s Cafeteria in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, igniting the pivotal Compton’s Cafeteria Riots of 1966. This historic event marked a bold stance of resistance within the transgender community, as is the first recognized uprising by the LGBTQ+ community, before the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Starting in 2024, Transgender History Month is officially recognized statewide in California and in the City of San Francisco. Throughout August, the transgender community statewide honors the profound contributions of transgender individuals, celebrating their role as history-makers, pioneers, and trailblazers.
Born in San Francisco, a city built on both old and new, between art and technology, Opera Parallèle merges tradition with innovation to reimagine the power of opera in the modern world. The company champions the work of living artists, as it presents cutting-edge productions by today’s leading composers. Collaboration is at the heart of every OP production, with creative interdisciplinary partnerships highlighting stories of social relevance that explore the depth of the human condition. We embrace rituals of old while bravely finding space for the new. This tension sparks creativity–colorful collisions that inspire new ways of experiencing opera. ‘Expansive’ is part of ‘The Bullhorn’, the next evolution of the company’s community programs reflecting our aspiration to be a bullhorn for our community, after the example of late San Francisco Supervisor, Harvey Milk. Designed to uplift and inspire, to activate and initiate, and to challenge expectations of what an opera company can be and do. operaparallele.org
SPECIAL THANKS
Special thanks to Michael Disque and the piano department at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Andrew Tebo and the staff of American Conservatory Theater. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our generous sponsors for supporting Transgender History Month 2025. Their continued support helps us honor the legacy, resilience, and cultural contributions of transgender and gender nonconforming communities. Thanks to their partnership, we are able to celebrate our history, uplift our stories, and create spaces for joy, visibility, and empowerment. Thank you!
FUNDERS
Expansive and Opera Parallèle’s Bullhorn community programs are funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency; a Civic Practice Grant from OPERA America’s Opera Fund; San Francisco Grants for the Arts; Henry W. Robinson & Nettie Robinson Foundation; and the Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, with the ongoing support of individual donors.
