Issuu

PRESENT

Thursday, August 27, 2026 • 7:30 P.M. • A.C.T. Strand Theater

P R OGRAM CURATE D BY

PRESENT

KATHERINE GOFORTH FE ATUR I NG

SAPPHIRA CRISTÁL baritone KATHERINE GOFORTH tenor NINA JONES mezzo-soprano KEISUKE NAKAGOSHI pianist HOSTE D BY

AFRIKA AMERICA

August 27, 2026 7:30 p.m.

A.C.T. Strand Theater 1127 Market Street San Francisco

Approx. 75 minutes without intermission

P RO LO G U E

“Solitary Hotel” | Barber/Joyce | Nina Jones I . W E H A D N OWH E R E TO GO

“Soave sia il vento” | from Così fan tutte | Mozart/Da Ponte | All I I I . O N E AT A T I M E

EXPANSIVE 2026 SHOWCASE | 3

D ER WA N D E R E R

K I ND ERH YM NE

(Schubert/Schmidt von Lübeck) Translation by Katherine Goforth

Children’s Hymn (Eisler/Brecht, adapt. Goforth)

I came here from the mountains,

Can you work with grace

Mist rises from the valley, the sea roars.

and passion,

I roam around in silence, unhappily,

All your strength and all you know,

and always ask with sorrow, Where?

As we tend the soil together

The sun seems so cold to me here,

Where a better world can grow?

The flowers wilt, life has grown old,

No, the gifts that you were given

and the things people say ring hollow,

Didn’t offer what you need,

I am a stranger, no matter where I go.

Yet you have enough to harvest

Where are you, land that I love?

What you can from every seed.

Longed for, believed in, and never found.

They may never truly see you.

The land where hope grows green,

That is not in your control.

The land where I can blossom like

They may not become your ally.

the rose,

Changing them is not the goal.

The land where my friends can go

Just as you have been a victim,

around freely,

There are those that you have hurt.

The land where my dead rise again,

Then you know why you are working,

The land that speaks my language,

So continue in your work.

Oh land, where are you?

Not the greatness of a nation

I roam around in silence, unhappily,

But a land that’s free again

and always ask with sorrow, Where?

From the purple of the mountain

In a ghostly whisper, I hear the answer:

To the sea and rolling plains.

“Your happiness is where you are not.”

If your love is real you show it. Love is known in how it acts, Measured not by what you’ve taken But by what you’ve given back.

4 | EXPANSIVE 2026 SHOWCASE

S OAV E S IA IL V E NT O

P L EG ARI A A U N L ABRAD OR

from Così fan tutte (Mozart/Da Ponte)

Prayer to You Who Work for Liberation (Jara)

May the wind be gentle, May the waves be calm, And may nature and fate Give us That which we desire.

Rise up and look to the mountain From whence comes the wind, sun, and water, You who change the course of the rivers,

MORGEN! (R. Strauss/Mackay) And tomorrow, the sun will shine again And I will walk the path Where the sun will reunite us in our happiness Amidst the whole sun-breathing earth… And down to the seashore, wide and blue with rolling waves, Quietly and slowly we will go, Without a word, we will gaze into each other’s eyes, And a wordless, twofold happy silence will descend upon us…

Who grow the bread that feeds your soul. Rise up and look at your hands, Hold them out to your sister in unity. Our Blood will be united as One, From this time forth forevermore. Deliver us from those who dominate and oppress us Thy kingdom come, of justice and equality. Like a mighty wind, blow the lily from the valley, Like a refiner’s fire, purify the barrel of my gun. Thy will be done on earth at last. Give us your strength and courage to fight. Our Blood will be united as One, Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

EXPANSIVE 2026 SHOWCASE | 5

TH E C O M P T O N ’S C A FETERIA RIO T: A T U R N I N G P O I N T IN TRA NS G ENDER HIS TO RY In August 1966, at Compton's Cafeteria on the corner of Turk and Taylor Streets, transgender women, drag queens, sex workers, and other LGBTQ+ community members fought back against routine police harassment and discrimination. When officers attempted to arrest a trans woman, patrons resisted. Coffee cups flew, windows shattered, and the protest spilled into the streets—marking one of the first known acts of collective transgender resistance in the United States. For many, Compton's was more than a late-night diner. It was a rare refuge where transgender people and queer youth could find community in a world that often rejected them. Many had been denied housing, employment, and family support simply for being themselves. Although the Compton's Cafeteria Riot took place three years before the Stonewall Uprising, its story remained largely overlooked for decades. Today, it is recognized as a pivotal moment in the struggle for transgender visibility, dignity, and civil rights. As we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, we honor the courage of those who refused to be erased. Their resistance helped shape the movement for transgender equality and reminds us that trans people have always been at the forefront of the fight for justice. Their legacy continues to inspire generations working toward a more inclusive future.

6 | EXPANSIVE 2026 SHOWCASE

SLIDESHOW IMAGES FEATURED IN San Francisco’s Transgender District (Images of America) by Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer meganrohrer.org

Abbreviation credits for the sources: Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley (Bancroft) The Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Library (Stanford) Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) GLIDE Foundation (GLIDE) San Francisco Chronicle (SF Chronicle) San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) Tenderloin Museum (TL Museum)

W H AT I S T R AN S G ENDER H I S T O RY M ON T H ?

Slideshow credits:

Celebrated each August throughout

Compton’s at Turk & Taylor, 1979 / Clay Geerdes, TL Museum

California, Transgender History Month honors the rich history, resilience, and contributions of transgender pioneers, trailblazers, and community leaders while affirming the ongoing presence of transgender people in San Francisco and around the world. First recognized by mayoral proclamation in San Francisco in 2021, the month was established through advocacy led by activist Jupiter Peraza and The Transgender District,

Interior of Grand Hotel / Courtesy Megan Rohrer

Geraldine Portica, 1917 ; LA House Raid, 1927/Courtesy of Jessie B. Cook Collection, Bancroft Tenderloin Drag Ball, cir. 1965 / Henri Leleu, GLBTHS Screaming Queens, dir. Victor Silveran and Susan Stryker, 2016 / Courtesy Amanda St. James, KQED Felicia Elizondo, 1969 / Courtesy Felicia A. Elizondo Unity March, 1963 / Bancroft Black Trans Lives Matter, 2020 / Gareth Gooch Miss Major / Courtesy Miss Major

with support from the City and County

Aria Sa’id; Honey Mahogany / Chanell Stone, VOGUE; Janetta Johnson

of San Francisco’s Office of Transgender

Conversion Our Goal, 1973 / Courtesy GLIDE

Initiatives and the Women’s Foundation

Tamara Ching / Leah Millis, Courtesy SF Chronicle

of California. On August 24, 2021, Mayor London Breed officially proclaimed August as Transgender History Month. In 2023, the recognition expanded statewide, making California the first state to officially celebrate Transgender History Month.

Hotel Hyland Protest, 1973 / Courtesy GLBTHS ACT UP Protest, 1990 / Courtesy SFPL Felicia Flames/Ashley Marguerite Heinie / Courtesy Beyond Chron Quetzali and Donna Personna/Gina Castro, KQED Ms. Billie Cooper, Veteran’s Alley mural / Megan Rohrer

EXPANSIVE 2026 SHOWCASE | 7

BIOS S AP PHIRA C RI S TÁ L

Baritone

Sapphira Cristál is a classically trained opera singer, composer, and drag artist known globally as runner-up and Miss Congeniality of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16. Celebrated for her commanding stage presence, theatrical performances, and remarkable six-octave vocal range, she has earned 16 pageant crowns and performed for audiences around the world. In 2024, she appeared as a guest artist on Madonna’s Celebration Tour and premiered her original operatic work, Soundcake, with Monét X Change and Thorgy Thor at Lincoln Center before launching The Cristál Ball Tour across North America. She has since headlined pops concerts with San Francisco Opera, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A passionate educator and mentor, Cristál has taught master classes in performance and drag artistry while championing charitable causes. Guided by her belief that “there is no better exercise for the heart than reaching down to lift someone up,” she inspires audiences on and off the stage.

K AT HERINE G O FO RTH

Tenor & Program Curator

Katherine Goforth is an internationally acclaimed singer whose work spans opera, concert performance, and original interdisciplinary creation. Praised by The Washington Post for her “sturdy, deeply colored tenor with lovely fullness and soft edges,” her recent appearances include the European premiere tour of Philip Venables and Ted Huffman’s The F**ts and Their Friends Between Revolutions at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Manchester International Festival, and Bregenzer Festspiele, earning praise from The New York Times and Opera News. In 2024, she premiered Where Would We Be Without Defeat at Stanford Live, a concert-theatre work exploring Weimar Germany through a trans feminist lens, and appeared as a soloist in Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem at Trinity Church Wall Street. The inaugural recipient of Washington National Opera’s True Voice Award, Goforth is a frequent guest speaker on equity and artistry in classical music. She holds degrees from The Juilliard School and St. Olaf College and continues to redefine the possibilities of contemporary operatic performance.and off the stage.

BIOS

N I N A J O NES

Mezzo-soprano Nina Jones (they/them) is a San Francisco–based mezzo-soprano originally from Bolton, Massachusetts. Upcoming credits include Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance (San Francisco Opera Guild) and chorus in Boccanegra (San Francisco Opera). Recent credits include Oberto in Alcina (Festival Opera); Cobweb in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro (Pocket Opera); Licco in Ercole amante, Geminio in La Flora, and Bireno in Olimpia Vendicata (Ars Minerva); Figaro in The Barber of Seville and Dandini in La Cenerentola (San Francisco Opera Guild); and Handmaid/Chorus in The Handmaid’s Tale (San Francisco Opera). Additional appearances include L’enfant in L’enfant et les sortilèges and Flora in The Enchanted Pig (San Francisco Conservatory of Music) and ensemble in Birds & Balls (Opera Parallèle). Jones holds a Master of Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music with honors from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music.

AF R IKA A MERIC A Host

Afrika America is an acclaimed performer, producer, community advocate, and the reigning Empress of San Francisco. A passionate champion for civic engagement and social justice, she serves as a Drag Out the Vote ambassador, using her platform to inspire voter participation, raise funds, and advocate for equity and inclusion. Her work has included Politics Are a DRAG! throughout the Bay Area, Phoenix’s Party at the Polls, and When We All Vote initiatives across the country. An internationally celebrated entertainer, she has performed from Singapore and Sydney to Cologne, appeared on America’s Got Talent, toured the American South with SWAG (Singers with a Goal) and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, and was featured in the documentary Gay Chorus: Deep South. Expansive is delighted to welcome her back for a fifth consecutive year as the evening’s hostess, bringing her signature warmth, wit, and unwavering commitment to community.

K E I SUKE NA KA G O S HI

Pianist

Keisuke Nakagoshi is a versatile performer, chamber musician, and educator whose career spans leading concert halls, orchestras, and opera companies across the United States. A graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he studied composition with David Conte and piano with Emanuel Ax, Gilbert Kalish, Menahem Pressler, and Paul Hersh. Nakagoshi has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Hollywood Bowl, and has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Earplay, and numerous orchestras as concerto soloist. In 2009, he co-founded the acclaimed piano duo ZOFO with Eva-Maria Zimmermann. Their debut recording, Mind Meld, featuring Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, received a Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance. Nakagoshi serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and San Francisco State University and is the Resident Pianist for Opera Parallèle, as well as a longtime pianist with West Edge Opera and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

ABOUT EXPANSIVE Expansive is an annual showcase of transgender and gender non-comforming (TGNC) classical artists presented in partnership with Opera Parallèle and The Transgender District. Now in its fifth year, this celebration of creativity and empowerment provides a platform for emerging and established TGNC performers to showcase their artistry, featuring vocal and instrumental artists from across the United States, and is part of the official celebrations for Transgender History Month, recognized statewide in California. Expansive is part of OP’s Bullhorn Community Programs, reflecting our aspiration to be a bullhorn for our community, after the example of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk—designed to uplift and inspire, to activate and initiate, and to challenge the expectations of what an opera company can be and do.

L A N D AC K N OW L E D G MENT We acknowledge that the Strand Theater sits on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, who are the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula. We recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland, and we affirm their sovereign rights as first peoples. ramaytush.org

TH E T R AN S G E N D ER D I S T R I C T S TAF F

O PERA PA RA LLÈLE S TA FF

Breonna McCree Co-Executive Director

Nicole Paiement Founder & Artistic Director

Takiyah Franklin Community & IDEA Manager

Daniel Harvey Executive Director

Brett Metzger Finance Manager

Brian Staufenbiel Creative Director

Jay Cruz Marketing Associate

Eman Isadiar Development Director

Owen Klein Artistic & Administrative Associate / Assistant to the Founder & Artistic Director

Carlo Gómez Arteaga Co-Executive Director Sean Greene Chief Administrative Officer Belen Meza Hernandez Communications & Partnerships Associate Carolina Osoria Program Associate Myron Parker Operations Associate

Calvin Eng Finance Director Phil Lowery Director of Production Pamela Sevilla Marketing Director Jacques Desjardins Artistic Administrator Katrina Finder Development Manager

Muskan Parashar Board Admin Assistant Elizabeth Brodersen Grant Writer Jon Finck Publicist Michael Mohammed Scholar in Residence Keisuke Nakagoshi Resident Pianist

10 | EXPANSIVE 2026 SHOWCASE

2026–27 SEASON | operaparallele.org

S S P A& I L R T I T

WORL D PRE M I ER E

An Operatic Experience Rooted in Gullah-Geechee Spirituals

November 14–21, 2026

CO-CREATORS

Z Space, 450 Florida St, San Francisco

Victor Ryan Robertson Brian Staufenbiel

Stage Director and Production Design by Brian Staufenbiel Featuring Victor Ryan Robertson

W EST C OAST PREMIER E

March 11–14, 2027

COMPOSER

Joby Talbot LIBRETTIST

Gene Scheer REORCHESTRATION BY

Ben Foskett

Conducted by Nicole Paiement Director and Production Concept by Brian Staufenbiel Featuring Jarrett Porter, Sasha Cooke, and Richard Croft Blue Shield of California Theatre at YBCA

COMPOSER

TA K I N

W EST C OAST PREMIER E

ENT ERP S

Kamala Sankaram LIBRETTIST

Jerre Dye

May 8–16, 2027 Conducted by Nicole Paiement Director and Production Concept by Brian Staufenbiel Featuring Matthew Worth, Christabel Nunoo, and Aisha Campbell Z Space, 450 Florida St, San Francisco

SPECIAL THANKS TO WINE SPONSOR

SPECIAL THANKS TO MEDIA SPONSOR

A B O U T T H E T R ANS G ENDER DIS TRIC T Founded in 2017 by three Black transgender women—Honey Mahogany, Janetta Johnson, and Aria Sa’id—we are the world’s first legally recognized transgender district. Originally established as Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, our name honors the 1966 Compton’s Cafeteria Riot, one of the earliest documented acts of transgender and queer resistance in the United States. Our district spans six blocks in San Francisco’s southeastern Tenderloin, crossing Market Street and extending along 6th Street—a neighborhood that has been home to transgender residents and LGBTQ+ community spaces for more than a century. We are dedicated to preserving this extraordinary legacy while building a future where transgender people can thrive. Through cultural preservation, public education, economic development, and community investment, we work to foster homeownership, support transgender-owned businesses, protect historic and cultural sites, and create safe, affirming spaces. Together, we celebrate the profound contributions of transgender people and advance a more just, vibrant, and inclusive future for all. transgenderdistrictsf.org

A B O U T O P E R A PA RA LLÈLE Born in San Francisco, a city built on both old and new, between art and technology, Opera Parallèle (OP) merges tradition with innovation to reimagine the power of opera in the modern world. OP champions the work of living artists, as we present 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 and breadth of the human condition. We embrace rituals of old while bravely finding space for the new.

SPEC I AL T H AN KS Special thanks to Michael Disque and the piano department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Andrew Tebo and the staff of American Conservatory Theater, and Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer. We also extend our heartfelt gratitude to our generous sponsors for supporting Transgender History Month 2026. 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.

SPO N S OR S 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.