WEST COAST PREMIERE
A New Chamber Orchestration
COMPOSER
Douglas J. Cuomo
CONDUCTOR
Nicole Paiement
LIBRETTIST
John Patrick Shanley after his play and film
DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION CONCEPT
Brian Staufenbiel
MAY 29–31, 2026
Presidio Theatre, San Francisco
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Welcome to Opera Parallèle’s intimate reimagining of Doubt. While many may be familiar with the 2008 cinematic interpretation, which informed the 2013 grand opera commissioned by Minnesota Opera, we are excited to present a new reorchestration and abridged libretto, one that returns us to the story’s origins as found in John Patrick Shanley’s 2004 stage play, Doubt: A Parable
Continuing our tradition of presenting grand opera in a more intimate setting, this new version strips away the cinematic “extras”—the choruses of parishioners, nuns, and students—and restores the drama of the play to its core quartet: Sister Aloysius, Father Flynn, Sister James, and Mrs. Miller. This change intensifies the focus on the psychological and internal struggles of the principal characters, while granting greater space for the music itself to participate more actively in the storytelling, depicting emotions that the spoken word cannot reach.
As we may agree, the magic of music lies in expressing the ineffable. To that end, composer Douglas J. Cuomo’s score subtly elevates the characters’ interior lives and emotional journeys through rhythmic tension, shifting textures, and evocative coloring, turning a battle of wills into a dramatic psychological landscape.
Though the play is set in 1964 and was written in 2004, its core theme resonates even more powerfully today, suggesting that doubt is not a weakness, but instead a necessary—often uncomfortable—state of being. In his preface to the play, Shanley writes that doubt is “nothing less than an opportunity to reenter the present,” and that it can be “the beginning of change,” adding, “Where there is certainty, the conversation is over.”
In alignment with these sentiments, OP strives to offer productions that do, in fact, spawn conversations, encouraging viewers to regard our ever-changing world with an open mind. We hope this production will remind us all that truth is rarely a destination, and that the power of “doubting” lies in its insistence that we remain awake and open to new understanding.
Thank you for joining us tonight,
WEST COAST PREMIERE
A New Chamber Orchestration
Presidio Theatre
99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco
May 29, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
May 30, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
May 31, 2026, at 3:00 p.m.
Sung in English with English supertitles
Approx. 2 hours, 10 minutes, with a 10 minute pause
The original version of Doubt was commissioned by Minnesota Opera and given its world premiere by Minnesota Opera in 2013. Doubt is produced by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, sole US and Canadian agent for Schott Music Corporation, New York, publisher and copyright owner.
CONDUCTOR
Nicole Paiement
DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION CONCEPT
Brian Staufenbiel
STAGE MANAGER
Bethanie Baeyen
Please respect the audience and creative team. Photographing, videotaping, and recording this production are strictly prohibited. * Opera Parallèle Debut
COMPOSER
Douglas J. Cuomo
LIBRETTIST
John Patrick Shanley after his play and film
ABRIDGED LIBRETTO
Kevin Newbury
SCENIC DESIGNER
Jacquelyn Scott
LIGHTING & PROJECTIONS DESIGNER
Jessica Ann Drayton
COSTUME AND HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER
Y. Sharon Peng
Matthew Worth FATHER FLYNN
Rhoslyn Jones* SISTER ALOYSIUS
Naomi Steele* SISTER JAMES
Deborah Nansteel* MRS. MILLER
Brian Staufenbiel
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
In his 2004 preface to Doubt: A Parable, playwright (and our librettist) John Patrick Shanley argues that doubt requires more courage than conviction. He describes conviction as a “resting place” for the mind, whereas doubt is an active “passionate exercise” that keeps a person open to growth and change. In the context of the play and the opera, doubt is used as a structural and thematic tool to transform a specific historical drama into a universal parable. To enter the sea of Doubt is to abandon the safety of the shore. While the setting is a specific Catholic school in the Bronx during the turbulent reforms of Vatican II, the opera’s true geography is the human conscience. By transitioning from expansive “Grand Opera” to this concentrated chamber version, the work sheds its historical skin to reveal its skeletal essence: a parable on the nature of belief. In the philosophical framework of the play—and in the opera—certainty is presented as a form of closure—a “resting place” that, while comforting, is inherently static. Sister Aloysius represents the formidable power of conviction. For her, the world is a battlefield where the walls of tradition protect the vulnerable. Her certainty is her weapon, but Shanley suggests it is also a blindfold.
Shanley’s central thesis is that doubt is not the opposite of faith, but a vital element of it. If faith is reaching for something unseen, doubt is the acknowledgment of the distance. By refusing to reveal whether Father Flynn is guilty or innocent, Shanley creates a narrative void. The audience is forced to step into that void. Your reaction to the opera—to believe Flynn or Sister Aloysius—says more about your own prejudices and life experiences than it does about the characters. This is the hallmark of a parable: it functions as a mirror for all who experience it. We invite you to resist the urge to choose a side. Instead, we suggest you sit within the discomfort, for as Shanley reminds us, it is only in the state of doubt that we are truly awake.
The original version of my opera Doubt was for four principal singers, two choruses (adult and children), and full orchestra. This new adaptation has reduced the size of the orchestra to 14 instrumentalists and eliminated the choruses, leaving just the four main characters. Part of the impetus to make this more intimate version was practical—it’s easier to mount a smaller production than a bigger one. But by losing some size, the piece gains some artistic advantages. This leaner presentation creates a more intensely focused emotional and visceral theatrical experience. The elimination of the choruses allows one of the most important themes of the story to shine through more clearly: now, onstage you see one man, sure of his power and his dominant place in the school and the church, in a battle against the women of those institutions. This numerical imbalance (favoring the women), and its inverted power imbalance (favoring Flynn), draws into sharp relief the unfolding conflict between the priest, confident in what he regards as his naturally occurring place of dominance in the world, and the women who are challenging him. The focus narrows to the individual battle of wills among these four complex characters, each grappling with questions about trust, personal responsibility, right and wrong. The audience too must grapple with their feelings—not only about what “really” happened (did he or didn’t he?), but with larger questions about doubt and certainty.
It is these larger questions that were the impetus for John Patrick Shanley to write the play on which this piece is based. To lead the audience to consider these larger questions, John created a compelling but murkily shifting situation, with characters whose motives are elusive, and asks us to consider, “How do I feel when I’m uncertain?” And, “How often am I in a state of uncertainty?” And maybe even, “How often do I allow myself to be in a state of uncertainty?” John created this world with beautiful language that was a joy to set to music, but he also created a challenge for me: not to allow the music to tip the scales one way or the other, leaving it up to each member of the audience to decide what you think happened, and how you feel about it.
SCENE ONE
St. Nicholas Church
SCENE TWO the classroom
SCENE THREE the school basement
SCENE FOUR the school basement
Father Flynn preaches a sermon on the subject of doubt and its relationship to a crisis of faith in the wake of recent cataclysmic world events.
Sister Aloysius encounters Sister James in her empty classroom. The teacher inquires after a student, William London, who was sent home. It is revealed that his nosebleed was self-induced, and Sister Aloysius chides Sister James for being too naïve. The younger nun prefers to handle problems herself, but Sister Aloysius outlines the chain of discipline and admonishes her for other lapses in judgment. A teacher must always be a fierce moral guardian. Sister Aloysius grills Sister James about the meaning of Father Flynn’s sermon.
Father Flynn coaches a game of basketball from the foul line.
Sister James encounters Sister Aloysius, and they discuss Donald Miller, the school’s first African American student. Sister Aloysius fears he may be a target of bullying, as most of the schoolchildren are of bigoted Irish and Italian descent, but Sister James reassures her that he has a protector in Father Flynn. Sister Aloysius suspects an abusive situation, but her hands are tied by the Church. She plans to confront the priest directly, and protocol demands someone else be present in the room, namely Sister James.
SCENE FIVE the conference room
SCENE SIX the church
SCENE SEVEN the courtyard
SCENE EIGHT the principal’s office
Father Flynn arrives at the conference room under the guise of planning the Christmas pageant. A concern about Donald’s role comes up, particularly any special attention in the drama due to his race. Sister Aloysius segues the conversation to the subject of his visit to the rectory, and reveals that Donald smelled of alcohol. The priest explains—Donald had been caught in the sacristy drinking altar wine and was sent to him to discuss the matter. Flynn took pity on him, for if he were removed as an altar boy, there could be implications of racism. Sister James is reassured, but Sister Aloysius is convinced he is lying and is determined to bring him down.
From the pulpit, Father Flynn relays a parable about idle gossip and the harmful consequences of bearing false witness against one’s neighbor.
Father Flynn encounters Sister James outside. They discuss his sermon and the unspoken accusations against him. The young nun has only been following the directions of her superior, but asks him directly if the assertions are true. Flynn continues to deny everything. He claims he was only reaching out to the boy, showing him compassion the coldhearted nun refuses to give. He encourages Sister James not to lose her humanity.
Sister Aloysius has called Donald’s mother to her office. Mrs. Miller reports that her son is upset about being removed as an altar boy, but did admit to drinking the wine. She hopes this incident will not ruin his future at the school, for he only needs to make it until June, after which he will be off to high school, and, hopefully, college.
SCENE NINE the principal’s office
SCENE TEN the courtyard
After Mrs. Miller leaves the room, Father Flynn storms in, confronting Sister Aloysius. They have a spirited discourse about her claims, and Flynn threatens to have her dismissed. Sister Aloysius then reveals that she has spoken to one of the nuns at his former parish. Exasperated, Flynn reminds her that she has gone beyond Church procedures, but Sister Aloysius is determined to get the truth about his past. He pleads with her to no avail—he must leave St. Nicholas.
Sister James has returned after a short absence to visit a sick relative. Sister Aloysius reports that Father Flynn has left, as he has been promoted to become the pastor of the St. James Church and School. She admits her ruse—there was no phone call to the other nun—and her doubts and fears over her actions.
Hailed by The New York Times for his “fully powered and persuasively expressive” voice, Grammy Award–winning baritone Matthew Worth has recently performed in Il barbiere di Siviglia (title role) with Boston Lyric Opera, the premiere and recording of Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua (Narrator), world premieres of JFK (title role) with Fort Worth Opera and The Manchurian Candidate (Sgt. Shaw) with Minnesota Opera, Moby Dick at The Kennedy Center with Washington National Opera, Faust (Valentin) with Santa Fe Opera, and Ariadne auf Naxos (Harlequin) with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Other notable performances include Don Giovanni (title role), Don Pasquale (Malatesta), Roméo et Juliette (Mercutio), and The Rape of Lucretia (Tarquinius). He has performed leading roles at Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Castleton Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Pittsburgh Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, under luminary conductors including James Levine, Lorin Maazel, and Sir Andrew Davis.
“The delicious diva” with an “unforgettably powerful voice,” Rhoslyn Jones has graced prestigious stages worldwide with her captivating performances. A former Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, she has performed with major opera companies and leading orchestras across North America. Critics have praised her “arresting vocal prowess and vivid stage presence” and the “majestic, full-toned dignity” she brings to every role. A distinguished leader in vocal arts, Jones serves on the voice faculty of the San Francisco Opera Center’s Adler and Merola programs, shaping the next generation of opera singers. A sought-after guest teacher at top conservatories and young artist programs across the continent, she leads with what colleagues describe as an “affirming and comforting presence.” As an award-winning stage director and passionate arts advocate, Jones brings the same excellence to the podium and rehearsal room that she commands on stage.
Bronx native Naomi Steele is an emerging artist celebrated for her dynamic stage presence and vocal versatility. Her operatic credits include The Medium (Madame Flora), L’italiana in Algeri (Isabella), Zazá (Anaide), and Dido and Aeneas (Sorceress). Notable cover assignments include Le nozze di Figaro (Marcellina), Dido and Aeneas (Dido), Erismena (Idraspe), and Der Rosenkavalier (Annina). Steele has appeared at Alice Tully Hall in Wednesdays at One and L’enfant et les sortilèges and participated in Songfest and Carnegie Hall’s SongStudio. Recent engagements include Wolf Trap Opera’s Dialogues of the Carmelites (Mère Jeanne). She returns to The Santa Fe Opera this year as an Apprentice Singer, covering roles in Rodelinda and The Magic Flute. In 2026–28, she will join the Opernstudio at Komische Oper Berlin. Steele holds degrees from The Crane School of Music and The Juilliard School and is a recipient of the Novick Career Advancement Grant.
MRS. MILLER
“A formidable display of vocal power and dramatic assurance,” mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel is poised for international stardom, having already performed at almost all the leading opera companies in the US. This season brings several exciting engagements for Nansteel, including a return to The Metropolitan Opera as Teresa in Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula, a house debut with Minnesota Opera for the world premiere of B. E. Boykin and Harrison David River’s My Name Is Florence, and a return to North Carolina Opera to sing her acclaimed Azucena in Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore, as well as the roles of Mrs. Miller in Douglas J. Cuomo and John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt for Opera Parallèle and Giovanna in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. On the concert stage, she will debut with San Juan Symphony as a featured soloist in Edward Elgar’s The Music Makers and return to the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra for Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.
Douglas J. Cuomo has composed for concert, operatic, and theatrical stages, television, and film. Recent works include: the music for Symphony of Flesh and Bones, an installation by Juliet Ellis; La Cita for the Romero Guitar Quartet; a raft, the sky, the wild sea, a concerto for saxophonist Joe Lovano; Seven Limbs for guitarist Nels Cline (Wilco) and String Quartet; The Jump Up for Sandbox Percussion; and A White Rose in the Blue Ground for the Balourdet String Quartet. Operas include Doubt (Minnesota Opera), Arjuna’s Dilemma (Dallas Opera), and Savage Winter (Pittsburgh Opera, BAM). Cuomo is currently writing new works for Seth Parker Woods and Tyshawn Sorey, Sandbox Percussion, and Sullivan Fortner and a solo program for cellist Jeffrey Zeigler. Cuomo composed the theme for Sex & the City and scored seven seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and over 20 feature films. He is published by Schott Music.
Known for his compelling storytelling, sharp dialogue, and exploration of complex human relationships, acclaimed American playwright, screenwriter, and director John Patrick Shanley has made a significant impact on the world of theater and film. Shanley’s career began when his play Danny and the Deep Blue Sea (1983) gained critical acclaim. His subsequent works, including Savage in Limbo (1984) and Italian American Reconciliation (1986) further demonstrated his prowess for crafting thought-provoking and emotionally charged stories. In 1987, Shanley achieved widespread recognition with Moonstruck, which earned an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. As a director, Shanley has helmed productions of his own plays as well as other works, including the film adaptation of his play Doubt, for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director in 2008. His numerous awards and accolades include the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, both awarded to Doubt in 2005.
OP Founder and Artistic Director and acclaimed conductor Nicole Paiement has performed with companies across the US and internationally, including the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo, Washington National Opera, Seattle Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, The Atlanta Opera, and The Dallas Opera. Highlights include George Benjamin’s Written on Skin and Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar for L’Opéra de Montréal, Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life for English National Opera, Joby Talbot’s Everest with the BBC Symphony at the Barbican Center, and John Adams’s The Gospel According to the Other Mary for the Volksoper Vienna. In summer 2025, she conducted the world premiere of Derek Bermel’s The House on Mango Street at The Glimmerglass Festival, as well as concerts at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. In 2025–26, Mo. Paiement has returned to Montréal to conduct Jenůfa and debuted with the Transylvania State Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania and Pacific Opera Victoria.
Brian Staufenbiel, Creative Director of Opera Parallèle, has directed and created conceptual designs for OP productions since the company’s founding in 2010. Specializing in multimedia, immersive, and interdisciplinary productions, he works across numerous disciplines, collaborating in film and with media designers, choreographers and dancers, circus artists, and designer fabricators. His progressive approach has garnered critical acclaim for many OP productions, including Wozzeck, Orphée, Champion, Dead Man Walking, and The Shining. Work for OP this season includes Doubt, La Belle et la Bête at Cal Performances, and reprise productions of The Shining at Portland Opera, Utah Opera, and Opera Tampa, and Fellow Travelers at Pittsburgh Opera. Recent work includes The Pigeon Keeper, Harvey Milk Reimagined, and Everest: Opera at the Planetarium for OP, Ainadamar for L’Opéra de Montréal and Pacific Opera Victoria, and Staufenbiel directing and coproducing Flicka, a new documentary about the life of Frederica von Stade with Paper Wings Films.
Through bold storytelling, inventive productions, and new and reimagined works, Opera Parallèle brings this art form to life in ways that feel intimate, contemporary, and deeply meaningful. The combination of extraordinary singers, innovative staging, modern technology, and chamber-scale orchestration creates experiences that are unlike anything else in the Bay Area—and increasingly, across the country.
I believe this kind of artistic vision deserves a strong future. That’s why I chose to become a member of the Legacy Founders Circle, helping ensure that Opera Parallèle can continue inspiring audiences and shaping the future of opera for generations to come.
I hope you’ll consider joining me.
— Jane Hartley, Board Member and Legacy Founders Circle Co-Chair
ORCHESTRA
Jessie Nucho FLUTE / PICCOLO
Kyle Bruckmann OBOE / ENGLISH HORN
Clayton Luckadoo CLARINET / BASS CLARINET
Jamael Smith BASSOON / CONTRABASSOON
Michael Shuldes HORN 1
Daniel Wood HORN 2
Ari Micich TRUMPET
Gregory Messa PERCUSSION
Hrabba Atladottir
VIOLIN 1
Liana Bérubé VIOLIN 2
Ellen Ruth Rose
VIOLA
Emileigh Vandiver VIOLONCELLO
Michel Taddei CONTRABASS
Nicole Paiement CONDUCTOR
Brian Staufenbiel DIRECTOR
Donald Lee III ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Phaedra Tillery-Boughton ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
Rotimi Agbabiaka ARTISTIC CONSULTANT
Bethanie Baeyen STAGE MANAGER
Natalie Peck ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Jacquelyn Scott SCENIC DESIGNER
David Gardner SET BUILDER
Jessica Ann Drayton LIGHTING AND PROJECTION DESIGNER
Kate Ingram
ASSOCIATE LIGHTING AND VIDEO DESIGNER
Y. Sharon Peng COSTUME AND HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER
Keisuke Nakagoshi RESIDENT PIANIST
Audrey Chandler SUPERTITLES OPERATOR
Alex Rotundo REHEARSAL PIANIST
Jacques Desjardins ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR
Phil Lowery DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
Visit our website for a rich collection of resources exploring Doubt—from its historical context and cultural impact to behind-the-scenes insights that illuminate the story in new ways. Curated by Scholar in Residence Michael Mohammed.
op-sf.org/doubt
Source Material
John Patrick Shanley subtitled the play Doubt with A Parable. A parable is a short story designed to teach an ethical lesson by comparing a familiar situation with a deeper truth. The author created a story around sexual misconduct allegations that challenges listener perceptions around power, oppression, and, of course, certainty versus doubt.
The opera is set in 1964, a year marked by the Great Alaska earthquake, China’s test of its first nuclear bomb, and the signing of the Civil Rights Act. Racial tensions in the US culminated in major urban riots and violent opposition to voter registration. The Bronx, the northernmost of New York City’s five boroughs and the location of Doubt’s fictional St. Nicholas Church School, represents the crossroads of a progressive city and traditional values within a poverty-stricken area.
This landmark piece of legislation outlawed segregation in public places, banned employment discrimination, and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to enforce those rights.
On February 3, 1964, approximately 464,000 New York City students and teachers boycotted public schools to protest segregated, overcrowded, and inequitable conditions, making it one of the largest Civil Rights demonstrations in US history.
Vatican II, a historic ecumenical council of the Church convened by Pope John XXIII (1962–65), transformed the Catholic Church by encouraging a more modern, open, and community-centered approach to faith. The council moved the Church away from rigid traditions and emphasized personal responsibility, active participation in worship, and engagement with social issues.
Abuses of power occur where authority figures act over marginalized groups, such as women and children. In 2002, The Boston Globe published the results of an investigation that brought the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy to national attention. Since these revelations, misconduct within the Catholic Church has increasingly been recognized as a global crisis. Individual and institutional factors as well as prevention and intervention strategies, are continually being evaluated in ecclesiastical circles and in the public sphere.
If you or someone you know has experienced abuse, the following resources can help heal and offer support for both survivors and people close to them:
The world’s oldest and largest community of survivors of clergy and institutional abuse.
snapnetwork.org
brave movement
A survivor-centered global movement committed to ending childhood sexual violence through prevention, healing, and justice. bravemovement.org
Opera has always been an evolving art form—reimagined by each generation. At Opera Parallèle, we bring new voices, bold interpretations, and contemporary relevance to the stage.
By including Opera Parallèle in your will or estate plans, you help ensure that this spirit of innovation continues by supporting groundbreaking productions and expanding what opera can be for years to come.
Our new Legacy Founders Circle is a flexible, personal way to help keep opera alive, dynamic, and deeply connected to the world we live in.
Planned gifts of all sizes are welcome. Joining OP’s Legacy
Founders Circle provides exclusive benefits, including invitations to private musical salons and receptions, early notification of season programming and special events, and recognition on our website and printed materials. Your membership serves as an inspiring example for others to follow, although if you prefer, you may choose to remain anonymous.
For more information, please visit operaparallele.org/legacy, contact Eman Isadiar at Eman@operaparallele.org, or call (415) 626-6279 ext. 105.
* Legacy Founders Circle members as of May 6, 2026
Special thanks to our Legacy Founders Circle Co-Chairs Jane Hartley and Robert Ripps, as well as our current Legacy Founders Circle members*:
Michèle & Larry Corash
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Production Sponsors
This production of Doubt was made possible, in part, by Lead Sponsors Gordon Getty, Dina Kuntz & Sherry Parker and the Margaret E. Haas Family Fund, Norby Anderson, Lisa Lindelef, Bernice Lindstrom, Terri & Bob Ryan, and Dr. Katherine Slazak.
Institutional Support
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice Ditson Fund, Americans for the Arts, The Amphion Foundation, Inc., Apple Inc., Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, The Bob Ross Foundation, The California Arts Council, Center for Cultural Innovation, ForWords Fund, Google, The Henry W. & Nettie Robinson Foundation, OPERA America’s Opera Fund, Opus One Winery, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, City & County of San Francisco Grants for the Arts, The Sam Mazza Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Tikkun Olam Foundation.
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In Honor of Daniel Harvey
Sarah Harvey
Robert Ripps & Steven Spector
In Memory of Bob Hughes
Margaret Fisher
In Honor of Eman Isadiar
Hans Cardenas
Bryn Deamer
Nuri Kye
In Honor of Jake Heggie
Bette & Joseph Hirsch
David Kremer & Marla Miller
Karen Kubin
In Honor of John Klopacz
Stephen Marshall & James Goodell
In Honor of Lisa Lindelef
Roberta Steele
David Stein & Phyllis Kempner
In Memory of Gloria Lowell
Jerry Roth & Ray Jenks
In Remembrance of Harvey Milk
Daniel Arrigoni
Peter Kazaras
In Memory of My Partner Robert
Victoria Chen
In Memory of Cheryl Ruby
Richard Deucher
Richard Hart
Marie A. Nola
Marleen Roggow
William & Brenda Winston
In Memory of Ruth & George Sultan
Suzanne & Alex Rush
In Honor of Nicole Paiement & Brian Staufenbiel
Jake Heggie & Curt Branom
Alice Morison
Lawrence & Gail Siegel
Brenda Yost
Young Musicians Choral Orchestra
In Honor of Ruth Ellen Rose
Arthur Rose
In Memory of Catie Siegel
Lawrence & Gail Siegel
We are deeply grateful for the collective generosity of our patrons at all levels. Giving at the Collaborator+ level includes digital program recognition, and gifts of $100+ are recognized on our website. This listing recognizes gifts received between January 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. If an error or omission is noted, please accept our sincere apologies and contact development@operaparallele.org with any updates.
For a complete list of our generous donors, visit op-sf.org/supporters
Opera Parallèle merges tradition with innovation to re-invent opera for our modern world. We are committed to the highest artistic standards in our productions. We foster an inclusive and creative environment that values curiosity and innovation. We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our work. We embrace communication and respect and are accountable for our actions.
We believe in the power of music, the importance of storytelling, and the ability of art to ignite awareness. Opera is for everyone.
We acknowledge that the Presidio Theatre 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
Nicole Paiement FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Daniel Harvey EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Brian Staufenbiel CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Eman Isadiar DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Calvin Eng FINANCE DIRECTOR
Phil Lowery DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION
Pamela Sevilla MARKETING DIRECTOR
Jacques Desjardins ARTISTIC ADMINISTRATOR
Katrina Finder DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Takiyah Franklin COMMUNITY & IDEA MANAGER
Brett Metzger FINANCE MANAGER
Jay Cruz
MARKETING ASSOCIATE
Owen Klein
ARTISTIC & ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE / ASSISTANT TO THE FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Brodersen GRANT WRITER
Jon Finck PUBLICIST
Muskan Parashar BOARD ADMIN ASSISTANT
Michael Mohammed SCHOLAR IN RESIDENCE
Keisuke Nakagoshi RESIDENT PIANIST
Cristina Villalobos DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING INTERN
BOARD MEMBERS
Peggy Otum CHAIR
Jo Giessler VICE CHAIR
Lisa Lindelef SECRETARY
Jeff Mattlin TREASURER
Malekeh Amini
Larry Corash
Kip Cranna
Marylene Delbourg-Delphis
Louise Fox
Jane Hartley*
* Outgoing board members who will complete their nine-year commitment as of August 31, 2026 We are grateful for their support and guidance.
Terry Johnson
Marcia Lazer*
Steven Lei
Simin Naaseh*
John D. Roevekamp
Tony Shayne
Jee Young You
HONORARY BOARD
Terence Blanchard
Ruth A. Felt
Philip Glass
Jake Heggie
John Holiday
Frederica von Stade
Senator Scott Wiener
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Joseph Chan
Alexa Fitzpatrick
Steve Kesten
Alan Olejniczak
Robert Ripps
Carla Sarett
Lawrence Siegel, JD
