Opera San José has announced its 2023-24 season celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary.

The season opens with an all-new production of Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet,” directed by Shawna Lucey. The production will star Indian-American soprano Melissa Sondhi in the role of Juliet and tenor Joshua Sanders as Romeo.

Alex Boyer returns to the California Theatre in the role of Tybalt, and bass Kenneth Kellogg joins the production as the Duke. Bass Vartan Gabrielian makes his OSJ debut as Frère Laurent and baritone Jesús Vicente Murillo debuts with the company as Mercutio. Opera San José Director of Music Joseph Marcheso will conduct.

Performance Dates: Sept. 9–24, 2023

Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” will star bass-baritone Dale Travis as Dr. Bartolo and tenor Joshua Sanders as Count Almaviva. Mezzo-soprano Courtney Miller and bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian round out the cast as Berta and Basilio. Opera San José Director of Music Joseph Marcheso will conduct.

Performance Dates: Nov. 11–26, 2023

Verdi’s “Rigoletto” will star baritone Eugene Brancoveanu in the title role, tenor Joshua Sanders as the Duke of Mantua, and soprano Melissa Sondhi as Gilda. The cast is rounded out by bass-baritone Vartan Gabrielian and mezzo-soprano Melisa Bonetti.

Performance Dates: February 17 – March 3, 2024

Daniel Catán and Marcela Fuentes-Berain’s “Florencia en el Amazonas” concludes the 40th Anniversary season. The production will star Marlen Nahhas in the title role of Florencia Grimaldi, soprano Melissa Sondhi as Rosalba, and mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Paz as Paula. Former Resident Artist and favorite of OSJ audiences, baritone Efraín Solís, joins the cast as Alvaro. Opera San José Director of Music Joseph Marcheso will conduct.

Performance Dates: April 20-May 5, 2024

Shinji Eshima and Tony Asaro’s “Zheng” will be presented to local, national, and international audiences as a digital workshop through Opera San Jose’s Heiman Digital Media Studio in partnership with producers Peter & Jayne Davis.

Performance Date: Digital production–Fall 2023