The San Francisco Opera is set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Dead Man Walking” by San Francisco-based composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally.

The opera, which returns to the War Memorial Opera House stage on Sept. 14 through 28, 2025, will open the season. The opera premiered in 2000 and has since been seen in 80 productions worldwide, making it the most performed contemporary opera and a benchmark in the history of American opera.

In a statement, Heggie said, “This production of Dead Man Walking represents one of the most astonishing, full-circle moments of my career. It’s hard to believe it was 25 years ago when the opera premiered here to phenomenal acclaim. No one could have predicted the journey it would make, with more than 80 international productions to date. This was all made possible by an inspiring and deeply gratifying collaboration with the great Terrence McNally through the vision and guidance of longtime San Francisco Opera General Director Lotfi Mansouri.”

The cast will include Jamie Barton, Ryan McKinny, Susan Graham, Brittany Renee, Rod Gilfry, Caroline Corrales, Raymond Aceto, and Chad Shelton. Patrick Summers will conduct the production by Leonard Foglia.

The Sept. 20 performance of “Dead Man Walking” will be live streamed at 7:30 p.m. PT. The opera will also be available to watch on demand for 48 hours, beginning on Sept. 21.

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