San Francisco Opera January-May 2011 Radio Broadcasts on Classical 102.1 KDFC

San Francisco Opera’s radio broadcast series on Classical 102.1 KDFC continues in the new year with a host of new broadcasts of San Francisco Opera productions recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House and airing on Classical 102.1 KDFC on the first Sunday of each month at 8 p.m. Popular KDFC radio announcer Dianne Nicolini serves as program host, offering lively introductions to each opera along with accompanying facts and plot synopses.

The Winter-Spring 2011 broad- cast series began on Sunday, January 2 with Verdi’s Egyptian masterpiece Aida, conducted by San Francisco Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti. The celebrated cast included soprano Micaela Carosi as Aida, a signature role that she has sung around the world to great acclaim, tenor Marcello Giordani in his role debut as Radames, V erdian mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick as Amneris, baritone Marco Vratogna as Amonasro and baritone Hao Jiang Tian as Ramfis.

The Classical 102.1 KDFC broadcast series continues on February 6 with Massenet’s Werther, featuring renowned lyric tenor Ramón Vargas in the title role opposite acclaimed mezzosoprano Alice Coote as Charlotte; a special General Director’s Choice broadcast on March 6 celebrating David Gockley’s fifth anniversary at the helm of San Francisco Opera; Mozart’s eternally popular comedy The Marriage of Figaro on April 3, with a cast headlined by dazzling lyric soprano Danielle de Niese as Susanna, captivating young bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni as Figaro, soprano Ellie Dehn as Countess Almaviva and Lucas Meachem as Count Almaviva; and Puccini’s tragic tale of colliding hearts and cultures, Madama Butterfly, starring soprano Svetla Vassileva as Cio-Cio-San alongside tenor Stefano Secco as Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton, Daveda Karanas as Suzuki and baritone Quinn Kelsey as Sharpless, on May 1.

Launched in 2007 under the leadership of General Director David Gockley, San Francisco Opera’s
partnership with Classical 102.1 KDFC marked the return of regular San Francisco Opera broadcasts to Bay Area radio after a then-absence of 25 years. San Francisco Opera radio broadcasts are also distributed nationally and internationally through a partnership with the WFMT Radio Network in Chicago.

For more information about San Francisco Opera radio broadcasts, please visit sfopera.com/broadcasts