October 23–25, 2026 | San Diego Civic Theatre
October 23–25, 2026
San Diego Civic Theatre
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
Conducted by Yves Abel
Making jokes is what Rigoletto does for a living, serving as court jester to the predatory Duke of Mantua. But the joke may be on him when one of his jests enrages Count Monterone, the father of the Duke’s latest victim, unleashing a curse with dangerous consequences for Rigoletto and his beautiful daughter Gilda.
Packed with spectacular arias like “La donna è mobile,” “Caro nome,” and the stunning quartet “Bella figlia dell’amore,” Verdi’s sublime tale of betrayal, sacrifice, and revenge will hold you spellbound from start
to finish.
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Michael Chioldi
Rigoletto
“A powerful, virile and dramatic voice. His Rigoletto gave me goosebumps!”
~ Le Nous Cultura
Michael Chioldi
Rigoletto
San Diego Opera Highlights: Masetto in Don Giovanni.
Recent and Upcoming: Title role in Falstaff (Pittsburgh Opera, Palm Beach Opera); Title role in Rigoletto (The Metropolitan Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Vancouver Opera, Irish National Opera); Germont in La traviata (Palm Beach Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Seattle Opera); Amonasro in Aida (The Metropolitan Opera); Tonio in Pagliacci (Seattle Opera); Donner in Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera); Alvaro in Florencia en el Amazonas (The Metropolitan Opera); Title role in The Flying Dutchman (Utah Opera); Marcello in La bohéme (Seattle Opera).
Madison Leonard
Gilda
“As Gilda, Leonard commanded both delicate filigree and remarkable vocal heft.”
~ Bachtrack
Madison Leonard
Gilda
San Diego Opera Debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Violetta in La traviata (Garsington Opera); Frasquita in Carmen (The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Idaho); Adina in The Elixir of Love (Garsington Opera); Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice (The Dallas Opera); Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance (Opera San Antonio, Utah Opera); Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro (Boston Lyric Opera, Utah Opera, The Dallas Opera); Musetta in La bohéme (The Atlanta Opera); Juliette in Roméo et Juliette (Central City Opera); Leila in The Pearl Fishers (Austin Opera); Despina in Così fan tutte (Palm Beach Opera); Marie in The Daughter of the Regiment (Utah Opera); Gilda in Rigoletto (The Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Austin Opera); Chrisann Brennan in The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Austin Opera); Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Garsington Opera).
Jose Simerilla Romero
The Duke
“As the Duke, Romero was a major discovery. He commands a sizable tenor voice with a dark glow reminiscent of Domingo and Carreras in their youthful prime.”
~ South Florida Classical Review
Jose Simerilla Romero
The Duke
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Alfredo in La traviata (Theater Basel, Komische Oper Berlin, Festival Internacional de Santa Lucia, Bregenzer Festspiele, English National Opera, Nederlandse Reisopera); Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly (Teatro Municipal de Santiago, Dorset Opera); Rodolfo in La bohéme (Semperoper Dresden, Teatro Massimo Di Palermo, Staatsoper Hannover, Nederlandse Reisopera, Grand Tetons Music Festival); Ildemaro in Dalinda (Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam); Cavaradossi in Tosca (HNK Split Opera); Lensky in Eugene Onegin (Staatsoper Hannover); Nemorino in The Elixir of Love ((Staatsoper Hannover); Laërte in Hamlet (Komische Oper Berlin); Prince Gwidon in Zar Saltan (Staatsoper Hannover); Chevalier de la Force in Dialogues des Carmélites (Staatsoper Hannover); Jaquino in Fidelio (Los Angeles Philharmonic ); the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto (Florida Grand Opera, Daytona Symphony).
Peixin Chen
Sparafucile
“[They] hit the jackpot with Peixin Chen. He possesses the gift of an impossibly deep and stentorian bass — perfectly suited to the role of Sparafucile.”
~ La Scena Musicale
Peixin Chen
Sparafucile
San Diego Opera Highlights: Basilio in drive-in The Barber of Seville.
Recent and Upcoming: Timur in Turandot (The Metropolitan Opera, The Atlanta Opera); Bonze in Madama Butterfly (Metropolitan Opera); Supreme Lord Laozi in The Monkey King (San Francisco Opera); Sparafucile in Rigoletto (San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Lyric Opera of Kansas City); Sarastro in The Magic Flute (The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Houston Grand Opera, The Atlanta Opera); Colline in La bohème (Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Philadelphia); Alaska Joe in Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Festival d’Aix en Provence); Dr. Dulcamara in The Elixir of Love (Florida Grand Opera, Washington National Opera); Doctor Bartolo in The Barber of Seville (Cincinnati Opera, Houston Grand Opera); Basilio in The Barber of Seville (San Francisco Opera); Bartolo in The Marriage of Figaro (Houston Grand Opera, Beijing National Center for the Performing Arts, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra).
Guadalupe Paz
Maddalena
“Her voice carried with a liquid beauty — the quiet luscious closing notes were greeted with an eruption of applause.”
~ Classical Music Daily
Guadalupe Paz
Maddalena
San Diego Opera highlights: Title role in Carmen; Frida Kahlo in El ultimó sueño de Frida y Diego; La Maestra Dele Novizie in Suor Angelica; La Mujer in El milagro del recuerdo; Mercedes in Carmen.
Recent and Upcoming: Maddalena in Rigoletto (Ópera de Bellas Artes); Carlotta de Obragón in Zorro (Opera San José, Fort Worth Opera); Theresa Alvarez in The Listeners (Opera Philadelphia); Zerlina in La traviata (Opera Laguna); Paula in Florencia en el Amazonas (Opera San Jose); La Marchesa Melibea in Il viaggio a Reims (Ópera de Bellas Artes); Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus (Ópera de Bellas Artes); Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri (Ópera de Bellas Artes).
Craig Colclough
Count Monterone
“Craig Colclough was vivid as Monterone, expressing some of the most intense passion of the evening in his appearances. His energy punched up the entire opera.”
~New York Classical Review
Craig Colclough
Count Monterone
San Diego Opera highlights: Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville.
Recent and Upcoming: Sir John Falstaff in Falstaff (LA Opera); Title role in Macbeth (Theatro Municipal de São Paulo); Gerhard in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (The Metropolitan Opera); Parson/Badger in The Cunning Little Vixen (Des Moines Metro Opera); Baron Scarpia in Tosca (Seattle Opera); Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress (Opera Omaha); Comte Capulet in Roméo et Juliette (LA Opera); Alberich in Götterdämmerung (Tiroler Festpiele Erl); Der Holländer in Der fliegende Holländer (Göteborgsoperan); Alberich in Siegfried (Omroep Muziek); Leporello in Don Giovanni (LA Opera).
MORE CAST »
Joseph Calzada
Fiorello
Joseph Calzada
Fiorello
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Doctor Grenville in La traviata (Opera San José); Morales in Carmen (Gulfshore Opera); Masetto in Don Giovanni (Livermore Valley Opera); 2nd Armoured Man in The Magic Flute (Opera San José); Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte (SFCM Opera Theatre); British Major in Silent Night (Wolf Trap Opera); Title Role in Gianni Schicchi (SFCM Opera Theatre); Barone Douphol in La traviata (Festival Opera); Zoroastro in Orlando (SFCM Historical Performance); Belcore in The Elixir of Love (Greek Opera Studio); Fiorello in The Barber of Seville (IU Opera Theater).
Phil Johnson
Ambrogio
Phil Johnson
Ambrogio
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Artistic Director and founder of The Roustabouts Theatre Co., directing Master Class, True West, Looped, Hand to God, and Savoyard Murders. He’s acted at most San Diego theaters and in numerous original solo shows and ensemble roles in Les Misérables on Broadway and tour; Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard; and 1st National Co. of Miss Saigon.
Yves Abel
Conductor
"One has to say it very clearly and often. The presence of Yves Abel in the pit is a luxury. The work that Abel realizes with each new appearance is intense and the results impeccable from start to finish."
~La Nueva España
Yves Abel
Conductor
San Diego Opera Highlights: San Diego Opera Principal Conductor, 2020-present. Conductor – The Daughter of the Regiment; Pagliacci; Madama Butterfly; Carmen; Roméo et Juliette; Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi; Don Giovanni; Salome; La traviata, The Barber of Seville.
Recent and Upcoming: Chief Conductor – Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, 2005 to 2021; Principal Guest Conductor – Deutsche Oper Berlin, 2005 to 2013; Conductor – Carmen (Royal Sweden Opera, Wiener Staatsoper); Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 (Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur); Roméo et Juliette (Canadian Opera Company); Turandot (Savonlinna Opera Festival); Dialogues des Carmélites (Teatro Regio Turin); La Damnation de Faust (Opernhaus Zürich); La fille du régiment (London’s Royal Opera Covent Garden); Armida (Rossini Opera Festival).
Christopher Mattaliano
Director
"There was much to admire in Christopher Mattaliano’s staging, especially in how effectively he used minimal sets and props."
~Parterre Box on Pagliacci
Christopher Mattaliano
Director
San Diego Highlights: Director for Pagliacci.
Recent and upcoming: Stage Director – La bohème (Yale School of Music); Il trovatore (Opera Colorado); Tosca (New Orleans Opera); Anna Bolena (The Academy of Vocal Arts); The Barber of Seville (Cincinnati Opera, The Dallas Opera, Portland Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre); Rigoletto (Opera Colorado, Portland Opera); Pagliacci (Portland Opera); The Magic Flute (Washington National Opera, Portland Opera); Cinderella (Portland Opera); Candide (Arizona Opera); Macbeth (New Orleans Opera); Falstaff (Portland Opera).
Scenic Design
Tim Wallace
Lighting Design
Jason Bieber
Costume Design
Mathew LeFebvre
Hair and Makeup Design
Peter Herman
Resident Conductor/Chorus Master
Bruce Stasyna
Assistant Director
Nicolas Garcia
Costume Director
Christine Joly de Lotbiniere
Intimacy Director
Sierra Pia
Fight Director
Ben Cole
Diction Coach
Emanuela Patroncini
Stage Manager
Peter Nictakis
Supertitle Caller
Abigail Allwein
Assistant Stage Managers
Laurel McIntyre
Emily Holter
Musical Preparation
Bruce Stasyna
Production Assistant
Lia Bernhardi
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