February 13 – 15, 2026 | San Diego Civic Theatre
February 13 – 15, 2026
San Diego Civic Theatre
Music by Gioachino Rossini
Libretto by Cesare Sterbini
Conducted by Yves Abel
Directed by Chuck Hudson
Rossini’s hilarious prequel to Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro was considered a must-see long before Bugs Bunny brought its frenetic overture to an even larger audience. Count Almaviva is in love with the beautiful Rosina, but how can he get past her paranoid and greedy guardian, Dr. Bartolo? Enter the charismatic, quick-witted barber Figaro, who will stop at nothing to play matchmaker for his lovesick friend. Filled with side-splitting hijinks, mistaken identities, and some of the most popular opera music ever written, this Barber will have you rolling in the aisles before you leave humming Rossini’s infectious tunes.
Dean Murphy
Figaro
“His superb baritone gave real heft to the slick and natty Figaro.”
~Bachtrack
Dean Murphy
Figaro
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Albert in Werther (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Prince Yeletsky in Pique Dame (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Der junge Herr in Der Protagonist (Teatro La Fenice); The King’s Herald in Lohengrin (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Figaro in The Barber of Seville (Royal Danish Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin); Marcello in La bohème (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Araldo in Macbeth (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Lord Enrico Ashton in Lucia di Lammermoor (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Marchese D’Obigny in La traviata (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Morales in Carmen (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Marco in Il tabarro (Deutsche Oper Berlin); Silvio in Cavalleria rusticana (Deutsche Oper Berlin).
Minghao Liu
Count Almaviva
“His instrument has tonal warmth which he employs with consummate legato.”
~Voce di Meche
Minghao Liu
Count Almaviva
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and Upcoming: Title role in Le comte Ory (Merola Opera Program); Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville (Opera Omaha, Gulfshore Opera, Frost Opera Theatre); Il Cavaliere Belfiore in Il viaggio a Reims (Opera Philadelphia); Tenor in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (Savannah Philharmonic); Tancredi in The Leopard (American Opera Project); Alfred in Die Fledermaus (Opera in Williamsburg).
Stephanie Doche
Rosina
“Her velvety mezzo-soprano voice and beautiful stage presence make for an excellent Rosina.”
~onStage Pittsburgh
Stephanie Doche
Rosina
San Diego Opera Highlights: Suzuki in Madama Butterfly.
Recent and Upcoming: Angelina in La Cenerentola (Fort Worth Opera); Sesto in La clemenza di Tito (Washington Concert Opera); Title role in Carmen (Tulsa Opera, Opera Memphis); Rosina in The Barber of Seville (Indianapolis Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Gulfshore Opera); Piacere in Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Opera NEO); Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri (St. Pete Opera); Title role in Ariodante (Opera NEO); La Muse in Les Contes d’Hoffman (Opéra Louisiane); Narciso in Agrippina (Florida Grand Opera); Maddalena in Rigoletto (Florida Grand Opera); Eunice Hubbell in A Streetcar Named Desire (Florida Grand Opera); Romeo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi (Teatro Nuovo).
Patrick Carfizzi
Don Bartolo
“He’s one of a handful of singers we reply upon. He’s the luxury casting the Met is capable of.”
~Peter Gelb, The Metropolitan Opera
Patrick Carfizzi
Don Bartolo
San Diego Opera highlights: Dr. Bartolo in The Barber of Seville; Major-General Stanley in The Pirates of Penzance; Henry Kissinger in Nixon in China.
Recent and Upcoming: Don Bartolo in The Barber of Seville (San Francisco Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago); Sheldon Anapol in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (The Metropolitan Opera); A Sacristan in Tosca (Boston Symphony Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera); Title role in Don Pasquale (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Donna Agata Scannagali in Viva la Mamma (Florentine Opera); Don Basilio in The Barber of Seville (Opera Theatre of Saint Louis); Leporello in Don Giovanni (Boston Baroque); Fra Melitone in La forza del destino (Müpa Budapest, The Metropolitan Opera); Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte (The Metropolitan Opera); Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte (Tanglewood).
Craig Colclough
Don Basilio
“An inordinately strong voice—he delivers lengthy arias effortlessly!”
~Luxembourg Times
Craig Colclough
Don Basilio
San Diego Opera debut.
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 »
Felipe Prado
Gastone
Felipe Prado
Gastone
Tenor Felipe Prado made his Company debut as Remendado in 2019’s Carmen¸ and returned to sing the Second Villager in the world premiere of El último sueño de Frida y Diegoand Padre Matias in El milagro del recuerdo. Notable appearances include Spoletta in Tosca with Guild Opera, Borsa in Rigoletto and Gastone and Giuseppe in La traviata with Antelope Valley Symphony Orchestra and Master Chorale, Tamino in The Magic Flute with Ridgecrest Opera Guild, and Alfredo in La traviata with Pacific Lyric Association. He has been a featured soloist for the concert Opera Highlights with the California Philharmonic Orchestra. As an active member of multiple professional ensembles such as the California Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale he has had the great honor to perform in great venues such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Warner Grand Theater, The Santa Anita Race Track, and the UCLA’s Royce Hall. In 2010 he joined the AVC Concert Choir and Master Chorale and took part in many concerts in a wide range of repertoire. In 2013 he started collaborating with several groups in Los Angeles area, such as the Pacific Palisades Symphony, Los Angeles Lawyers Philharmonic and Legal Voices among others. He also became part of the California Philharmonic Chorale as a chorister under the baton of Victor Vener and vocal direction of Marya Basaraba, and the Golden State Pops Orchestra.
Travis Sherwood
Baron Douphol
Travis Sherwood
Baron Douphol
San Diego Opera debut.
American Baritone, Travis Sherwood, has received praise for his powerful voice and emotionally poignant performances around the world as an opera singer, concert artist, and recitalist, performing a wide range of musical genres and styles.
On the operatic stage, Sherwood has sung for Amarillo Opera, Mississippi Opera, Aspen Opera Theater, Opera a la Carte, Princeton Festival, Bohème Opera, Spoleto Festival USA, and Opera New Jersey. On the concert stage, Sherwood has performed with the La Jolla Symphony, Southwest Symphony, Chatter Orchestra, Hunterdon Symphony, Symphony of the Vines, Canto Bello Chamber Orchestra, Monroe Symphony Orchestra, and La Sierra Symphony Orchestra. Sherwood has also enjoyed many collaborative recitals with distinguished pianists throughout the world.
Beyond performing, Sherwood enjoys teaching the next generation of singers. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Voice, Voice Area Coordinator, and Director of SDSU Opera Theatre on the faculty of San Diego State University.
DeAndre Simmons
Marchese D'Obigny
DeAndre Simmons
Marchese D’Obigny
Company appearances: Sciarrone in Tosca (2023), The Bonze in Madama Butterfly (2024)
American bass, DeAndre Simmons. Notable appearances: Amonasro, Aida (Portland Opera in the Park); Oroveso, Norma (NJ Verismo Opera); Padre Guardiano, La Forza del Destino (Atlantic Opera Festival); Alidoro, Cenerentola (Opera Philadelphia); Carbon, Cyrano (Opera Philadelphia); Soloist, Mozart Requiem (Santa Barbara Symphony); soloist, Beethoven Ninth (Santa Barbara Symphony); Boatman, Sunday in the park with George (CCAE Theatricals); soloist, Verdi Requiem (London Symphony); Caiaphas, Jesus Christ Superstar (Moonlight Theatre); soloist, World Childhood Fdn for HM Queens Silvia of Sweden; Recital, Die Winterreise (Chicago, NYC, LA, Berlin, Paris, London); soloist, Handel’s Messiah (Grand Junction Symphony); Ferrando, Il Trovatore (Astoria Music Festival); soloist, Haydn’s The Creation (Bar Choral Society & London Symphony); Grand Inquisitor, Candide (LA Philharmonic); Cal, Regina (Pacific Opera Victoria); Sarastro, Die Zauberflöte (Opera Panama); Recital, (Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris)
IG: @DeAndresVoice
Michael Sokol
Doctor Grenville
Michael Sokol
Doctor Grenville
Company appearances: Sergeant of Police in The Pirates of Penzance (2017), Ensemble, All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (2018); soloist, When I See Your Face Again (2021); Maestro Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi (2023), A Sacristan in Tosca (2023), Mr. Costello in Ghosts (2023).
Notable appearances: Metropolitan Opera; Philadelphia Orchestra; Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago; Frank Lloyd Wright, Shining Brow (Madison Opera); director, San Diego Summer Gilbert and Sullivan Workshop.
Yves Abel
Conductor
"Abel classily leads the Barbiere score with a sparkling sense of rhythm, elegantly accompanying the singers, communicating consistently with the stage, and executing everything with precision."
~L'Ape Musicale
Yves Abel
Conductor
San Diego Opera Highlights: San Diego Opera Principal Conductor from 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.
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).
Chuck Hudson
Director
"Barber of Seville is a witty confection: director Chuck Hudson gives it a new patina. His emphasis on physical busyness is a model true to the extravagant nature of the piece that also enhances the characters."
~Pioneer Press
Chuck Hudson
Director
San Diego Opera debut.
Recent and upcoming: Stage Director – The Barber of Seville (Minnesota Opera, Annapolis Opera); Don Giovanni (Boston Baroque); La bohème (Fort Worth Opera, Florentine Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre); Pagliacci (Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Opera San Jose); Ariadne auf Naxos (Arizona Opera); Don Pasquale (Pittsburgh Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Minnesota Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Arizona Opera); Aida (Opera Naples); Falstaff (Opera Saratoga); Carmen (Knoxville Opera).
Set and Projection Design
Tim Wallace
Lighting Design
Abigail Hoke-Brady
Costume Design
Jess Goldstein
Hair and Makeup Design
Jenn Hill
Resident Conductor/Chorus Master
Bruce Stasyna
Assistant Director
Matthew Haney
Diction Coach
Emanuela Patroncini
Stage Manager
Carmen Catherine Alfaro
Supertitle Caller
Oxana Bulgakova
Assistant Stage Managers
Caitlynn Sandoval
Adrian Speth
Musical Preparation
Catherine Miller
Production Assistant
Holden Fox
Pre-Performance Talk
February 13, 14, and 15
Beat the traffic and get the most out of the performance at a free 25-minute talk in the auditorium 50 minutes prior to each opera performance. It’s a great way to learn about the opera and note what to listen for!
Post-Opera Talk-Back
February 14 and 15
Immediately following the performance on Saturday and Sunday, join us in the Dress Circle seating section for an informative Q&A with San Diego Opera staff and cast members.
Corporate Sponsors
