Opera Parallèle2026 | 2027 Season
Opera Parallèle presents
Salt & Spirit
ZSpace
What do we carry from those who came before us?
A world premiere rooted in the extraordinary musical traditions of the Gullah-Geechee people, Salt & Spirit transforms rare nineteenth-century spirituals into a powerful celebration of memory, resilience, and the stories music keeps alive. Co-created by tenor Victor Ryan Robertson and OP Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel.
YBCA & Opera Parallèle present
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Blue Shield Theater of California at YBCA
Composer Joby Talbot | Librettist Gene Scheer
What remains when everything else is taken away?
A body may be still—but the imagination is boundless. Based on the extraordinary true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a breathtaking opera about resilience, memory, and finding your voice against impossible odds. West Coast premiere.
Opera Parallèle presents
Taking Up Serpents
ZSpace
Composer Kamala Sankaram | Librettist Jerre Dye
How do you leave behind the beliefs that made you?
Making its West Coast debut, Taking Up Serpents is a riveting chamber opera exploring faith, family, and the beliefs that shape us. Featuring a folk-inspired score by acclaimed composer Kamala Sankaram—hailed by The Washington Post as “one of the most exciting composers in the country”—and a libretto by Jerre Dye, the opera follows a young woman’s reluctant return home after her estranged preacher father is bitten by one of his own snakes. With a striking new production directed and conceived by Brian Staufenbiel. Nicole Paiement conducts the new, final version of this exhilarating score.