Opera Parallèle
| Ticket Information Regular Price: $50 - $145 Group of 8+: 15% Discount Supported Access*: $40 *Reduced rate for students, seniors, and community members. Choose this rate if standard ticket pricing creates a financial barrier for you or your family—no proof or explanation required. Available for Orchestra Rear and Balcony Rear seats. Ticket prices include all fees. March 14, 1:30 P.M. Pre-show Haptic Tour and Live Audio Described Performance for the Blind and Visually Impaired, provided by Gravity Access Services Run Time: 1 Hours, 50 Minutes (Including Intermission) Reserved Seating |
West Coast Premiere
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Composer Joby Talbot • Librettist Gene Scheer
Reorchestration by Ben Foskett
Chamber Orchestration Commissioned by Opera Parallèle
Presented in collaboration with YBCA
What remains when everything else is taken away?
A single blink opens a world of memory, imagination, and connection. Following the acclaimed success of Everest, Opera Parallèle reunites with composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer for the West Coast premiere of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Based on the extraordinary true story of French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby, this profoundly moving opera follows a man whose body is paralyzed but whose inner life remains boundless. Communicating by blinking one eye, Bauby finds a way to share his story—and reclaim his voice.
A new chamber orchestration by Ben Foskett draws audiences closer to Bauby’s world, where memories take flight and human connection breaks through isolation.
Nicole Paiement conducts, with direction and concept design by Brian Staufenbiel. An internationally acclaimed cast features Jarrett Porter alongside Sasha Cooke and Richard Croft, returning to the roles they created, in this profoundly moving opera that is a testament to resilience, imagination, and the enduring power of human connection.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Composer Joby Talbot • Librettist Gene Scheer
Reorchestration by Ben Foskett
Chamber Orchestration Commissioned by Opera Parallèle
Presented in collaboration with YBCA
What remains when everything else is taken away?
A single blink opens a world of memory, imagination, and connection. Following the acclaimed success of Everest, Opera Parallèle reunites with composer Joby Talbot and librettist Gene Scheer for the West Coast premiere of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.
Based on the extraordinary true story of French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby, this profoundly moving opera follows a man whose body is paralyzed but whose inner life remains boundless. Communicating by blinking one eye, Bauby finds a way to share his story—and reclaim his voice.
A new chamber orchestration by Ben Foskett draws audiences closer to Bauby’s world, where memories take flight and human connection breaks through isolation.
Nicole Paiement conducts, with direction and concept design by Brian Staufenbiel. An internationally acclaimed cast features Jarrett Porter alongside Sasha Cooke and Richard Croft, returning to the roles they created, in this profoundly moving opera that is a testament to resilience, imagination, and the enduring power of human connection.
About Opera Parallèle:
Born in San Francisco—a city defined by the intersection of tradition and technology—Opera Parallèle (OP) merges tradition with innovation to reimagine the power of opera in the modern world. Led by Founding Artistic Director and Conductor Nicole Paiement and Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, OP champions the work of living artists, as we present cutting-edge productions by today’s leading composers. Collaboration is at the heart of every OP production, with creative interdisciplinary partnerships highlighting stories of social relevance that explore the depth and breadth of the human condition. We embrace rituals of old while bravely finding space for the new.
For more information, visit operaparallele.org