San Diego Opera's 2026–27 Season: Three Operas, Nine Nights, and a $36 Ticket

Overview

Here is the thing almost nobody realizes about San Diego Opera, and it changes how you plan your year around it.

Each production runs exactly three performances. Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday matinee. That's the whole run. There is no "I'll catch it next weekend," because there is no next weekend — the next opera is months away.

Rigoletto opens Friday, October 23. After Sunday afternoon it's gone, and the next production is in February.

So this is a calendar article more than a review. Three operas, nine performances, spread across six months at the San Diego Civic Theatre, each one performed with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra in the pit.

And the second thing worth knowing, which is the real story for a lot of people reading this: if you're under 30, the balcony is $36. Not a promotion, not a lottery — a standing program. More on that below, because it's the single best-value ticket in downtown San Diego and it isn't sold online.

The 2026–27 Season

All three productions are at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue.

Rigoletto — Giuseppe Verdi (libretto by Francesco Maria Piave)

• Friday, October 23, 2026 · 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, October 24, 2026 · 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, October 25, 2026 · 2:00 p.m.
• Conducted by Yves Abel, directed by Christopher Mattaliano
• Approximately 2 hours 35 minutes, including one intermission
• Sung in Italian, with English and Spanish translations projected above the stage

Susannah — Carlisle Floyd (music and libretto)

• Friday, February 12, 2027 · 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, February 13, 2027 · 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, February 14, 2027 · 2:00 p.m.
• Conducted by Yves Abel, directed by Patricia Racette
• Approximately 2 hours 5 minutes, including one intermission
• Sung in English — with English and Spanish text projected anyway. If opera in a language you don't speak is the thing stopping you, this is your entry point. It's also the shortest of the three.

The Marriage of Figaro — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte)

• Friday, April 2, 2027 · 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 3, 2027 · 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, April 4, 2027 · 2:00 p.m.
• Conducted by Gary Thor Wedow, directed by Stephen Lawless
• Approximately 3 hours 18 minutes, including one intermission — the long one. Plan the evening around it.
• Sung in Italian, with English and Spanish projected

The Ticket Most People Don't Know About

Gen O — if you're under 30.

• $36 for Premier Balcony, or $76 for Preferred Mezzanine at the Civic Theatre
• It is not sold online. You have to call Patron Services at (619) 533-7000
• Bring ID — proof of age is required, and the tickets are non-transferable

$36 is less than most touring concerts at a fraction of the venue. The fact that it's phone-only is almost certainly why it goes underused.

Other ways in:

• Military — 25% off individual tickets, 50% off season tickets. Valid military ID, limit two tickets per ID. Covers active duty, Reserve and National Guard.
• Overture, for ages 25–45. A $150 annual membership that gets you $60 tickets in select locations, plus a pre-show reception at 6:30 p.m. before Saturday performances at the Civic.
• Groups of 10 or more — 20% off, and no ticket fees. (Facility fees still apply.)
• Student groups of 10 or more — $36 per student, middle school through college. Accompanying adults get the regular 20% group rate.
• Three-opera subscription packages start at $159, and subscribers save up to 20% off single-ticket prices, with no-fee exchanges.

Go 50 Minutes Early

There's a free 25-minute talk before every single performance, in the auditorium, included with your ticket. It's led by Michael Gerdes.

• 6:40 p.m. before evening performances
• 1:10 p.m. before matinees

If it's your first opera, this is the most useful 25 minutes available to you — you get the plot, the context and what to listen for, before the lights go down. It costs nothing and most people skip it.

There are also post-opera talk-backs after the Saturday and Sunday Rigoletto performances (October 24 and 25), immediately after the show, in the Dress Circle.

What You Need to Know

• Venue: San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue, downtown San Diego — 2,967 seats
• Tickets: (619) 533-7000, Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., or tickets@sdopera.org
• Buy from the company or Ticketmaster only — San Diego Opera states these are the only authorized sellers, and warns about third-party vendors
• Lobby opens 6:30 p.m. for evening performances, 1:00 p.m. for matinees. The security entrance opens 90 minutes before
• Security screening is required
• Start times are firm. Latecomers wait in the lobby until a break or the first intermission
• Concessions are card or mobile only. No cash

Parking:

• Evan V. Jones Parkade, First Avenue and A Street — 1,150 spaces, $15 for evening and weekend events. Height limit 6 feet 8 inches, so tall vehicles need a different plan
• Valet at Third Avenue and B Street, opening 90 minutes before curtain — $25 if bought in advance from the Opera. On-site is credit card only

Free, and Not at the Civic

Two free 45-minute concerts at the San Diego Central Library (Neill Morgan Auditorium, 330 Park Blvd):

• Making Merry: A Holiday Celebration — Tuesday, December 1, 2026, 6:00 p.m.
• American Voices — Tuesday, February 2, 2027, 6:00 p.m.

Both are free but require a reservation, and seating is limited. Call (619) 533-7000.

Why It's Worth It

Opera has a reputation problem that the three-performance format quietly solves. You are not committing to a season or a subscription or a lifestyle. You're committing to one evening, with a live symphony orchestra, in a 2,967-seat room downtown, with the words projected above the stage in two languages so you always know what's happening.

If you're under 30, that evening costs $36 — one phone call away.

And if you want the gentlest possible entry: wait for Susannah in February. American composer, sung in English, two hours and five minutes. No translation to read, no three-hour commitment, and it lands on Valentine's weekend.

For more of what's on, browse our full event calendar.