Classical music fans are about to experience a great fall season, with operas, symphonic works, new music, and enduring favorites. Here are some of the upcoming highlights.
“Rigoletto”: The day after San Francisco Opera’s opening night Opera Ball, the company opens its fall revival of “Rigoletto.” Last performed by the company in the 20-21 season, Verdi’s thrilling drama is directed by Jose Maria Condemi; music director Eun Sun Kim conducts, and the cast features baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat, who wowed audiences in last fall’s “Un Ballo in Maschera.” Enkhbat returns to sing the title role, with Adela Zaharia as Gilda and J’Nai Bridges as Maddalena.
Details: Sept. 5-27; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; $36-$344; sfopera.com.
Opening Night Gala: On September 12, the San Francisco Symphony welcomes the always-dazzling pianist Yuja Wang, who joins conductor Jaap van Zweden and the orchestra in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1; the program also includes John Adams’ “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” and Respighi’s “Pines of Rome.” More highlights: Sept. 13 brings Edwin Outwater conducting Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group for a celebration of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass; and Sept. 26-28 marks the return of conductor Donald Runnicles, leading mezzo-soprano Irene Roberts and the orchestra in Berg’s “Seven Early Songs.”
Details: Performances at Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $55-$499; sfsymphony.org.
“Così fan tutte”: Opera San Jose opens its 42nd season with Mozart’s giddy comedy about attraction, fidelity, and compatibility, with performances at the opulent California Theatre. The excellent tenor Alek Shrader, most recently seen in San Francisco Opera’s production of “Idomeneo,” makes his directorial debut in this new production conducted by music director Joseph Marcheso.
Details: Sept. 14-28; California Theatre, San Jose; tickets stars at $63.50; operasj.org.
“Dead Man Walking”: San Francisco Opera has a bold lineup built to attract audiences this season, with “Rigoletto,” “Parsifal,” and “The Monkey King” waiting in the wings. But “Dead Man Walking,” by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally, is another can’t-miss main attraction. Based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, the opera made history in its 2000 world premiere by this company; since then, it’s been staged more than 70 times world-wide, making it the most performed new American opera. It returns for its 25th anniversary, conducted by Patrick Summers with a first-rate cast starring Jamie Barton, Ryan McKinny, and Susan Graham.
Details: Sept. 14-28; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco; tickets $29-up; sfopera.com.
“Uncharted”: Just as Jake Heggie’s opera is winding down across the bay, the excellent countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, accompanied by pianist John Churchwell, will be singing a program that includes Heggie’s settings of three poems by Margaret Atwood. Works by Florence Price and Clara and Robert Schumann will round out the program.
Details: 8 p.m. Sept. 27; Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley; $73-$78; calperformances.org.
“Baroque Queens”: Festival Opera’s Summer Salon series has already presented programs of Baroque works and American classics. The company’s September event, titled “Bel Canto Forever: Famous Duets for Virtuosic Voices,” features music by Rossini, Bellini, and others, sung by soprano Shawnette Sulker and contralto Sara Couden with company leader Zachary Gordin on piano accompaniment.
Details: 4 p.m. Sept. 28; Piedmont Center for the Arts, Piedmont; $45-$90; festivalopera.org.
Live from Paris: The North American premiere of “Red Carpet” brings the Paris Opera Ballet to Berkeley in a dazzling don’t-miss work by Hofesh Shechter – featuring Chanel costumes — performed in its North American premiere in one of only two U.S. cities this fall. 7:30 p.m.
Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 2-3, 2 p.m. Oct. 4; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; tickets start at $55; calperformances.org.
“Masquerade”: Symphony San Jose opens its 24th season with conductor Nathan Aspinall leading performances of Anna Clyne’s “Masquerade,” Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” and Rachmaninoff’s “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini”; award-winning pianist Jon Nakamatsu is the soloist.
Details: 7:30 Saturday Oct. 4; 2:30 Sunday Oct. 5, California Theatre, San Jose; $35-$115; 408-286-2600; symphonysanjose.org.
Ólafsson times three: The brilliant Icelandic pianist Vikingur Ólafsson, Cal Performances’ 2025-26 Artist in Residence, will appear in three of the organization’s events, beginning this fall. In October, he starts his residency with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra in a program featuring Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor” Concerto, and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major; he’ll also perform Beethoven piano sonatas in a solo recital in April.
Details: 8 p.m. Oct. 18, 3 p.m. Oct. 19 7:30 p.m. April 29, 2026, Zellerbach Hall, U.C. Berkeley; check for tickets; calperformances.org.