In a fitting tribute to gay rights icon and activist Harvey Milk, Opera Parallèle will produce a completely new and eagerly anticipated production of Harvey Milk by composer Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie. Newly revised into two acts instead of three, with new music and a tighter cast from its sprawling original Houston Grand Opera premiere in 1995 and San Francisco Opera debut in 1996, this reimagined version of Harvey Milk was originally intended for an earlier Opera Parallèle season, but was delayed by the pandemic.

The powerful and tragic opera celebrates Milk’s enduring legacy and contributions to the nascent LGBTQ+ movement, his early life in New York and relocation to San Francisco, later becoming the first openly gay man in 1978 to be elected to public office in California. Milk served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for 11 months before being assassinated, along with then-Mayor George Moscone, at San Francisco City Hall.

Along with the opera, YBCA is excited to display a unique selection of Milk’s personal artifacts and historical ephemera, in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society. From personal letters to campaign materials to photos from the frontlines of the movement, the display offers additional dimension and detail to Milk’s life and story—and is a powerful complement to the moving and inspiring opera performance.

Presented in partnership with YBCA. Commissioned by Opera Parallèle and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Used by arrangement with Schott Music Corporation, agent for Sidmar Music, publisher and copyright owner.

TICKETS

Blue Shield of California Theater, YBCA
Tickets: $50–188
Young Creatives 30 and Under: $35