Members Only! Join the Club

Admit it, you’ve always wanted to be a Maestro, an Impresario, or a Wandering Minstrel. Perhaps a Pirate King or even a Grand Poo-Bah? Or perhaps you have your sights set higher – President, CEO, or Chairman of the Board. Thanks to Lyric’s many levels of giving opportunities, you have the chance to attain one of these exalted titles, no matter the size of your donation.

Lyric is committed to providing outstanding musical theatre performances while keeping ticket prices at an affordable level, so that the performing arts may be enjoyed by all San Diego’s citizens. This has been especially difficult over the past two years, as the recession has hit everyone hard. Attaining our goals is only possible with the help of our loyal supporters. We welcome your help!

If you’re already a Member, please renew your membership, if you haven’t already. If you’re not a Member, you can become one when you purchase tickets or a subscription. There are other ways to help, but Membership is the best way to show your commitment to musical theatre in your community.

There are, of course, perks and benefits among the various ways we show our gratitude for your support. These begin at a $50 donation level, and the sky’s the limit from there. But let’s get real – you won’t donate to Lyric for a free coffee in the lobby or a chance to have your photo taken with a tenor. You’ll donate because you believe in what we’re doing and you want to help. Everything else is icing on the cake. (Mmm… cake.)

It’s easy to become a Member or make a donation. All the levels, details, and benefits can be seen here.

Online donations by credit card are safe and secure with payment processing via PCCharge. To donate by check, please make your check payable to Lyric Opera San Diego and mail to
2891 University Avenue, Ste. 1
San Diego, CA 92104. You can also donate by phone using a credit card:
call 619-231-5714, ext. 110.

For information on Underwriting Opportunities or Endowment contributions, please call our Development Director, Pamela Arnold at 619-231-5714, Ext. 108 or email pparnold@cox.net.

All donations are 100% tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Tax ID 95-3426868.

A Constellation of LOSD Stars Take the Stage in 2010 Season

Have you renewed your Lyric Opera subscription yet?

Just in case you needed more motivation, here are some casting tidbits from next year’s shows. We think you’ll see some of your LOSD faves in this list!

Benjamin Robinson made his LOSD debut as Frederic in last season’s fabulous Pirates of Penzance and we couldn’t wait to bring him back, so you’ll enjoy him as Gastone in Gigi alongside our own J. Sherwood Montgomery as Honoré (the Maurice Chevalier role) and Laura Bueno (last seen as Hope in 2009’s Anything Goes in the delightful title role of Gigi!

Another Pirates debut last year was the wonderful bass Ashraf Sewailam as the Pirate King. We’re bringing him back in The Barber of Seville as Don Basilio, and the beauteous Emily Douglass (last seen in Daughter of the Regiment, 2008) returns as Rosina. Robert Boldin gets to let his hair down as Count Almaviva, after pouring out his suffering on stage as Henrik in last season’s A Little Night Music. Our own Walter DuMelle will crack you up as Doctor Bartolo.

As the dashing leads Marco and Giuseppe in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Gondoliers, Benjamin Robinson steps in again, well matched with Jordan Miller (Mr. Lindquist from last season’s A Little Night Music). These two are definitely easy on the eyes AND ears!

Oodles of talent and decades of experience will collide on stage in Fiddler on the Roof as our own Leon Natker as Tevye, Broadway star Jimmy Ferraro as Lazar Wolf, and LOSD’s hometown girl Fan Hartshorn as Golde. Another reason to cheer: alumni from our Summer Academy will fill children’s roles in both Gigi and Fiddler on the Roof. With all this to look forward to, what are you waiting for? Renew or buy your subscription today.

Ready to Set Sail?

Now’s the time to book the best seats for your 2010-11 season renewal!

If you’re a current LOSD subscriber, first of all, THANK YOU and we love you more than ice cream with chocolate sauce. Second, if you have already received your season subscription renewal packet, we want you to know that NOW is the best time to renew or improve your seats, before season subscriptions go on sale to the general public!

Let us remind you what delights are in store as we take you around the world on a musical journey next season: Gigi in Paris; The Barber of Seville in, er, Seville; The Gondoliers in Venice and/or Venice Beach; and finally Fiddler on the Roof in the Russia of old. What a trip to make with our exciting musical theatre and opera performers, our live orchestra, and our wonderful chorus, all in the spectacular Birch North Park Theatre. So click here and make sure your seats are in first class for this theatrical trip of a lifetime!

Priti Gandhi Prepares for Her First Solo Recital

Still basking in the glow of “A Little Night Music,” we barely have the time to catch our collective breath before our next exciting event: our dear friend, Priti Gandhi, gives her first ever solo recital at the Birch North Park Theatre on March 6.

We’ve known Priti since she was a wee babe, or at least it feels that way. She’s as close to a San Diego native as most people ever get – born in Mumbai, India, but raised in Del Mar since the age of 2. Her combination of gorgeous voice, determination, winning personality, and wholesome beauty helped her establish an opera career any young singer would be proud of. And now, to our great delight, she’s chosen to give her first solo recital at our very own theatre, accompanied on the piano by another fabulous friend of ours, Nicolas Reveles.

We asked Priti what inspired her in creating the program for the recital, which will include songs from and about her native India as well as her adopted homeland of the United States and the European opera tradition.

“I created this recital with a desire I've had for a few years. When I started singing, I became curious about what kind of relationship there might between some sort of Indian influence and Western classical music,” said Priti. “There ARE no Indian operas per se, and the style of opera is completely different in technique and background than that of Indian classical music... but there had to be a place where the two met. And since I am a product of both cultures, I decided to start scouring the Western classical music spectrum for any hints of such a fusion.

“What I found was a hidden but definite influence of Indian culture and poetry on various composers and art song cycles through the years... hidden, but it's there! Getting my hands on some of the music was a challenge, but I've been collecting it for about five years now. Finding recordings of some of these pieces was even more challenging.

“The result is a recital that is part Indian, part American... a program that is a fusion of two different backgrounds. I wanted this recital to reflect who I was... and I think I have found that. Not only in the music that appealed to me, but its background, the lyrics, the settings-- all of it.

“All of the music is Western classical music, but the first half is called INDIA.... there are song cycles with poetry by Rabindranath Tagore, arias from operas with Indian characters, and the like. I found so much material that choosing what to use was quite difficult! This half reflects my background, my culture, and the upbringing I learned in my Indian home. It also speaks to how I have seen my birth country from thousands of miles away. The second half is called AMERICA, and in this set, I chose pieces that rang true to my upbringing here in America, lyrics that spoke to my childhood, and songs that reflected what being an American meant to me.”

Priti Gandhi in Recital is Saturday March 6 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $40: http://www.birchnorthparktheatre.net or (619) 239-8836.