As Opera Neo enters its 15th season of presenting rarely performed baroque operas with spirited vocal performances by rising professional singers, Founder and Artistic Director Peter Kozma finds himself acutely aware of his nonprofit’s age.
“It’s a strange feeling,” said Kozma, a Hungarian-born San Diego resident. “It is kind of like being a teenager. We certainly have a new sort of confidence. Opera Neo is established and has a very loyal and lovely core audience that we see at each and every performance. These are all great things.
“But yet, we’re still in adolescence, still trying to figure out things. We are hoping to get more established. We want to get a better handle on how to be a nonprofit organization in this city, at this time and in this volatile world. I think we exhibit all the bravado and confidence, yet immaturity of a teenager.
“We are definitely invigorated and excited to be able to continue this journey.”
Each year, Opera Neo holds rigorous auditions nationwide for young artists who are in between completing their degrees and becoming established professionals. Those selected by Opera Neo receive one-on-one coaching, mentorship, professional training and a chance to perform in well-produced shows.
Expanding its season this year, the company will present operas in May, June and July. Kozma will direct all three productions and conduct the Opera Neo Orchestra. Also in July, two concerts will feature the up-and-coming artists of this 15th season.
Here’s and overview of the season which takes place at multiple venues. For tickets and details, call 858-888-2231 or visit operaneo.com.
A scene from Opera Neo’s 2024 production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” at the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park. The company returns to the outdoor venue with the Rossini opera “Il turco in Italia” classic in July. (Gary Payne)
OPERA
Vivaldi’s ‘Arsilda’ – American premiere
Most music lovers know Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons violin concerto, but relatively few are familiar with his fourth opera, “Arsilda, Regina Di Ponto,” written in 1716. With the heroine disguised as her brother and a kingdom’s future at stake, Arsilda is alternately comic and profound.
“Vivaldi was very much a theater guy,” Kozma said. “He had an excellent sense of drama. The word painting of his music is exquisite. I’m not sure why this opera has been neglected, but I’m really hoping that we can help bring this neglected repertoire to life.”
7:30 p.m. May 15 and 16. First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front Street, Hillcrest. $10-$75.
Bertin’s ‘Fausto’ – American premiere
Rarely performed is an understatement for “Fausto,” written by Louise Bertin, a young French woman. Except for three performances in Paris in 1831, her opera wasn’t produced until a recent modern revival in Essen, Germany. This deal-with-the-devil story from a 19th-century female perspective is heightened by a score Kozma calls “raw, visceral, and unfiltered.”
Bertin was 26 when she created “Fausto,” an Italian language libretto based on Goethe’s epic drama, “Faust.” She did so two decades before Charles Gounod wrote his famous opera of the same name.
“It’s quite exciting to hear this opera that preceded the Faust everybody in the opera-loving community knows,” Kozma noted, adding that it will be performed in a venue new to Opera Neo, the Old Town Theatre. “It’s a very different take. The music coming from this woman, who used a wheelchair because she had childhood polio, is so energetic, it feels like she’s running through her music.
“Fausto is very eclectic in terms of musical language. It’s a little bit Mozart. a little bit early 19th-century German magic opera, and a little bit French romanticism. The amalgamation of these very different musical styles is a unique voice. I never heard anything like this. It’s so exciting to hear something so new and unique from back in the 19th century.”
7:30 p.m. June 26, 27. Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs Street, Old Town. $28-$75.
Rossini’s ‘Il turco in Italia’
This witty, playful opera is about the encounter between Selim, a Turkish traveler, and Fiorilla, a free-spirited Italian woman. The satirical comedy mixes laughter with glimpses of cultural and gender divisions, and the tension between personal desire and social expectation. It will be performed outdoors in Balboa Park.
“To perform this core repertoire at Balboa Park’s Spanish Village is a fantastic marriage,” Kozma said. “We really enjoy going back there and meeting audiences where they are. While we rehearse during that week, we meet people who’ve never seen an opera. They just walk by and ask us what we’re doing. And many of them return to see the show. It’s outreach at its best. “Il turco in Italia,” is more well-known, but still somewhat rarely performed.
“It’s a real audience pleaser. It’s going to be great for people who have never seen an opera before in the Spanish Village.”
8 p.m. July 24,25. Spanish Village Art Center, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. $10-$75.
San Diego’s Opera Neo will present two recitals like this one during its 2026 summer music festival, “Aria Gala” on July 12 and “A Night at the Museum ” on July 18. (Opera Neo)
RECITALS
Aria Gala 2026
Each year at this event, Opera Neo highlights the season’s newcomers and veterans. The singers will perform their signature arias, followed by hors d’oeuvres, wine, and dessert with the artists.
6 p.m. July 12. La Jolla Woman’s Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $65-$95.
A Night at the Museum
In honor of San Diego Museum of Art’s centennial and Opera Neo’s 15th anniversary season, carefully curated art songs will be coupled with projections of selected works of art from the museum.
7:30 p.m. July 18. La Jolla Woman’s Club, 7791 Draper Ave., La Jolla. $10-$55.