Another unforgettable experience!

Just wrapped SF Opera's third annual 'Encounter' experiential event, this time exploring the world of Bizet's "Carmen". The evening was totally sold out, and absolutely buzzed with an overwhelmingly special energy.

The Encounter concept I developed and have led for the last three years continues to drive new audience generation in target segments, and this year's event was no exception with the majority of attendees stepping foot in the opera house for the very first time. We've seen significant conversion to core product sales and discrete fundraising opportunities as a result.

Opening with a slice of fully-produced opera, and continuing with a highly immersive, deeply social, and fully Instagrammable lobby experience rooted in the balance of the story, Encounter is a replicable format that puts an entirely new opera-centric product on the shelf.

Focusing on "Carmen" this year raised unique creative challenges. How to make a fun environment around source material that contains heavy and sensitive topics? The event should be provocative for the right reasons (playfully subverting expected opera house norms, for example), and not offensive for the wrong ones.

My answer: partnerships. I'm the most proud this year of the coalition of local, highly experienced partners that we built. These treasured relationships resulted in a cohesive, authentic set of experiences for the audience.

Carol Queen PhD, of Good Vibrations (and two-time Grand Marshal of SF Pride), guided guests in exploring the positive excitement that can come from the very ropes audiences have seen this opera's characters tussle over for 150 years. Hayes Valley neighbor Dark Garden Unique Corsetry dared guests to truly feel the power one can derive from being bound in a finely made corset. The tender sweetness of the opera's more pious moments were manifested SF-style by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Inc who spread their vital brand of joy, acceptance, and love throughout the building (but especially on the mezzanine level where we turned boxes into confessionals). Entertainers from Red Hots Burlesque/Present Progressive Events invited everyone to become characters in the opera themselves, telling fortunes, co-creating meaningful letters from home, leading raucous toreador promenades, among other activations inspired by the opera's timeless story.

And the list goes on. San Francisco at its best, with a dream team rounded out by the always fabulous DJ Juanita MORE!, gorgeous event design by Dianna Cavagnaro, florals/decor by Zaddy Blooms, casino games by 21 Fun - Casino Night Event Rentals, custom food and cocktails by Global Gourmet Catering, and a world-class group of artists, artisans, craftspeople, stagehands, staff, and volunteers from San Francisco Opera, expertly managed by my incomparable colleague Ellen Presley.

So proud of this company, and this city, for boldly giving the world beautiful new ways to encounter life.