It’s hard to imagine taking on a San Francisco icon like Harvey Milk, and maybe harder still to imagine it being done via opera. But that’s just what San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle did this spring—with help from SFCM. 

Milk remains one of the most iconic San Francisco politicians ever: The first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, his advocacy for SF's LGBTQ community earned him the nickname "The Mayor of Castro Street" for the famed neighborhood. Tragically, Milk—along with then-Mayor George Moscone—was murdered by former city supervisor Dan White in 1978. 

The Conservatory’s New Music Ensemble Director Nicole Paiement is also founder and General and Artistic Director of Opera Parallèle (OP), which celebrated their 15th anniversary season this year, culminating in a performance of Harvey Milk Reimagined, an opera by composer Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie. And naturally, she wanted to bring some SFCM friends along for the ride. 

OP was, in its early days, strongly tied to SFCM, and Paiement makes sure to maintain that bond by involving SFCM students in OP productions. “We love to help young professionals get their wings,” she says, “like Nikola Printz, whom we gave their first gig.” Because of the two organizations’ shared history and SFCM’s deep roots in the city, Paiement says, “This was our 15th anniversary so we thought that this is a project that we could really celebrate that relationship, so we've made a big point of trying to find mostly people who have graduated, many alumni and invited them either to our chorus or opera.” 

Joshua Choi (viola, ‘25) and Tony DeLousia (‘25, Voice) were in the show’s orchestra and chorus, respectively. “Harvey Milk has been such an incredible project to work on,” DeLousia says. “It’s a moving piece, and I’m grateful to share the stage with so many talented performers to tell this story.”

Choi added that the piece has special resonance for him. “As a queer musician living in SF, it has been an honor to be a part of this amazing project that is so integral to both the LGBTQIA+ community as well as San Francisco. I really appreciated the care and dedication invested into this project to accurately and respectfully depict the life of Harvey Milk.”

'Harvey Milk Reimagined' at Opera Parallèle (Credit: Cory Weaver).

OP programmed Harvey Milk Reimagined in 2020, on the occasion of Milk’s 90th birthday, but plans fell through because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five years later, "We at OP are honored to be able to tell Harvey's story through the art form he loved so deeply—opera," the company's Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel says. "One purpose of art is to celebrate human dignity, human struggle, and the endless power of love."

Catherine Cook in 'Harvey Milk Reimagined.' (Credit: Cory Weaver)

One such source of love in Milk’s life—and a powerful influence on his Jewish identity—was his mother Minerva, played in this production by SFCM’s Chair of Voice and Opera Studies, Catherine Cook, making her fifth appearance with OP.

“We are so happy to be doing this show in this moment, as Harvey’s message is more important than ever right now,” Cook says. “He was such a hero and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for all human rights. Honoring his legacy is truly an honor, and to tell his story in San Francisco during Pride month is so meaningful.”

In the opera, Harvey’s mother appears to him as a spirit or ghost in his mind. She warns him to watch out for golems, mythological creatures in Jewish folklore. “The opera explores so much about Harvey’s life, including coming out and what that meant to the relationship of Harvey with his mother,” Cook adds.

Other SFCM faculty involved in the production included Director of SFCM’s Musical Theatre Workshop Michael Mohammed as choreographer and alumni Jaco Wong (PSC in Conducting, ‘22) as assistant conductor. Cook’s student Jordan McCready (‘25) already has their next gig lined up after Reimagined: She’s off to Opera Colorado as their Young Artist Mezzo-Soprano this fall.

Catherine Cook and SFCM alumni and students in 'Harvey Milk Reimagined.'

“One of the things that I love to bring to the Conservatory is my passion for new music,” Paiement says. “That's one of our big responsibilities as artists—to make sure that we are continuing to build a repertoire. So to be able to bring these students and alumni—many of whom have at one point performed in the New Music Ensemble and have fallen in love with it—into a space where new music tells stories and expands with other art forms… I find it completes sort of the experience that I was able to start with them at the Conservatory, so I enjoy that very much.”

Learn more about studying voice and opera at SFCM or the Conservatory’s New Music Ensemble.