The San Francisco Opera has just co-commissioned an opera (that's already been written) about the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Along with the Seattle Opera, "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs" will premiere this July at the Sante Fe Opera's open-air summer stage in the foothills of New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The opera was composed by composer and electronica DJ (!) Mason Bates and written by librettist Mark Campbell.
By underwriting the opera, San Francisco and Seattle have both locked down a guarantee to produce the show here and in Washington State. The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University is also a producer of "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs."
"This is not an opera about technology, although it will be the highest technology production that we've ever done," said Charles MacKay, general director of the Santa Fe Opera. "It is an opera about relationships, and it is an opera about human frailties. He could be a very difficult man."
The production, directed by Kevin Newbury and designed by scenic artist Victoria "Vita" Tzykun, is expected to be included in the San Francisco Opera's 2019 - 2020 season.
It remains unclear if audience members will be asked to turn their phones off during performances of "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs."
