Pre-Opera Talks

Nick Ishimaru
MADAME BUTTERFLY
Nick Ishimaru is a co-founder of Kunoichi Productions, a collective of Japanese American performing artists.  He also serves on the Board of Directors of Festival Opera, and the advisory board for Diamond Wave.  He served as the Artistic Director of Theatre of Yugen from 2016 to 2020.  He holds a BA in Performing Arts from Colorado State University, where he directed a kabuki adaptation of Macbeth, a Masters in Drama from San Francisco State University, and did additional doctorate work at the University of Hawaii.
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Peter Susskind
DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN
Peter Susskind was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at the Royal College of Music in London, but has been a resident of the Bay Area since 1989. His has conducted in London, Prague, Seoul and Vienna, as well as all over the USA. He was Assistant Conductor for the Saint Louis Symphony and also Music Director of their Youth Orchestra. He then held a similar position in San Jose. He has led The Nutcracker for the San Francisco Ballet and Children’s Concerts with the San Francisco Symphony and was conductor for the U.C. Berkeley Symphony Orchestra for a period. For 12 years he was Music Director and Conductor of the South Bay Youth Orchestra, which he founded. He was recently Executive Director for the Midsummer Mozart Festival and then Executive Director for Pocket Opera. He is the Artistic Advisor for Noontime Concerts as well as introducing the concerts. He is also a regular pre-performance speaker for both the San Francisco Opera and the Symphony.
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Jessica Bejarano
EL ÚLTIMO SUEÑO DE FRIDA Y DIEGO
Jessica Bejarano is the Founder and Music Director of the San Francisco Philharmonic, Curator and Scholar in Residence with the San Francisco Opera, Assistant Conductor of Opera Parallele and serves as board member of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO). Jessica and the San Francisco Philharmonic have performed with American legendary rock band – Journey and upcoming local rap legend, Nickatina. Jessica is the first woman in history to guest conduct the American Youth Symphony in Los Angeles and was one of twelve female conductors selected from around the world to conduct at the International Women’s Conference in New York City. Jessica has guest conducted in Russia, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, Czech Republic and Valenzuela. Jessica earned her Master of Arts in Orchestral and Choral Conducting from UC Davis, Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Wyoming and Associates of Fine Arts from Casper College.
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