Livermore Valley Opera

05/29/2026

This AAPI Heritage Month, Livermore Valley Opera celebrates artists of Asian, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander heritage who have shared their voices, talent, and artistry with our audiences.

In recent seasons, LVO has been honored to feature artists including Sid Chand, of New Zealand Fijian-Indian heritage, who appeared in Così fan tutte; Brad Bickhardt, a Korean-American singer who appeared in La Traviata; and Phoebe Chee, from Singapore, who appeared in Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute.

Opera is shaped by many cultures, languages, traditions, and lived experiences. We are grateful for the artists whose work helps make this art form more vibrant, more human, and more alive.

This month, and always, we celebrate the many voices that enrich our stage and community.

05/27/2026

She's back. Mezzo-soprano Edith Dowd returns to Opera in the Vineyard after bringing down the house last summer. A Curtis Institute graduate who has performed on stages from Santa Fe Opera to New York City Opera, Edith brings a voice you feel in your bones. Catch her live at Garré Vineyard on June 28.

Tickets at lvopera.com. This event sells out every year, so don't wait.

05/21/2026

Some of the most important opera audiences are seven years old.

This past January and February, soprano Hannah Cho, Livermore Valley Opera's 2026 Young Artist, performed in Rossini's The Barber of Seville for thousands of Tri-Valley elementary students across twenty performances. A 45-minute staging. Four professional artists and a pianist. A lot of small hands clapping for opera for the first time.

Hannah came to us by way of the Merola Opera Program, and her residency included English diction coaching with Erie Mills. The Young Artist Performance Program is one of the most joyful parts of what we do, and it's where the next generation of opera lovers begins.

05/21/2026

Livermore Valley Opera mourns the loss of our friend and colleague, Limmie Pulliam. We are grateful he sang his first fully-staged OTELLO with LVO in March, 2022.

He was a wonderful artist and a gentleman in every sense of the word. He will be sorely missed. LVOpera sends our sincerest sympathy to his family, friends, and all those fortunate enough to have experienced his artistry.

We are deeply saddened to share that dramatic tenor and Oberlin Conservatory alum Limmie Pulliam ’98 has died at the age of 50. A gifted artist whose late-career rise led to acclaimed appearances at the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and with major orchestras worldwide, Pulliam inspired countless musicians through both his voice and his story of resilience.

Trained at Oberlin with renowned voice professor Richard Miller, he later returned often to campus to perform alongside our students—including a powerful performance of R. Nathaniel Dett’s “The Ordering of Moses” with the Oberlin Orchestra and choirs at Carnegie Hall, and of Rhiannon Giddens’ and Michael Abels’ “Omar” at Oberlin and in Cleveland. Limmie is remembered as an extraordinary musician and a generous, warm presence in the Oberlin community.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, classmates, and all who were moved by his artistry. His Oberlin family will miss him profoundly.

Read more about Limmie Pulliam ’98 and his life in music in this article: https://www.oberlin.edu/news/tenor-limmie-pulliam-98-who-sang-stages-worldwide-dies-50

05/13/2026

A generous anonymous donor is matching new gifts dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, through July 31. If you're a new donor or it's been a while, your full gift is doubled. Current donors that increase their gift will have the increase matched.

Learn more: https://lvopera.com

05/06/2026

Tickets are on sale now for Opera in the Vineyard on June 28 and August 16th at Garré Vineyard & Winery.

Join Livermore Valley Opera for a summer evening of wine, dinner, live opera, musical theater, and a la carte songs performed right at your table.

It is elegant, joyful, and just the right amount of drama. As opera should be.

Reserve your spot today.

https://lvopera.com

05/05/2026

Livermore Valley Opera’s own Erie Mills is featured in this TV30 segment, sharing about LVO’s 35th anniversary year, our mission to bring professional opera to the Tri-Valley, educational outreach for children, and the joy of Opera in the Vineyard.

Catch Erie at the 6:48 mark.

04/29/2026

"Art is the signature of civilizations." Beverly Sills

Beverly Sills was one of America's great sopranos, and a fierce believer that opera belonged to everyone. Thirty-five years ago, a group of Tri-Valley neighbors believed the same thing, and Livermore Valley Opera was born.

We're still here. Still telling stories that have moved audiences for centuries, on a stage just down the road from yours.

This spring, a generous anonymous donor is matching every qualifying gift dollar for dollar, up to $100,000, as part of our 35th Anniversary Matching Challenge. New donors get their full gift matched. The campaign runs through July 31.

If you believe the arts belong here, this is a beautiful moment to say so. https://livermorevalleyopera.com/match

04/23/2026

Our 35th Anniversary Season begins this October. Artistic Director Erie Mills shares a first look at the two Puccini works coming to the Bankhead stage: Suor Angelica and La Fanciulla del West. Two stories. One season we've been waiting 35 years to tell.
Tickets on sale June 1st
🔗https://lvopera.com

04/16/2026

This is Avery Boettcher as Violetta in our production of La Traviata, singing "Amami, Alfredo." Love me, Alfredo. Love me as much as I love you.

She sings this knowing she's about to walk away from the man she loves. This is her goodbye.

Happy World Voice Day. This is what the human voice can do. This is what happens on our stage.

04/11/2026

Tickets go on sale May 1

Picture this: a warm evening, a glass of wine, your favorite people, and live performances of beloved arias, duets and even showtunes drifting through the vineyard air.

Opera in the Vineyard returns June 28 and August 16 at Garré Vineyard & Winery, and this is your sign to start planning something special.

Bring a picnic. Bring friends. Or just bring yourself and enjoy an evening that feels a little magical and a lot memorable.

Set your reminder. These evenings tend to sell quickly.

🎟 Tickets available May 1
📍 Garré Vineyard & Winery