4th Annual Opera in the Amphitheater

4th ANNUAL OPERA IN THE AMPHITHEATER: A Celebration Of A Love For Opera

Opera anyone? Fun for the Whole Family! Free admission event: a celebration of our love for opera with an emphasis on outdoor performances of famous songs of the opera, with community activities nurturing opera education.

WHEN: 4 pm to 6 pm, Saturday, Sept 12, 2026

WHERE: Hamilton Amphitheater located at 500-598 Hamilton Pkwy, Novato, CA 94949.

TICKETING: This is a FREE event; $20 donation tickets is requested or RSVP to reserve your spot.

On Eventbrite: https://hamilton-opera-2026.eventbrite.com

MUSIC: 2026 Digital Program (Coming Soon)

PROGRAM PLAN:

1st Set - Tribute celebrating 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini

2nd Set - Tribute celebrating Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 270th Anniverary

WHO'S INVITED

Anyone! The event will have opera Italian food, entertainment, opera trivia prizes & games, and the performance will be freely open to the all.

TIMING

3:00 PM - Arrival at Hamilton Amphitheater. Parking on at the Hamilton Theater parking lot.) There will be fun for the kids with opera education, trivia games and face painting.

3:30 PM - Grab your favortie seat or bring a picnic basket and blanket and sit in the grass area, "or" bring your favorite picnic chair to place in the amphitheater terraced seating area. We will have chairs for those who forget their chairs or are unable to tote chairs. Cheers!

4:00 PM - Iniziare lo spettacolo! Opera introduction and live performances.

4:50 PM - After the first 45 minute set, we will convene for a raffle and a complimentary snack.

6:00 Close out second set with encore.

PARKING

Please park at the Hamilton Theater parking lot “or” the parking lot near the old Hamilton Gym at 503 Palmer Drive "or" the Hamilton Landing Hangers. Please do not park in any of the grass or unmarked areas which is not permitted as it damages the turf and irrigation.  THANK YOU!

Parking Handout >

COMPLMENTARY SNACKS

Complimentary snack will possibly include Italian sweets and a bubbly beverage for all to enjoy! Fun Fact: The first biscotti, often referred to as Biscotti di Prato, was created in 14th-century Tuscany in the city of Prato and were made from almonds, which were abundant in the region. Because the second baking drew moisture out of the biscuit, it rendered the biscotti hard, sturdy and, importantly, resistant to mold.​

BACK STORY ON HAMILTON FIELD: Nearly 100 Years

​The Hamilton Theater was built and opened on July 12, 1932, where top-flight talent and famous artists visiting the Base like Abbott and Costello (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello), entertained the troops and their families through a live performing arts show or film, offering a reprieve from the stresses of wartime life.

BACK STORY ON OPERA

Opera was born at the end of the 16th century, as an initiative of a circle of scholars (the Florentine Camerata) who, discovering that Ancient Greek theater was sung, had the idea of setting dramatic texts to music. Thus, Jacopo Peri created Dafne (1597), followed by Euridice (1600), by the same composer.

SPONSORS

This event is sponsored by Hamilton Arts Foundation. Many thanks to the generous funding by the Fenwick Foundation in 2023 & 2024 and the Golden Gate Opera's partial contribution in 2023, 2024, & 2025.

Also a special thanks to our current sponsors:

• Grimani Sound Systems (exceptional sound equipment)

• The J-B Piano Company (for their rental contribution of an exceptional grand paino; discounting our cost to only the moving and tuning)

• Novato Park & Recreation (for their annual community sposnorship of the Amphitheater Park)

• Hamilton Field Museum (for their annual contribution of chairs and tables)

• Traders Joe's Market Novato (for their annual contribution of flowers for the singers)

• Safeway Hamilton (for their annual contribution for cookies/bubbly water)

• San Francisco Ballet (for raffle - 2 tickets)

• San Francisco Opera (for raffle - 2 tickets)

• SF Musuem of Modern Art (for raffle - 2 tickets)

• and ALL the volunteers to walk flyers, volunteering their time to promote and host this annual event.

VOLUNTEERING OR MORE INFO

Please contact: Laura van Galen, Email: hamiltonartsfoundation@gmail.com | Tel: (415) 717-4466

2026 ARTISTS

Richard Alexandre Rittelmann, baritone, from Paris, France, belongs to the new promising generation of opera singers, laureate of many international competitions. He is a charming and exuberant performer, and leaves audiences addicted to his flare. Video >

Deborah Rosengaus, mezzo soprano, is known for creating unforgettable characters and delivering high-energy, emotionally resonant performances. She has graced renowned stages across the globe.

Shawnette Sulker, colotura soprano,has been described as a singer “…displaying a bright, superbly controlled soprano with perfectly placed coloratura.” Video >

Raeeka Shehabi-Yaghmai, lyric soprano, is noted for her versatile, strong, and sensitive vocal presence. She has transitioned from a successful mezzo-soprano career to lyric soprano roles like Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly) and Violetta (La Traviata). She is acclaimed for interpreting Persian folksongs and her work with orchestras and opera companies.

Lucas Levy, lyric tenor, is admired by The New Yorker for his “vocal and emotional warmth.” American tenor Lucas Levy is known for his voice of burnished gold, his “rich dark voice” opening into a ringing top capable of both “enormous” high notes and pianissimi like thread through the eye of a needle. From his early career as a character tenor, Levy has performed the expanse of the tenor repertoire on 3 continents, now arriving at the most exciting lirico-spinto roles in Italian, French, and German.

Jerry Kuderna, accomplished music director and pianist, performs widely in the Bay Area and is a favorite soloist with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Video >

PAST SINGERS

Many Thanks! In 2023, Joseph Raymond Meyers, a.k.a. ”Joe”, tenor, Aléxa Anderson, soprano, in 2024, Eric Levintow, tenor and Loris Willis, mezzo-soprano, and in 2023-2025, Lila Khazoum, coloratura soprano, Rachel Walters Steiner, Mezzo-Soprano, Claudio Santome, tenor - all highly sought after singers.

RAFFLE FUN

SF Opera: Matinee 2PM showing for 2: $244 value

SF Ballet: 2 tickets for 2024 Repertory Season in January – April 2027 valued at $200.

SF Musuem of Modern Art: 2 guest passes valued at $60.

And more coming...

Please note: Tickets the day of the event will be $5 for 1, $10 for 2 and $20 for 5.

​(Hamilton Arts Foundation is compliant with the California Department of Justice Registrar of Charities for raffling, #CT0300696 and #RF0018179)

DIRECTIONS

IMPORTANT: There are some chairs available, but mostly just spaces to place chairs.

Going North: Take Hwy 101 north to the Nave Drive exit in Hamilton, Novato CA 94949. Turn right onto Main Gate Rd. Continue to the Hamilton Theater parking lot across the street from the MOCA. Please park here. If the parking lot is full, overflow parking is at Hamilton Landing at the end of S Palm Drive. Walk along S Palm Drive to Hamilton Parkway, Turn right on Hamilton Parkway. The Hamilton Amphitheater is a short walk on your right.

Going South: Take Hwy 101 south to exit 459A from US-101 Ignacio Blvd in Hamilton, Novato CA 94949, turn left at overpass light, then the first right onto Nave Dr. Turn left onto Main Gate Rd. Continue to the Hamilton Theater parking lot across the street from the MOCA. Please park here. If the parking lot is full, overflow parking is at Hamilton Landing at the end of S Palm Drive. Walk along S Palm Drive to Hamilton Parkway, Turn right on Hamilton Parkway. The Hamilton Amphitheater is a short walk on your right.

Handicap: There are limited handicap parking spots at the Hamilton Amphitheater and we ask that you use these spots ONLY if you have a handicap placard.

Can't wait to see you!

Videos from 2023, 2024 and 2025. Click here >