Press Room

May 12, 2023

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Baritone Brian Mulligan replaces Iain Paterson in the San Francisco Symphony’s performances of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, May 18–20. Paterson has regretfully withdrawn from this program due to visa difficulties.

Conductor Philippe Jordan leads the May 18–20 performances of Britten’s monumental War Requiem, which also features soprano Jennifer Holloway and tenor Ian Bostridge (both in their Orchestral Series debuts) alongside the San Francisco Symphony Chorus and the Ragazzi Boys Chorus.

After Coventry Cathedral was destroyed in World War II, Britten was commissioned to write War Requiem for the consecration of the rebuilt cathedral in 1962. The piece combines texts from the Latin Requiem mass and nine poems about war written by Wilfred Owen. One of Britten’s most extraordinary works, War Requiem demonstrates the composer’s belief in the power of music to communicate and connect while confronting the difficulties of overcoming barriers.

Baritone Brian Mulligan is renowned as an interpreter of classic works by Verdi, Wagner, and Strauss, as well as the most challenging 20th- and 21st-century operas. 

This season he has performed as Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and as Heerrufer in Lohengrin at the Metropolitan Opera. Other recent appearances include Wotan in Das Rheingold with the Vienna Symphony; Don Pizzaro in Fidelio with Irish National Opera; and Jochanaan in Salome, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, and Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande with Dutch National Opera. He also created the role of Jack Torrance in the world premiere of The Shining at Minnesota Opera.

Mr. Mulligan has made numerous appearances at San Francisco Opera, where he has sung the title roles in Sweeney Todd and Nixon in China; Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor; Count Anckarström in Un Ballo in Maschera; and Chorèbe in Les Troyens. Other engagements include the Vienna State Opera, English National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Cleveland Orchestra. He made his San Francisco Symphony debut in January 2017.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Mulligan has been awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant, Sara Tucker Study Grant, George London Award, and first prize at the International Hans Gabor Belvedere Vocal Competition. Early 2022 saw the release of his third solo record, Alburnum, with music by Mason Bates, Missy Mazzoli, and Greg Spears.

CALENDAR EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:

Tickets
Tickets for concerts at Davies Symphony can be purchased via sfsymphony.org or by calling the San Francisco Symphony Box Office at 415-864-6000.

Location
Davies Symphony Hall is located at 201 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.   

Health & Safety Information  
Davies Symphony Hall is currently operating at full audience capacity. Based on the advice of the San Francisco Symphony’s Health and Safety Task Force, a face covering and vaccination against COVID-19 are strongly recommended but no longer required for entry into Davies Symphony Hall. These policies are subject to change. Visit sfsymphony.org/safety for the San Francisco Symphony’s complete up-to-date health and safety protocols.   

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