LA Opera Gala Concert, a Farewell and a Milestone
/By Truman C. Wang
4/27/2026
Photo credit: LA opera
On Friday, April 24, I attended LA Opera’s Farewell Gala Concert for its retiring Music Director James Conlon. It was a double-celebration of Mr. Conlon’s 20th year with LA Opera and the company’s 40th anniversary. The 7:00pm concert was preceded by an invitation-only cocktail reception on the second floor (Stern Hall) of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and followed by a gala dinner at 9:30pm on the stage with the maestro himself.
Each half of the concert began with a video of Mr. Conlon’s career overview and congratulatory messages from his colleagues (including, surprisingly, Placido Domingo!) In a prior interview, Mr. Conlon admitted he’s “not going anywhere” and will continue his various projects, including the critically-acclaimed “Recovered Voices” that brought back forgotten works by composers such as Zemlinsky and William Grant Still. In his program article, Mr. Conlon argues eloquently for concert opera (as opposed to staged opera), and that “opera and classical music share a common DNA.” In my 20-plus years of living in LA, one of the musical highlights was hearing Mr. Conlon conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a Mendelssohn program. He was that rare conductor equally at home in a concert hall as in an opera house.
Mozart, Verdi and Wagner comprised the musical program, with an engaging cast of mainly LA Opera’s young artists in training. Rather than a hit parade of favorite arias and musical numbers as in most such gala concerts, we heard complete scenes from three operas – two of which (La Forza del Destino, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg) have never been seen in LA.
Verdi’s La Forza was represented by a heavy scene from Act 3 with Alvaro and Carlo, and a light scenes from Act 4 with Preziosilla and the Opera Chorus. Baritone Ernesto Petti as the vengeful but noble Carlo, mezzo-soprano Sarah Saturnino as the spunky fortune teller aka army brat, and Stuart Clark’s memorable clarinet solo (in Alvaro’s aria) were among the musical highlights.
After intermission, the temperature dropped from scorching to sparkling. Mozart's Act 2 finale from Figaro is one of opera's great comic moments – even without the benefit of a full staging with a closet, a broken planter, etc. – an ever-expanding ensemble of lies and misunderstandings that, in the right voices and conductor, feels like a controlled avalanche. Nicole Heaston's Countess was vocally sumptuous; Vinicius Costa did capable double-duty as gardener Antonion and Dr. Bartolo; Hyungjin Son’s Count revealed a promising young baritone with voice, presence, and an incisive way with words. The LA Opera Orchestra played for maestro Conlon with enthusiasm and brilliance.
Saving best for last, Wagner’s Meistersinger Act 3 heard Martin Gantner’s distinguished baritone in the role of Sachs, the cobbler-poet who renunciates love to let youth have its day. Miss Heaston returned as Eva, bringing charm and radiance of timber to the Quintet. Nathan Bowles showed real Wagnerian heft as prize song winner Walther. Yuntong Han’s legato singing as David was sweet and pleasing. In the final pages, the LA Opera Chorus swelled fully and richly, together with the vital orchestral playing bringing to conclusion a most special, historic evening at the Dorothy Chandler.
Truman C. Wang is Editor-in-Chief of Classical Voice, whose articles have appeared in the Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, other Southern California publications, as well as the Hawaiian Chinese Daily. He studied Integrative Biology and Music at U.C. Berkeley.