San Francisco Opera opens Massenet's 'Manon' with Edris and Pati

San Francisco Opera opened its new production of Jules Massenet's 'Manon' at the War Memorial Opera House on 15 October 2026, with Egyptian-New Zealand soprano Amina Edris in the title role opposite her husband, Samoan tenor Pene Pati, as the Chevalier des Grieux. The staging, conducted by music director Eun Sun Kim, re-imagines Abbé Prévost's 18th-century heroine in a sepia-toned belle-époque Paris and Louisiana swamp, and had its first run of six performances through 2 November. Edris, who grew up in Cairo and Christchurch, was praised by Bay Area critics for a silvery lyric line and a dramatic unravelling in the Saint-Sulpice scene; Pati's ringing 'Ah, fuyez douce image' drew mid-aria applause. The production marks the first time the Pati-Edris couple have led a complete opera for the company and is a central event in San Francisco Opera's season, which is also showing new co-productions with Dutch National Opera.