San Diego Opera General Director Previews 2019-2020 Season

David Bennett talks about ‘Aida,’ puppets, dētour

Monday, October 21, 2019

Credit: Photo courtesy of Tim Matheson Photography

Above: A scene from San Diego Opera's "Hansel and Gretel."

The 2019-20 San Diego Opera season debuted with "Aida" over the weekend.

San Diego Opera's General Director David Bennett has been with the company since 2015. Over the years he has instituted innovative programs such as "dētour" to present opera in new ways to different audiences, and tried to make opera more accessible to a broader community.

As we enter a new opera season he said, "I feel very good. We are in a very good place, sort of, institutionally. We're in very good shape financially, which is a good place to be having that sort of pressure off your shoulders is wonderful. And we have a very exciting season artistically."

Reported by Beth Accomando , Video by Roland Lizarondo

"Aida" is not the only main stage production that is taking a "detour" from conventional approaches.

"We have a beautiful 'Hansel and Gretel' that actually involves really magical and fantastical puppetry elements," Bennett said. "So it'll be very family friendly, very engaging but also very beautiful."

"Aida" continues with three more performances through Sunday.

KPBS Midday Edition Segments podcast branding

The 2019-2020 San Diego Opera season opened with "Aida" over the weekend. General Director David Bennett previews the upcoming season.

Aired: October 21, 2019 | Transcript

Beth Accomando
Arts & Culture Reporter

opening quote marks closing quote marks I cover arts and culture, from Comic-Con to opera, from pop entertainment to fine art, from zombies to Shakespeare. I am interested in going behind the scenes to explore the creative process; seeing how pop culture reflects social issues; and providing a context for art and entertainment.