David Bennett has just finished his first year as San Diego Opera's general director, and has yet to reveal the full flavor of his particular brand of programming.
The main stage operas of Rossini's "Cinderella," Verdi's "Falstaff," and Verdi's "La Traviata" were locked in before he came on board. But Bennett is making his mark with a pair of new programs designed to broaden and strengthen San Diego Opera's audience.
One of his innovations is something called dētour. The word is defined as a route that is different from the ordinary, which Bennett said, "aptly describes our new series of productions and works outside of traditional grand opera. Surprising, intense and powerful, dētour combines the expressive nature of opera with the potency of intimate theater."
The other program is Opera On Track and will involve opera being sung at trolley stations in a manner similar to the way Trolley Dances brings dance into a new setting.
Bennett is also interested in exploring new venues ranging from the Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse to the Opera's scenic warehouse and the Point Loma Nazarine outdoor amphitheater.
