When San Francisco Opera’s opulent masquerade of Un Ballo in Maschera or A Masked Ball commands the stage this month, it will have another SFCM face among its musicians. 

Ben Brogadir joined the San Francisco Opera Orchestra as the new Oboe/English horn player in August after winning an international audition. In addition to being new to the orchestra, his debut with the opera comes with an enticing English horn solo in Guiseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, “It has been an extremely exciting time to begin my position!” Brogadir said. The emotionally charged opera about unmasked love and inescapable fate had its debut September 6 at the War Memorial Opera House, steps from where Brogadir studied as a student.

It has been a whirlwind few years for Brogadir, who graduated from SFCM in 2020, and has since won positions and played with the Oregon Symphony and Berkeley Symphony. “My time spent studying at SFCM with Eugene Izotov prepared me in countless ways to succeed in the music field,” Brogadir continued. “His guidance not only gave me the skills needed to win multiple auditions, but helped me find my own voice as an artist.” 

For Izotov, it’s thrilling to see his former student find success, “It's always a feeling of immense joy when my students win auditions,” Izotov said. The San Francisco Symphony principal oboist has been on faculty since 2016. “Ben's combination of superb instrumental skills and endless musical curiosity have made him a real force of nature. With Ben's appointment, San Francisco Opera is getting a truly great musician,” he added.

In addition to his part in A Masked Ball, which runs September 6 to 27 at the War Memorial Opera House, the excitement will play on for Brogadir. Later this season, the SF Opera will perform Tristan and Isolde in October: “Wagner's Tristan und Isolde is coming up this season, which contains one of the most incredible parts written for the instrument with the extended off stage solo in the third act of the opera!” Brogadir said. 

Learn more about studying at SFCM.