Tickets for Dream Opera Premiere and Banquet
As the date (September 10) of the world premiere of the Dream opera draws near, CHFF has been working hard to put together a memorable weekend in San Francisco for attendees.  In addition to working with San Francisco Opera to create a webpage for a flex group online ticket discount to the world premiere performance, CHFF is also presenting a sumptuous banquet for September 9, the evening before the world premiere.  This banquet, to take place at the Hong Kong Flower Lounge in Milbrae, features the following menu:

1. Roasted suckling pig with jelly fish
2. Sauteed sliced conch and scallops with sugar snap peas
3. Deep fried milk / king prawns wrapped with bacon
4. Braised deluxe bird’s nest soup with crab meat
5. Australian #6 abalone and sea cucumber and tender greens
6. Stir fired lobster with ginger and scallions
7. Peking duck with lettuce cups
8. Smoked filet of sea bass
9. Fried rice with dried scallops, egg white and cilantro
10. Dessert: red bean soup or almond jello

Individuals interested in attending both events (ticket buying for the premiere at a group rate and reservations for the banquet) should contact CHFF at [email protected] as soon as possible.  SF Opera expects the world premiere to sell out quickly.

Dream Online Course
To familiarize attendees with the story of Dream of the Red Chamber and its background, the University of Minnesota is creating a new, free, online course on Dream, for opera attendees and the general public.  Ann Waltner, who teaches in the Department of History at the University, is in charge and says, “This online course is free and open to the public.  It will feature segments on the characters in the novel, on the controversies surrounding the text of the novel, commentary to the novel, and adaptations of the novel, including television shows and movies.  A special feature of this course will be attention to early nineteenth century women writers’ responses to the novel and illustrations of the novel.”  This course is hosted on the James Ford Bell Library website and is now live.  Please visit:
http://z.umn.edu/redchamber

There may be an option to take the course for credit (which would of course involve paying tuition). Anyone interested in that possibility should contact Ann Waltner at [email protected].

Dream Lesson Plans
In addition to this online course, the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota is developing study guides that can be used to help secondary school teachers incorporate Dream into their curriculum.  Emily Hanson, who is in charge of this project, says, “These study guides include background information about the novel and focus on three iconic scenes from the novel. Teachers can use these materials to teach stories from the novel, while also using the opportunity to teach about Chinese literature; hierarchy and social structure in 18th century China; and novel-specific topics in Chinese language and culture. Draft versions of one study guide were distributed at the National Chinese Language Conference, held in Chicago from April 28 – 30, 2016. These free study guides will be available at http://confucius.umn.edu/dream/ in August 2016.”

Dream Opera Cast
CHFF is thrilled with these wonderful educational developments and is looking forward eagerly to the Dream world premiere in September.  In addition to an all-Chinese artistic team (Bright Sheng, composer and co-librettist; David Henry Hwang, co-librettist; Stan Lai, stage director; and Tim Yip, set designer), the cast will consist entirely of world-class Asian singers.  For more information please visit:
http://sfopera.com/discover-opera/201617-season/dream-of-the-red-chamber/

Where to Eat
There are many options for dinner before our premiere on Sept. 10.  The most leisurely is of course at Cafe at the Opera right in the War Memorial Opera House itself.  SF Opera also recommends many other restaurants in the surrounding area.  Please visit: http://sfopera.com/plan-your-visit/where-to-eat/

There are also directions for parking and for taking Uber, Lyft or LUXE: http://sfopera.com/plan-your-visit/directions-and-parking/