The Return of Ulysses Opening Night Benefit Performance

Presented By The Modern Art Council

The Return of Ulysses (Il Ritorno d'Ulisse)

An opera by Claudio Monteverdi
Directed by William Kentridge
Revival directed by Luc de Wit
Produced by Pacific Operaworks, Seattle
Musical direction by Stephen Stubbs
Featuring the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Performance begins promptly at 8:00 p.m.
Late seating will not be permitted.

Valet parking
Cocktail attire
Performed in Italian with English supertitles; 100 minutes

Homer's Odyssey is brought to vivid life in William Kentridge's restaging of this classic Monteverdi opera. Set in mid-20th-century Johannesburg, The Return of Ulysses combines sublime music and libretto with Kentridge's animated charcoal drawings and life-size wooden puppets, bringing the audience face to face with the power of myth. The performance is presented in conjunction with the exhibition William Kentridge: Five Themes, on view at SFMOMA March 14 through May 31, 2009.

The Modern Art Council is hosting an opening night benefit performance of the opera on March 25 to raise funds for SFMOMA's exhibitions and public programming. Mingle at a pre-show cocktail reception, then be among the first to see this spellbinding production in its San Francisco debut.

Schedule
5:30 p.m. Cocktail reception Circolo 500 Florida Street San Francisco
7:30 p.m. Doors open for performance Project Artaud Theater 450 Florida Street San Francisco
8:00 p.m. Performance begins Late seating will not be permitted

Tickets

To purchase tickets, please contact the Modern Art Council at 415.618.3263 or email mac@sfmoma.org.

Tickets are available at three levels
Grand Benefactor sponsorship: $750 each One ticket to the opening night cocktail reception and performance One ticket to an exclusive reception with William Kentridge and SFMOMA Curator of Media Arts Rudolf Frieling on March 5, 2009 Premier Grand Benefactor seating at the performance Premier credit listing in the program An invitation to a private viewing of William Kentridge: Five Themes Capacity is limited; tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Benefactor sponsorship: $500 each One ticket to the opening night cocktail reception and performance Preferred Benefactor seating at the performance Preferred credit listing in the program An invitation to a private viewing of William Kentridge: Five Themes
Patron sponsorship: $350 each One ticket to the opening night cocktail reception and performance
Tickets will be held at the door.

Tickets are available at three levels

Grand Benefactor sponsorship: $750 each

One ticket to the opening night cocktail reception and performance
One ticket to an exclusive reception with William Kentridge and SFMOMA Curator of Media Arts Rudolf Frieling on March 5, 2009
Premier Grand Benefactor seating at the performance
Premier credit listing in the program
An invitation to a private viewing of William Kentridge: Five Themes
Capacity is limited; tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Benefactor sponsorship: $500 each

One ticket to the opening night cocktail reception and performance
Preferred Benefactor seating at the performance
Preferred credit listing in the program
An invitation to a private viewing of William Kentridge: Five Themes

Patron sponsorship: $350 each

One ticket to the opening night cocktail reception and performance

Tickets will be held at the door.

The Modern Art Council

For nearly 75 years, the Modern Art Council and its predecessors have raised critical funds to support SFMOMA’s mission as a leading institution of modern and contemporary art.

Modern Art Council President
Dolly Chammas

Honorary Committee
Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein
Donald and Doris Fisher
Mimi L. Haas
Steven and Nancy Oliver
Chara Schreyer and Gordon Freund
Mary and Harold Zlot

Event Chairs
Candace M. Cavanaugh
Peggy L. Newton

Event Committee
Deborah Allyce-Miller
Linda Cooperman
Denise Day
Nancy Eslick
Linda Falvey
Marilyn Hayes
Heather N. Hutchinson
Raha Jamalian-Hershey
Nicole Lopez
Denise Nathanson
Jan Newman
Gayle Nicoletti
Lita Sam-Vargas
Lisa R. Sebastian
Kathleen Smythe
Susan Lentini Stewart
Sharon Tama

Sponsors

William Kentridge: Five Themes is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Norton Museum of Art. Generous support for the exhibition is provided by the Koret Foundation. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

The San Francisco presentation is made possible by generous support from Doris and Donald Fisher, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, and Nancy and Steven H. Oliver.

The Return of Ulysses is made possible by generous support from the Koret Foundation, Doris and Donald Fisher, the Mimi and Peter Haas Fund, and Nancy and Steven H. Oliver. Virgin America is the official airline of this production.

Support for Live Art at SFMOMA is provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

Major support for the opening night of The Return of Ulysses is provided by KPMG LLP.

Additional support is provided by Peggy and Willis Newton.

Special thanks to our wine sponsor, Napa Valley Vintners.

Hours + Directions San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

151 Third Street between Mission + Howard Streets San Francisco, California 94103 USA