After working--Opera Houses

The thing highest in my brain right now is retirement. The other day I read about a man who intended to visit every Starbucks and have a cup of coffee. His personal best was 29 in one day, but he said it made him feel a little nauseous.

So I was thinking I could visit all the opera houses/opera companies on earth one at a time. I wonder how long it would take? How many years would it take me to buy tickets to Bayreuth, for instance? I have already been to:

• San Francisco Opera--my home for most of my adult life.
• Metropolitan Opera--where I have seen Forza and Turandot.
• New York City Opera--where I saw a very nice Rosenkavalier.
• Ulmer Theater--where I worked.
• Zurich Opera--where I go to see Cecilia.
• Rome Opera--where I saw La Cenerentola.
• Wienerstaatsoper--where in one week I saw Zauberfloete and Freischuetz.
• Deutsche Oper Berlin--where Janis Martin used to sing.
• Houston Opera--where I went for the Mozart bicentennial.
• Washington National Opera--where I saw Licitra.
• The Opera Theater at Indiana Univrsity where I saw Die Walkuere with Margaret Harshaw.

I saw Rudolf Nureyev and the Royal Ballet at the Seattle opera. Does that count?

I have also visited several semi-professional companies around the Bay Area--Palo Alto, Sacramento, etc. where I did reviews for SFCV. This is what made me realize I didn't want to do regular journalism.

This list is pretty pathetic. I would have a long way to go. I would want to see some Eurotrash, a Henze opera, other new things. This is starting to sound like fun.

P.S. 2007.  I have added:

• Glimmerglass for 400 years of opera.

P.S. 2008.  I have added:

• Sacramento Opera, 
• Santa Fe Opera, 
• Royal Opera House Covent Garden, 
• English National Opera, 
• LA Opera  
• Arena di Verona
  

to this list.

P.S. 2009  I have added the

• Bayerische Staatsoper where I went to see Lohengrin..

P.S. 2010. I have added:

• the Baths of Caracalla for Aida.
• Paris Bastille for Werther 
• Paris Garnier for Idomeneo

P.S. 2013  I have added:

• Portland Opera, 
• Grosse Festspiel Haus Salzburg and 
• Haus Fuer Mozart Salzburg.  This means I went to Salzburg to see Norma.

P.S. 2014  I have added

• Opera St. Louis, 
• La Fenice in Venice and 
• Opera di Firenze, the new house in Florence.

P.S. 2016  I have added

• Komische Oper Berlin.