The great gold curtain of the War Memorial Opera House rises on the San Francisco Opera's Opening Night Gala celebrating its 97th season this week.

It's best to get this out of the way first. Comparing Alex Lahey to fellow queer Aussie Courtney Barnett is almost unavoidable.

In this, our second week of the Fall Arts Preview, we offer surveys of what's coming up in Bay Area Theatre, Art Galleries, the San Francisco Opera, Film, and lesbian-created Pop Music this fall.

Ben Platt may wind up becoming the gay Barbara Streisand, meaning a multiplatform superstar. He is one of only a handful of male Broadway musical stars this century to branch out into TV and movies.

The San Francisco Symphony knows how to throw a classy party. Opening night 2019-20 approaches, and expectations, not to mention ticket sales, are running high for the celebration of Michael Tilson Thomas' 25th and final season as Music Director.

This week begins our modest effort to offer a Fall Preview in the Arts & Culture pages. In this issue find previews of the fall season in Bay Area art museums, at the San Francisco Symphony, in Film, TV, Poetry and Prose.

Instead of returning to campus this fall, the Merola Opera Program class of 2019 has already graduated from the organization's prestigious "summer school." A recent "commencement" concert at the War Memorial Opera House presented the 29 young artists.

Challenged by production costs, complicated site procurement, and a problematical performance space, West Edge Opera Festival 2019 can still be called a success.

There aren't a lot of musicians who have a backstory as fascinating as Jenny Lewis'.

"H.M.S. Pinafore" sailed into Walnut Creek earlier this month, beginning a run of four weekend dockings in the Bay Area. San Francisco's famous Lamplighters Music Theatre raises the mainsail on Gilbert & Sullivan's perennial favorite.

Soak and Marika Hackman, two queer women who made indelible impressions with their previous albums, deliver on that promise and then some.

It's all-too-obvious how Antonio Salieri's 1787 opera "Tarare" could tickle the fancy of a politically inclined present-day director.

On August 29 and September 5, we'll present our annual two-part Fall Arts Preview issues. From the museums and galleries, to local theatre, -- our fall arts preview editions will cover it all.

It looks like 2019 is going to be a good year for out R&B artist Rahsaan Patterson. His song "Tears Ago" is one of the few highlights on Dionne Warwick's new studio album, her first in five years.