The Secret Garden is an opera by Nolan Gasser with a libretto (based on the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett) written by Carey Harrison. Commissioned by the San Francisco Opera and presented in partnership with Cal Performances, it premiered on March 1, 2013, at Zellerbach Hall at the University of California, Berkeley.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 1 March 2013 Conductor: Sara Jobin |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Lennox | soprano | Sarah Shafer |
| Colin Craven | a boy tenor | Michael Kepler Meo |
| Archibald Craven | baritone | Philippe Sly |
| Dickon Sowerby | tenor | Scott Joiner |
| Martha Sowerby | mezzo-soprano | Laura Krumm |
| Mrs. Medlock | soprano | Erin Johnson |
| Ben Weatherstaff | baritone | Ao Li |
| Susan Sowerby | soprano | Marina Harris |
| Orchestra | San Francisco Opera Orchestra | |
| Direction | Jose Maria Condemi | |
| Visual design | Naomie Kremer | |
| Costume design | Kristi Johnson | |
| Lighting design | Christopher Maravich | |
| Musical preparation | Robert Mollicone, Sun Ha Yoon, John Churchwell, Sara Jobin | |
The opera received positive reviews from Joshua Kosman in the San Francisco Chronicle, Janos Gereben in The San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Classical Voice, Stacy Trevenon at StageandCinema.com and others, with mixed reviews from the San Jose Mercury News and elsewhere.[1][2][3][4][5]