Dead Man Walking: A San Francisco Opera Primer with Carol Christ and Naniette Coleman

The San Francisco Opera’s fall season brings four powerful works to the stage — Rigoletto, Dead Man Walking, Parsifal, and The Monkey King — each grappling with timeless questions of good and evil, innocence and retribution, punishment and salvation.

Join Carol Christ and Naniette Coleman for OLLI at UC Berkeley's San Francisco Opera Primer, standalone events that delve into the heart of each of these operas — the stories they tell, the truths they wrestle with, and the unforgettable characters whose choices shape their destinies.

About the Faculty

Carol Christ began her term as the 11th chancellor of UC Berkeley in 2017 and retired as Chancellor Emerita in 2024. Prior to that, she served as president of Smith College. She is a celebrated scholar of 19th-century British literature, a champion of women’s issues and diversity on college campuses, and a lifelong opera lover.

Naniette H. Coleman is a member of the San Francisco Opera's Board of Trustees and the founder and Executive Director of UC Berkeley's national award-winning Night Out/Night Off for Graduate Students arts initiative. She is also a PhD candidate in Berkeley's Sociology Department and studies culture and organizations.

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The event will be held in person and via livestream. It will also be recorded.

You may also like the following events from OLLI at UC Berkeley:

• Next month, 26th August, 02:00 pm, Rigoletto: A San Francisco Opera Primer with Carol Christ and Naniette Coleman in Berkeley
• Next month, 27th August, 10:30 pm, Sneak Peek: Berkeley Rep 2025/26 Season, with Johanna Pfaelzer in Berkeley, California

Also check out other Arts events in Berkeley, Literary Art events in Berkeley, Virtual events in Berkeley.