Opera San José is a professional, regional opera company that is unique in the United States. Maintaining a resident company of principal artists, this company specializes in showcasing the finest young professional singers in the nation. Featuring fresh, new talents in the first years of their careers, Opera San José’s performances are always dramatically stimulating and vocally accomplished. On September 18, 2004, Opera San José opened its debut season in the California Theatre. The 1,100-seat auditorium joins the select ranks of the world's most intimate opera houses. The California Theatre was a 1927 vaudeville and film house that closed its doors 30 years ago. After having been under reconstruction and restoration for more than five years, its original name has been restored along with the elaborate interiors, and important additions for audience comfort and theatrical production have been added. The California Theatre has become one of the region's most important performance facilities, featuring symphony concerts, dance and guest appearances of artists including Frederika von Stade, Samuel Ramey and Thomas Hampson in recital. In addition to mainstage performances, Opera San José maintains extensive educational programs in schools and in the community at large, and offers Previews lectures and Introduction to Opera talks for all mainstage productions.