Auditorium of the War Memorial Opera House at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. Finzi was named as SFO's resident conductor in 2011. Our federal tax ID is 94-0836240. As a reaction to the economic climate of the times, in 1982 McEwen, created the "San Francisco Opera Center" to oversee and combine the operation and administration of the numerous affiliate educational and training programs. Eun Sun Kim, continuing her annual exploration of the operas of Verdi which she initiated in 2022 with La Traviata, takes on the composers spirited classic, which abounds in turbulent passions and hit tunes like the famous Anvil Chorus. Description . Many have also returned to LA Opera to sing leading roles. Alongside her is their young son, Trouble, who has never met his father. He is joined by several exciting artists making their first engagements with the Company. During the 1983 fall season, the student/family matinee performances of La traviata were presented with supertitles. As early as 1962, with Mansouri having found work as director in Los Angeles followed by his becoming resident stage director at the Zrich Opera, Adler came to see him at work, and he was offered six operas to direct in the 1963 season. The audience-building ticket initiative makes prime seats available for $10 each to Bay Area residents who have not purchased tickets in the last three years. In addition, the opera will be available on-demand for 48 hours after the performance. Merola's tenure lasted 30 years. The current chorus consists of two groups: the forty-eight-member Regular Chorus with twenty-six men and twenty-two women, and the Extra Chorus, which can expand the ensemble to 100 singers or more in larger operas. [31], In order to consolidate its various office and work spaces scattered throughout San Francisco, SFO took over the fourth floor of the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in February 2016, following the completion of the building's $156-million seismic retrofit and renovation. Janos Gereben, "Music News: 22 November 2011". . Your support helps us fulfill our mission to bring the transformative power of musical storytelling to our community. Merola heard of him and, over the telephone, invited him to San Francisco opera in 1943 as chorus director. She returned to SFO with a background of operatic productions in Germany and, specifically, as head of the Stuttgart Opera.[8]. For more information . Tickets: Mini subscriptions (3 or 4 operas) from $78, full subscriptions . Box Office (415) 864-3330 Mon 10am-5pm Tue-Sat 10am-6pm. War Memorial Opera House301 Van Ness AvenueSan Francisco, CA 94102-4509, (415) 864-3330Mon 10am-5pmTue-Sat 10am-6pm, Performance days: 10am through first intermission, AboutPress RoomBlogVisitPerformance Archive, Opera ShopStreaming the First CenturyBohme Out of The Box, SF Opera GuildMerola Opera ProgramOpera Center, San Francisco Opera is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. San Francisco Opera has presented several world premieres under David Gockley's tenure. From 1971 to 1979, San Francisco station KKHI broadcast the regular Friday night performances of the opera on AM and FM (in multiplex stereo with quadraphonic encoding). During the nine years following the opening season, the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House was conceived. Adler developed a strong professional relationship with Birgit Nilsson. San Diego Opera is a widely respected member of the international opera community and an invaluable cultural resource to the San Diego region. He took on more and more administrative details as Merola's health and energy diminished, but Adler was not the board's natural choice to replace Merola at the time of his death in 1953. Several innovations undertaken by Adler included the Merola Opera Program (named after the first general director). The staff is friendly and efficient and very helpful. Now on the Day of the Dead in 1957, a lonely, ailing Diego Rivera makes a final wish: to see his wife Frida Kahlo once more. Experience the future of opera. Alexander is a graduate of the prestigious Merola program at the San Francisco Opera, and is the recipient of the 2013 John Moriarty Award for his outstanding contribution to Central City Opera. And on Friday night at the War Memorial Opera House, the San Francisco Ballet proved that . Saariaho specialist Clment Mao-Takacs conducts an international cast of singers and actors in this towering work performed in nine languages. The husband-and-wife duo, each a celebrated artist on the worlds leading opera stages, headline Opera Ball, the annual benefit co-presented by San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Opera Guild. And when her plans for vengeance go horribly awryresulting in the death of her own son Azucena decides to raise the counts kidnapped child as her own. American tenor Jonah Hoskins makes his house debut as Nemorino in the November 29 performance. Slovak soprano Slvka Zmenkov is the beautiful but aloof Adina. At the center of Richard Wagners Lohengrin stands a woman accused and her mysterious protector, the proverbial knight in shining armor. San Francisco philanthropist Dede Wilsey pledged a $5-million gift, and the entire facility was named the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera. Beds. The 202324 Season-launching gala event is co-chaired by Francesca Gutierrez Amann and Sue Graham Johnston. Characteristic of Merola's years as general director was the fact (as noted by Chatfield-Taylor) that "the great singers of the world came regularly to San Francisco, often performing several roles in deference to the short season and long travel time across the country."[2]. So far these include Philip Glass and Christopher Hampton's Appomattox in 2007;[24] Stewart Wallace and Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter in 2008;[25] and Christopher Theofanidis and Donna Di Novelli's Heart of a Soldier in 2011. In September 2006, it was announced and reported that by mutual agreement with Gockley, Donald Runnicles would conclude his tenure as music director in 2009. . San Francisco Opera: "Sweeney Todd," through Tuesday, Sept. 29, . Each summer, members get a unique, "backstage" view of the training of tomorrow's opera stars. The creative team from the original production, led by director Kevin Newbury, will be reunited for this presentation near the Silicon Valley environs that provide the operas setting. San Francisco Opera's centennial season opens with Opera Ball 2022, a benefit gala hosted by San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Opera Guild to . The average opera runs about three hours in . . After three months of acting as artistic director, and with the assistance of its president, Robert Watt Miller, Adler was confirmed as general director. In January 2009, Gockley announced the reappointment of Patrick Summers as principal guest conductor[21] and named Giuseppe Finzi as the company's new assistant music director. In 1986, Sir John Pritchard was appointed music director, and served until 1989. cello. Pamela Rosenberg[de]'s first connection with the San Francisco Opera was as a standee while attending the University of California, Berkeley. Among his successes in this regard was the mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick from Nevada. Rosenberg returned to Germany to work with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic as its Intendantin. Much of the magic came, as well, from the 24-member Wili ensemble, who moved as one in their hops across the stage, back leg in arabesque, each leg identical in height to its neighbor. In this gripping one-act drama by composer Kaija Saariaho, librettist Sofi Oksanen and dramaturg Aleksi Barrire, a harrowing story of emotional shock and surprise unfolds in which the understanding of innocence and guilt is continually upended. War Memorial Opera House301 Van Ness AvenueSan Francisco, CA 94102-4509, (415) 864-3330Mon 10am-5pmTue-Sat 10am-6pm, Performance days: 10am through first intermission, AboutEmployment | AuditionsPress RoomBlogVisitPerformance Archive, Opera ShopStreaming the First CenturyBohme Out of The Box, SF Opera GuildMerola Opera ProgramOpera Center, San Francisco Opera is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Contact Us (415) 861-4008 San Francisco Opera is a member of. Dulcamara, the miracle worker whose elixir provides the liquid courage Nemorino needs to express his true feelings, is performed by Italian baritone Renato Girolami. Stage, curtain, and proscenium corner ornamentation in the auditorium. NEW SAN FRANCISCO OPERA CO-PRODUCTIONTHE ELIXIR OF LOVE (LELISIR DAMORE) by Gaetano DonizettiNovember 19December 9, 2023, Pene Pati; Slvka Zmenkov; David Bii; Renato Girolami; Ramn Tebar. They came back because Adler made the SFO an internationally respected company that ran at a high level of professionalism and offered them interesting things to do in a warm and supportive atmosphere." From 2004 to 2007, Keith Cerny served as the chief financial officer of the San Francisco Opera. 2022-23 Meet Us DEI About SFCO Calendar Plan Your Visit Programs Become a Member Back MainStage 2022-23 Family . The true story of a 19th century Islamic scholar from West Africa, enslaved in South Carolina, but finding identity and faith through the written word. On October 15, 1932 the company inaugurated the new opera house with a performance of Tosca on with Claudia Muzio in the title role. The San Francisco Opera House is located on Van Ness Avenue, near SF City Hall and the Davies Symphony Hall. On December 1, the Company presents The Elixir of Love Encounter, a rollicking, experiential evening which activates the War Memorial Opera House around themes from The Elixir of Love and invites attendees to immerse themselves in the world of Donizettis work. San Francisco Opera ( SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881-1953) based in San Francisco, California . Presented by San Francisco Opera Guild, Insight Panels are free for San Francisco Opera members, subscribers and students with valid ID. The concert is presented in conjunction with the non-profit San Francisco Parks Trust and the San Francisco Chronicle Charities.[4]. Partenope is the queen of the Paris social scene, her salon a magnet to the eras surrealist artists as they vie for her hand in a laugh-out-loud comedy. San Francisco Opera created a memorable performance out of Verdi's "La Traviata," a work That once heard, will always im[act you deeply. Dastoor, a native of Pasadena, began her professional career at Opera San Jos in 2007, when she was hired by the company's founding director Irene Dalis as a member of the resident company. 271: 1953-1956 Seems to have begun during the 1953-1954 season, succeeding Irving Steffen: Djokic, Michelle MEROLA OPERA PROGRAM; 601 Van Ness Avenue - Suite S; San Francisco, CA; 94102- 3249 USA; Ph: (415) 936-2324; Email: info . He was elected at a special meeting of the board of . CO-COMMISSION BAY AREA PREMIEREOMAR music by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, libretto by Rhiannon GiddensNovember 521, 2023, Rhiannon Giddens; Michael Abels; Jamez McCorkle; Taylor Raven; Brittany Renee; Daniel Okulitch; John Kennedy. We have been thrilling audiences in San Francisco since 1923. These included more Russian operas with the highlight being Valery Gergiev's conducting of Prokofiev's War and Peace and a firm link established with the Kirov Opera. bass. These are English translations of the libretto projected over the proscenium simultaneously with the action on stage. Among those who were offered new and exciting challenges were Geraint Evans, the Welsh baritone, Leontyne Price, and Luciano Pavarotti. Performance days: 10am through first intermission. Visit Us. On 8 February 1988, McEwen announced his resignation. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack reprises the role of Rosmira, tenor Alek Shrader returns as Emilio and Hadleigh Adams is Ormonte. She returned with few exceptions every season for 26 years and made her last appearance in the house in 1982. By introducing his young singers to the great voices of the past, inviting them to rehearsals, and giving tickets to current productions McEwen hoped to create rounded performers who could appear in the regular Fall season. 1 Bath. Conductor John Kennedy, who led the works 2021 world premiere at Spoleto Festival USA, leads Giddens and Abels expansive score which synthesizes strains of bluegrass, spirituals, the West African kora, folk music and jazz into a compelling theatrical experience. The Orchestra's most treasured relationship is the one we have with you, our audience. Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera Show More Show Less For the 2022/23 season, his appearances include Normanno in Lucia di Lammermoor and Spoletta in Tosca with LA Opera, where he is a member of the . Then, on Tuesday, September 12, Kim will lead the Company in the first full opera of the season, Verdis Il Trovatore. IL TROVATORE by Giuseppe VerdiSeptember 12October 1, 2023, Arturo Chacn-Cruz; Angel Blue; George Petean; Anita Rachvelishvili; Eun Sun Kim. A short time later in the same season, she was to step into the role of Aida at short notice to replace Antonietta Stella, a role which gave her long-lived international acclaim. Meet new people, get insider scoop and save big on some of the best seats in the house. To begin the first season of its second century, San Francisco Opera will introduce a new, multi-season initiative where Kim will conduct works by both Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner every season while the Company simultaneously reaffirmed its commitment to expanding the repertoire with three co-commissioned new works by leading composers of today. Discover more about opera with education classes, articles, and more. Chinese tenor and recent San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Zhengyi Bai portrays Monostatos. Performance days: 10am through first intermission. Towards the end of the 2001 season, Mansouri announced his retirement after fourteen seasons with SFO and 50 years in opera. The first official performance given by San Francisco Opera was La bohme, with Queena Mario and Giovanni Martinelli, on September 26, 1923, in the city's Civic Auditorium. The individual members of Ian Robertson's Opera Chorus suffered especially from the amplification glitches, . Same day tickets, starting at 11:00 am at the box office. In 1909, he returned as the conductor of the International Opera Company of Montreal, one of the many visiting troupes that frequented the bustling city. There are no products in your shopping cart. Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he first visited the city. In her American opera debut, French soprano Julie Fuchs portrays the title role, a queen who is pursued by wildly different suitors. Eun Sun Kim said: The works of Wagner and Verdi are cornerstones of the operatic repertoire as we know it. Each . MAR 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 31. In the early 1800s, Islamic scholar Omar Ibn Said was forcibly taken from his village in West Africa and sold into slavery in Charleston, South Carolina, where he recorded his story as an expansive canvas of testimony and faith. flute/piccolo. I believe that it speaks of glamour, sophistication, tradition and innovation all things that infuse our plans for the future of San Francisco Opera. Mansouri's feelings on the effects of titling was that the audience would be more engaged in the performance. Our San Francisco-born entrepreneurial spirit and zest for life kick started this culture in 1981, and it shines through to this day. The Company will continue to share its performances globally through livestreams of the third performance of each opera in the repertory. In this, he was greatly supported by his long relationship with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, the often-controversial stage director and designer who began his association with SFO in 1957. Completed in 2007, The Koret-Taube Media Suite is the first permanent high-definition broadcast-standard video production facility installed in any American opera house according to the company's website.[14]. . Meet Elayne Jones, the fourth female member of the PAS Hall of Fame. - Alexander is a trained young opera artist with an expertise in and passion for contemporary (post . Post-apocalyptic future felt much like something out of Octavia E. Butler's Parable of the Sower, though that work is set in the a . This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. Besides his work for SF Ballet and Opera (usually in the Orchestra), he also proudly volunteered for the San Francisco SPCA. Our relationship is passionate and committed. Gockley also stated that Luisotti would conduct three to four productions each season, including one non-Italian opera; since 2009 these non-Italian operas have included Salome, Lohengrin, and Carmen. Following Adler's retirement announcement in June 1979, Terence A. McEwen (19291998) was Adler's hand-picked successor.