Box Office (415) 864-3330 Mon 10am-5pm Tue-Sat 10am-6pm. Make a gift that's meaningful to you today and start enjoying the perks of membership! The San Francisco Opera Chorus was the subject of the 1992 Oscar-winning feature-length documentary In the Shadow of the Stars . Ft. 601 Van Ness Ave #608, San Francisco, CA 94102. Performance days: 10am through first intermission. SOLD FEB 9, 2023. His passion for opera in general led him to visit the Royal Opera House in London and a lowly paid job with Decca Records in that city. Visit Us. Three esteemed international artists make their San Francisco Opera debuts in this production: Estonian bass-baritone Lauri Vasar as Papageno, South Korean bass Kwangchul Youn as Sarastro and Polish soprano as the Queen of the Knight. Tickets are $5 for the general public. [11], As part of his future plans, Gockley stated "I want nothing less than to have the greatest stars of the opera world perform here regularly. The Bay Area Community is discovering opera in fabulous new ways, and we look forward to welcoming many new audience members to immerse themselves in artwork that connects us, bridges differences and speaks to the soul.. - Alexander is a trained young opera artist with an expertise in and passion for contemporary (post . Your support helps us fulfill our mission to bring the transformative power of musical storytelling to our community. San Francisco Opera is a member of. CO-COMMISSION AMERICAN PREMIEREINNOCENCE music by Kaija Saariaho, libretto by Sofi Oksanen, text dramaturgy and multilanguage translations by Aleksi BarrireJune 121, 2024, Kaija Saariaho; Sofi Oksanen; Aleksi Barrire; Ruxandra Donose; Lucy Shelton; Vilma J; Clment Mao-Takacs. Saariaho specialist Clment Mao-Takacs conducts an international cast of singers and actors in this towering work performed in nine languages. Don't miss this chance to revel in 100 years of history as we look to the future of opera. Visit Us. violin I. violin II. San Francisco Opera War Memorial Performing Arts Center San Francisco. Then, on Tuesday, September 12, Kim will lead the Company in the first full opera of the season, Verdis Il Trovatore. Lacking money, confidence and hope, a timid young waiter Nemorino gambles everything he has for a chance at an intoxicating romance with the alluring Adina. Beds. The organization was . In collaboration with the San Francisco Opera ("Opera"), the City of Dublin will be hosting the Opera's free performance of " Bohme Out of the Box ," from March 31 through April 2, at the Emerald Glen Park Amphitheater. bass. 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. He heard Leontyne Price on the radio, and offered her a role in Dialogues of the Carmelites in 1957, thus providing her with her first performance on a major operatic stage. 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. Of Time and Love - Concerto for Viola and Ochestra (25 . The 1,214 sq. Discover more about opera with education classes, articles, and more. CONTRACT: All members of the San Francisco Opera Extra Chorus are contracted through the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement between AGMA and San Francisco Opera. Sign up to attend a performance below. Finzi was named as SFO's resident conductor in 2011. Taube Atrium Theater and Osher Recital Hall. Among those who were offered new and exciting challenges were Geraint Evans, the Welsh baritone, Leontyne Price, and Luciano Pavarotti. The union of Elsa and Lohengrin is opposed by the scheming Ortrud, performed by Romanian-Hungarian mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi in her American debut, and the Telramund of baritone Brian Mulligan. "Rush" tickets: some performances offer tickets starting at $30-35 for full-time students, seniors 65+, and military members. The production used imagery from various eras of American history and had a feminist and environmentalist viewpoint. See available operas. Stage, curtain, and proscenium corner ornamentation in the auditorium. War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509. The fundraising campaign was a success. We have been thrilling audiences in San Francisco since 1923. 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. War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509. Among his successes in this regard was the mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick from Nevada. in Wagner's Ring Cycle alone, we spend 14 hours together in the dark, sharing our love for extraordinary music. 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. 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. Make a gift that's meaningful to you today and start enjoying the perks of membership! San Francisco Opera presents the operas American premiere. Each night, the young Cio-Cio-San looks out over the port of Nagasaki, eagerly waiting the return of her husband, U.S. Dagmar Dolby said: "100 years ago, San Francisco Opera was born through the confluence of bold ideas, great artistry, and passionate support. In 1986, Sir John Pritchard was appointed music director, and served until 1989. The staff is friendly and efficient and very helpful. War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509. Auditorium of the War Memorial Opera House at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. [26] In 2013, the company presented three world premieres: Nolan Gasser and Carey Harrison's The Secret Garden, based on the children's book by Frances Hodgson Burnett (and staged in conjunction with UC Berkeley's Cal Performances);[27] Mark Adamo's The Gospel of Mary Magdalene;[28] and Tobias Picker and J. D. McClatchy's Dolores Claiborne,[29] based on the novel by Stephen King. All employment is conditioned upon providing timely and satisfactory evidence of the ability Nilsson made her US-debut in San Francisco in 1956. The San Francisco Opera House is located on Van Ness Avenue, near SF City Hall and the Davies Symphony Hall. Each composer blazed new trails in his dayand each changed the world of opera forever. Performance days: 10am through first intermission. The San Francisco opera scene is always alive with boisterous voices and tragic stories that come to life on stage to entertain patrons who love the unique style and artistry of the opera. The acclaimed new work Innocence, from esteemed Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho with libretto by Sofi Oksanen and text dramaturgy and multilanguage translations by Aleksi Barrire, has its American premiere in June 2024. Adler conducted most of the program, which featured performances by many of the surviving singers who had appeared with the company during its history. The San Francisco Opera plans to launch its second century with a 2023-24 season featuring the highest proportion of contemporary work in its history, alongside an array of familiar works by Verdi, Wagner and others. 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. It's been three years since she passed. FREE AND OPEN TO ALL! Box Office (415) 864-3330 Mon 10am-5pm Tue-Sat 10am-6pm. Eun Sun Kim said: The works of Wagner and Verdi are cornerstones of the operatic repertoire as we know it. Photo: Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle. About Press Room Blog Visit Performance Archive. War Memorial Opera . And the underworld heeds his call. Make a gift that's meaningful to you today and start enjoying the perks of membership! 1 of 71 Komal Shah poses in an Oscar de la Renta gown after arriving at the San Francisco Opera's season opening ball in San Francisco Calif. on Friday, Sept. 5, 2014. Baritone George Petean joins the Company as Count di Luna, and mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili, whom conductor Riccardo Muti praised as without doubt the best Verdi mezzo-soprano today on the planet (New York Times), completes the powerful quartet in the pivotal role of Azucena. 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. 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. Cory Weaver/San Francisco Opera Show More Show Less San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (18811953) based in San Francisco, California. 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. Able to prioritize competing or conflicting requests. ", In May 2011, it was announced that Gockley's contract was to be extended through SFO's 201516 season. A gem in San Franciscos architectural crown, the 3,146-seat War Memorial Opera House is a California Historical Landmark. He trained a chorus, assembled an orchestra from members of the San Francisco Symphony, and enlisted some of opera's top singersmany of them stars from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. On Sunday, September 10, Kim and the Orchestra, along with vocal soloists from the Companys fall season, take to Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park for the annual Opera in the Park free concert. Salary Range : $68,000.00 - $73,000.00 Salary/year . Alexander Wilson, Bass-Baritone. With his Ring Cycle which began in the Summer 1983 and Fall 1984 seasons and which was presented in its entirety in June 1985 McEwen demonstrated where his priorities lay: they were focused on hiring the best singers in the world. The legendary tenor Lauritz Melchior conducted the orchestra, rather than sing, in a performance of the famous Radetsky March by Johann Strauss I; it was possibly his last public appearance. In 1975, Kurt Herbert Adler was in charge of the San Francisco Opera, and . [14], The technology for the simulcasts and other innovations like OperaVisiona series of screens located throughout the War Memorial Opera House that project close-up shots of the action on stageis made possible through SFO's Koret-Taube Media Suite. Box Office (415) 864-3330 Mon 10am-5pm Tue-Sat 10am-6pm. Other operas new to the SFO's repertoire during her directorship include Busoni's Doktor Faust, Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre and Janek's The Cunning Little Vixen. Mezzo-soprano Taylor Raven, who has appeared during San Francisco Operas Centennial Season in the world premiere of John Adams Antony and Cleopatra, Poulencs Dialogues of the Carmelites and Verdis La Traviata, portrays Fatima, Omars mother who bestows wisdom on her son through dream sequences. Company-wide cuts pared 14 percent from the company's $67 million budget in 2003. By "hand holding" her through the various stages of training, he prepared her for the role of Azucena in Il trovatore for the summer 1986 season to great acclaim. SFO's has simulcast nine operas to AT&T Park since 2007 that have collectively drawn more than 165,000 opera fans. During this time, Merola conceived of a vision for the company that involved branching away from the area's reliance on visiting troupes for entertainment, which had been a commonplace practice since the Gold Rush era, and creating a regional San-Francisco-based company. During the 1983 fall season, the student/family matinee performances of La traviata were presented with supertitles. Three new works co-commissioned by San Francisco Opera punctuate the Companys 101st season. [22], The company secured composer John Adams' Nixon in China for their 2011/12 season.[23]. In January 2001, Rosenberg announced her first artistic initiative for San Francisco Opera, "Animating Opera", a multi-year plan of interwoven themes and series. [5], One of Mansouri's triumphs was the overseeing of the reconstruction and renovation of the opera house following the October 1989 earthquake. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. San Francisco Opera General Director Kurt Herbert Adler (third from left) is honored by members of the opera supporters' group Il Cenacolo at a Christmas dinner in 1969. "[citation needed]. Fittingly, the concert featured operatic greats of the past, present and future. Nearby Hotels. . The performance will be approximately 3 hours and 10 minutes including one intermission. 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. San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera began a co-production of a new Ring Cycle in 2006 directed by Francesca Zambello. San Francisco Opera Center is dedicated to nurturing opera's most promising young artists. Board Member Bay Area Girls Rock Camp Jan 2023 Arts and Culture More activity by Vivienne . 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. Merola's tenure lasted 30 years. During the nine years following the opening season, the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House was conceived. 1 Bath. These included "Seminal Works of Modern Times", "The Faust Project", "Composer Portrait: Janek/Berlioz", "Women Outside of Society: Laws Unto Themselves", "Metamorphosis: From Fairy Tales to Nightmares", and "Outsiders or Pioneers? In a season like no other in the company's 99-year history, San Francisco Opera plans to return to live performance at the War Memorial Opera House with an abbreviated 2021-22 bill of five fully staged productions and two special concerts. After being approached by Adler regarding the San Francisco opera job, he moved to the city in 1980 and involved himself totally in learning the running of an opera company. In the years to come, SFO would cover a broad range of Italian operas, many being presented only once or twice, over seasons lasting no more than two months, and sometimes only during September. Supertitles are now used for all San Francisco Opera productions and SFO also rents its supertitles internationally to other opera companies. One was to expand the season which in Merola's time ran from the Friday after Labor Day until early November (when the Metropolitan Opera's season began) in order to capitalize on the availability of singers by presenting up to fourteen operas with two or three performances each. Prez began performing with the San Francisco Opera in 2005 as a participant in the Merola Opera Program, and she appeared in the company's 2014 production of Verdi's La Traviata.Howard made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2017 in Puccini's Turandot.. Howard told The San Francisco Chronicle, "I arranged for all our families . Jan 2008 - Aug 202214 years 8 months. Your support helps us fulfill our mission to bring the transformative power of musical storytelling to our community. In 2007, San Francisco Opera returned to regular broadcasts of its productions on national and international radio.,[15] and in December the Opera announced the presentation of four operas in movie theaters across the United States. 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. 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. 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. This San Francisco Opera co-commission, which was hailed as a sweeping achievement by The New York Times, comes to the War Memorial Opera House in the production by Kaneza Schaal. War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509. Several innovations undertaken by Adler included the Merola Opera Program (named after the first general director). Our federal tax ID is 94-0836240, ng opera stages in this episode from the Companys award-winning. War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509. San Francisco Bay Area. Visit Us. Besides his work for SF Ballet and Opera (usually in the Orchestra), he also proudly volunteered for the San Francisco SPCA. The complete cycles in June 2011 were conducted by Donald Runnicles and featured cycle role debuts of Mark Delavan (Wotan) and Nina Stemme (Brnnhilde) as well as Jay Hunter Morris (making his role debut in the title role of Siegfried) and Ian Storey[es] (making his role debut as Siegfried in Gtterdmmerung. It traditionally features artists from the opening weekend in full concert with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. The broadcasts were hosted by several well-known announcers, including Scott Beach and Fred Cherry. In SFO's September 2009 program magazine, David Gockley announced that bringing on Luisotti as the company's music director was a large part of his goal to "reinvigorate the core Italian repertory that is San Francisco Opera's birthright." FROM HARLEM TO JUILLIARD Born in New York City on January 30, 1928 to parents who emigrated from Barbados in the West Indies, Elayne Jones considers herself a "New Yorkerof African origin." . 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. One of the highlights of the afternoon program was a moving performance of the love duet from Madama Butterfly with soprano Licia Albanese and tenor Frederick Jagel. IL TROVATORE by Giuseppe VerdiSeptember 12October 1, 2023, Arturo Chacn-Cruz; Angel Blue; George Petean; Anita Rachvelishvili; Eun Sun Kim. Given his expertise and background in understanding opera and the wonders of the human voice, it is not surprising that his approach in his early years was away from the theatrical side and more focused on singers. The festive season opener marks Kurzaks return to the War Memorial Opera House stage following her nothing short of remarkable (San Francisco Chronicle) 2012 Company debut as Gilda in Verdis Rigoletto, and Alagnas first-ever appearance with San Francisco Opera. Characteristics of Merola's SFO included creating opportunities for young American singers regardless of the fact that the opera lacked a formal training program at that time, and also regular tours by the SFO to Los Angeles between 1937 and 1965, which expanded the season into November. Our relationship is passionate and committed. Merola heard of him and, over the telephone, invited him to San Francisco opera in 1943 as chorus director. 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. Artists making house debuts include sopranos Claire de Svign, Julie Fuchs, Brittany Renee, Lucy Shelton, Anna Simiska, Slvka Zmenkov; mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi; countertenors Nicholas Tamagna, Carlo Vistoli; tenors Roberto Alagna, Bille Bruley, Jonah Hoskins, Jamez McCorkle, Miles Mykkanen; baritones Norman Garrett, Thomas Lehman, John Moore, George Petean, Lauri Vasar; bass-baritones David Bii, Renato Girolami, Kwangchul Youn; bass Wei Wu; interdisciplinary musician Vilma J; and conductors John Kennedy, Clment Mao-Takacs, Ramn Tebar. Login the same way as you do any other smart app: . As part of an announcement of the 2006/2007 season and the future of the company on 11 January, Gockley noted that "this season we debut a new visual identity and logo in keeping with a new artistic philosophy. Performance days: 10am through first intermission. It was launched with the commissioning of the following operas: Summing up his years at the SFO, the San Francisco Chronicle noted: "He's never been interested in the succs d'estime, the daring intellectual or theatrical coup that dazzles culture mavens but leaves the general public alienated or bewildered. The estimated base pay is $3,886 per month. This once-in-a-century event features the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus, music directors past and present and 15 of the greatest artists to grace the War Memorial Opera House stage.