San Francisco Opera

About San Francisco Opera\n\nSan Francisco Opera, a cornerstone of the Bay Area's rich cultural fabric, has been captivating audiences with its artistic excellence since its inception in 1923. Founded by the visionary Neapolitan conductor Gaetano Merola, the company has grown to become one of the world's leading opera companies, celebrated for its spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and community involvement.\n\nThe history of opera in San Francisco dates back more than 168 years, with the city's residents demonstrating a fervent passion for the art form since the Gold Rush era. Prior to the establishment of the resident company, San Francisco hosted nearly 5,000 opera performances across 26 different theaters between 1851 and the devastating earthquake of 1906. Recognizing the local enthusiasm for opera and the potential for a permanent company, Merola sought to harness the financial support of San Francisco's philanthropic, Italian, and business communities to establish the San Francisco Opera Association—the oldest surviving opera company on the West Coast.\n\nUnder Merola's guidance, the company embarked on tours to Los Angeles from 1924 to 1937, which were met with such popularity that they continued through 1965 and expanded to other cities along the West Coast. These tours cemented San Francisco Opera's reputation as the premier opera company of the region and laid the groundwork for the establishment of other permanent opera companies in California, Oregon, and Washington.\n\nA crowning achievement of the company's early years was the construction of the War Memorial Opera House. Built during the Great Depression as a tribute to San Franciscans who served in World War I, it was the first opera house in America to be funded entirely by community donations. The War Memorial Opera House opened its doors on October 15, 1932, with a performance of Puccini's \"Tosca,\" and has since been recognized as a California Historical Landmark and an architectural jewel of the city.\n\nThe company continued to flourish with extended seasons and the engagement of renowned artists. The complete cycle of Wagner's \"Der Ring des Nibelungen,\" presented in 1935, solidified San Francisco Opera's status as a significant American center for opera. The untimely death of Gaetano Merola in 1953 during a performance marked the end of an era, but the baton was passed to Kurt Herbert Adler, who became the company's next general director.\n\nAdler's tenure saw the expansion of the repertoire and the introduction of new talent to American audiences, including the U.S. debuts of luminaries such as Leontyne Price and Birgit Nilsson. He also founded the Merola Opera Program in 1957, a pioneering training initiative for young artists that has since nurtured numerous opera superstars.\n\nFollowing Adler, each subsequent general director has brought unique contributions to the company, from Terence McEwen's focus on vocal artistry and developing talent to Matthew Shilvock's leadership into a bold new era starting in 2016. The company has also seen a succession of esteemed music directors, including Sir John Pritchard, Donald Runnicles, Nicola Luisotti, and, most recently, Eun Sun Kim, who was appointed in 2019.\n\nSan Francisco Opera's commitment to community engagement was highlighted during David Gockley's tenure (2005-2016) through initiatives such as free live opera simulcasts, which have become a Bay Area tradition. The Koret-Taube Media Suite, another innovation of Gockley's, has enabled the company to reach wider audiences through simulcasts, cinema series, and recorded productions.\n\nWith a legacy of artistic innovation and a dedication to serving its community, San Francisco Opera continues to uphold its reputation as a premier opera house, embodying the words of the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti: \"This is my second hometown. Musically, it is my first.\"