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San Francisco Opera history
San Francisco Opera company history timeline
The company's debut took place on September 26, 1923, in Civic Auditorium, with a performance of La Boheme, including soloists Queena Mario and Giovanni Martinelli, Maestro Merola conducting.
The cornerstones of the War Memorial Opera House and Veterans Building were laid on November 11, 1931.
1939: Opera Guild is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation on January 19.
In 1939, twelve women joined together to raise funds for opera education and to support San Francisco Opera.
1939: Student Matinees begin.
Merola had invited the Viennese conductor to join San Francisco Opera as chorus director in 1943.
In April, May and June of 1945, with the world well into its sixth year of global war, the two original buildings of the San Francisco War Memorial served as the birthplace of the United Nations.
Lily Pons performs at Fol de Rol, 1950
1950: $6,000 is donated by the Guild to San Francisco Opera.
1950: Fol de Rol takes place and marks the beginning of a 42-year tradition.
On August 30, 1953, Merola was conducting a performance at Stern Grove.
In 1957 Adler founded the Merola Opera Program, a training program for young artists that was the first of its kind in America.
1958: The Guild's Talent Bank is formed to produce traveling opera-theater for communities throughout Northern California.
1963: The Guild hosts a champagne reception for its members and the cast of La Traviata following the dress rehearsal.
Richard Walker, and Kurt Adler, 1965
Because of their popularity, the Company presented consecutive Los Angeles seasons through 1965 and expanded the tours to other cities.
1970: The Opera Preview lecture series begins.
Since 1971, the San Francisco Opera has presented an annual free concert in Golden Gate Park on the Sunday following opening night of the Fall season.
Golden Girl dancers at Fol de Rol for a Golden Season, 1972
1972: The kick-off party for the Guild's fundraising drive to commemorate San Francisco Opera's golden anniversary raises $30,000.
1973: The Guild begins offering Backstage Tours of the Opera House.
In January 1976, the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was engaged, and Pietro Belluschi retained as independent design consultant, to create additional performance space, one of which would be dedicated to the San Francisco Symphony.
Lower: Kurt Adler prepares to taste-test his recipe submission of Vanillekipferl, 1976.
1976: The Guild publishes a cookbook titled What Aria Cooking?
However, funds were still needed for Davies Symphony Hall and by January 1978, Samuel B. Stewart and Sponsors had achieved $28.5 million toward a $33.8 million goal.
On the main floor of the Veterans Building, the lobby and foyer areas lead to the Herbst Theatre, a 892-seat hall originally designed as an auditorium and refurbished in 1978 with a $750,000 grant from the Herbst Foundation.
1979: Allen Hillebrandt is hired as the Opera Guild's first executive director.
Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall opened on September 13, 1980.
1980: The Operatunities program is created, giving junior high and high school students first-hand experience producing and performing in an opera.
John Denver and Placido Domingo sing a duet at Fol de Rol, 1981
1982: The Guild begins producing an annual publication about the current opera season.
In 1982, the opera’s third general director, Terence A. McEwen, created the San Francisco Opera Center to coordinate the opera company's numerous affiliate training programs.
During the 1983 Fall season, the student/family matinee performances of La Traviata were presented with supertitles: English translations of the libretto, projected over the proscenium simultaneous with the action on stage.
1984: The Sail Away party cruise takes Guild members on an all-night cruise past the Farallon Islands and back.
1985: San Francisco Opera's stage hands invite the Opera Guild to participate in entertainment for their end-of-season crab feed.
1986: The first of fourteen "Opera Attic" Rummage Sales takes place.
1989: After years of development, our signature Opera à la Carte education program begins touring.
1990: The Guild and San Francisco Opera collaborate to present a concert headlined by Placido Domingo with soprano Ann Panagulias at the Civic Auditorium.
1991: The first of three annual Parade Walks is introduced.
In November 1992, General Director Lotfi Mansouri introduced Pacific Visions, a program designed to maintain the opera repertoire's vitality through new commissions and the presentation of unusual works.
1992: The final Fol de Rol, Celebrate America, is presented.
Opera à la Carte Coordinator Ellen Kerrigan with a student performing Daughter of the Regiment, 1993
1994: Informal modeling of the Yves Saint Laurent spring collection at the Guild's Annual Scholarship Luncheon is the first of many fashion shows presented by the Guild.
The Guild continues to sponsor Student Matinees through 1995.
1996: The Student Dress Rehearsal program replaces Student Matinees.
1997: The Opera House reopens after being closed for 18 months for seismic retrofitting and repairs.
2000: A Tribute to Placido Domingo is such a success that the Guild's donation to the San Francisco Opera is doubled this year.
In January 2001, General Director Pamela Rosenberg announced her first artistic initiative for the San Francisco Opera, a multi-year plan of interwoven themes and series.
Later created with San Francisco Opera, these publications continue until 2006.
In one of his first acts as general director, he presented San Francisco Opera’s first free live opera simulcast to an audience of 6,000 in Civic Center Plaza in 2006.
2008: The compositional residency program Book to Bravo! is developed.
2009: Music Director Nicola Luisotti's inaugural season opening night is celebrated at Opera Ball.
2010: Voices for Social Justice, a residency program for grades 4–12, is developed.
2010: Vice-President of Marketing Virginia Cartwright Ziegler launches an integrated marketing and communications plan.
David Gockley and Charlotte Mailliard Shultz at the Holiday Dinner on the Opera House Stage, 2013 (photo by Drew Altizer)
2013: The Guild partners with Neiman Marcus to present The Art of Fashion: Jason Wu at San Francisco City Hall.
2013: Holiday Dinner on the Opera House Stage, honoring Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, is the first of several annual holiday events on the stage.
2014: The Guild celebrates its 75th Anniversary with events and activities scheduled throughout the year, including the creation of a commemorative book.
2016: New San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock is welcomed with the Nod to Mod Ball, celebrating his British heritage.
2016: A thematic look at education programming is introduced with the Year of Compassion, highlighted with the anti-bullying operatic presentation "How Andy Found His Voice" at the Herbst Theatre.
2017: The Year of Cultural Understanding is the theme and focus of our education programs, and Spanish/English versions of our Book to Bravo!, Voices for Social Justice, and Sing a Story programs are introduced.
On December 5, 2019, Eun Sun Kim was announced as the fourth music director in the Company’s history.
2019: San Francisco Opera Guild celebrates our 80th Anniversary! The Year of Reflection is launched as well as the Madrigals program for students ages 7-11.
© 2019 San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center.
2020: Opera Scouts prepare for the Austria Adventure coming this March!
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San Francisco Opera competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle Opera | 1963 | $43.0M | 50 | - |
| Opera Philadelphia | 1975 | $8.5M | 28 | 5 |
| Lyric Opera of Chicago | 1954 | $36.9M | 100 | 5 |
| Houston Grand Opera | 1955 | $50.0M | 267 | 2 |
| Minnesota Opera | 1963 | $8.9M | 2 | - |
| The Atlanta Opera | 1979 | $6.7M | 25 | - |
| Chicago Opera Theater | 1973 | $5.0M | 150 | - |
| Kentucky Opera | 1952 | $1.9M | 175 | - |
| Florida Grand Opera | 1941 | $499,999 | 350 | - |
| Michigan Opera Theatre | 1971 | $50.0M | 50 | - |
San Francisco Opera history FAQs
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San Francisco Opera may also be known as or be related to SAN FRANCISCO OPERA ASSOCIATION, San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Opera Guild War Memorial Opera House.