Announcing San Francisco Opera’s 104th season, General Director Matthew Shilvock said, “It has never been more urgent to gather in our theaters and share the stories of our humanity. In recent years, I have felt an extraordinary hunger among audiences to immerse themselves in deeply emotive, dramatic works.
“As we move forward from the remarkable operas of 2025 into our 104th season, we do so with a sense of momentum and purpose. This season will be defined by soaring musical values, incisive dramatic stagings, and an expansive breadth of styles and stories.”
After the sensational success of last season’s The Monkey King, and the company’s decision to produce the complete Ring of the Nibelung cycles, SF Opera is maintaining its century-long momentum.
Next season, the company’s Verdi project continues with Music Director Eun Sun Kim leading the composer’s dramatic Simon Boccanegra, before taking the podium for Das Rheingold in June 2027.
Neapolitan conductor Clelia Cafiero, who led the opening concert at Festival Napa Valley last year, comes to S.F. for two assignments, including Thea Musgrave’s modern classic Mary, Queen of Scots (1977) and Puccini’s Tosca.
Many stars of recent seasons are returning next season, including soprano Adela Zaharia who sang Gilda, in last season’s Rigoletto. Zaharia will be the soloist in SF Opera Orchestra’s concert of music by Richard Strauss.
The summer season to come consists of Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (May 28–June 21) and Richard Strauss’ Elektra (June 7–27).
Here is SF Opera’s 2026-2027 season, in brief:
Fall 2026
Season-opening Opera Ball — Sept. 12
Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra — Sept. 12, 16, 19, 22, 25, 27 — Eun Sun Kim, conductor; Katherine M. Carter, revival director; with Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Maria Eleonora Buratto, Toni Marie Palmertree, and Christian Van Horn
Opera in the Park — Sept. 13
Thea Musgrave’s Mary, Queen of Scots — Sept. 20, 24, 26, 29, Oct. 2, 4 — Clelia Cafiero, conductor; Stewart Laing, director; with Heidi Stober, Thomas Mole, Thomas Kinch, and Christopher Sokolowski
Jules Massenet’s Manon — Oct. 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, Nov. 1 — Eun Sun Kim, conductor; Vincent Boussard, director; with Amina Edris and Pene Pati (wife and husband from SF Opera’s Merola and Adler programs)
Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro — Oct. 31, Nov. 3, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18, 21, 27, 29 — Sebastian Weigle, conductor; Shawna Lucey, director; with Peter Kellner, Slávka Zamecníková, Thomas Mole, Olivia Smith, and Simone McIntosh. This is a revival of Michael Cavanagh’s production for SF Opera, which premiered in 2019.
Richard Strauss in Concert — Nov. 6 — Eun Sun Kim, conductor; Adela Zaharia, soprano
Summer 2027
Wagner’s Das Rheingold — May 29, 2027, June 3, 6, 11, 16, 19, 22 — Eun Sun Kim, conductor; Francesca Zambello, director; with Brian Mulligan, Falk Struckmann, Brenton Ryan, Judit Kutasi, Sadie Cheslak, and Zhengyi Bai
Puccini’s Tosca — June 4, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 29, July 2 — Clelia Cafiero, conductor; Shawna Lucey, director; with Rachel Willis-Sørensen, Riccardo Massi, and Quinn Kelsey
Pride Concert — June 25
“Putting together an opera season is an incredibly meaningful creative process,” Shilvock told SF Classical Voice. “We look to find a balance of styles, composers, aesthetics and time periods, crafting a season that will showcase the extraordinary talents of the company, that will welcome in both new and returning artists, and that will share stories of resonance to our lives today.
“The season planning process typically begins about five years in advance, getting more detailed until the titles are set about three years out. It is a multi-dimensional jigsaw puzzle that must factor in so many aspects, both artistic and financial, and we strive for seasons that will reflect the great legacy of this 104-year-old company and simultaneously move forward the art form with bold courage.
“San Francisco has long turned the heads of the world with its creative vitality, and we hope that this and future seasons will continue to do just that. We’re already looking at some projects out beyond even 2031.”
As many times before — from the Great Quake to COVID-19 — SF Opera is once again overcoming environmental, societal, and fiscal challenges by “going big.” With a yearly budget of approximately $93 million, and an endowment currently valued at around $300 million, the company is employing hundreds of people through seasons attended by more than 100,000 residents and visitors annually.
SF Opera is a central institution in the city’s nonprofit arts and culture industry, a sector which generates $1.5 billion in total economic activity, supports 40,000 full-time equivalent jobs, and generates $1 billion in household income to local residents.
Subscriptions for SF Opera’s 2026-27 season are priced from $136 to $2,634. Call 415-864-3330 or visit sfopera.com. Single and discounted tickets will go on sale later.
The Dolby Family’s Opera for the Bay program provides $10 tickets to Bay Area residents who have not purchased tickets in the past three seasons.
Major sponsors of SF Opera include Julie Dickson, Jerome & Thao Dodson, Dagmar Dolby, Bertie Bialek Elliott, The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation for the Arts, Louise Gund, John A. & Cynthia Fry Gunn, Jensen & Lori Huang, Franklin and Catherine Johnson, Edmund W. and Jeannik Méquet Littlefield Fund, Bernard and Barbro Osher, Marieke and Jeff Rothschild, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, Dianne and Tad Taube, Phyllis C. Wattis Endowment Funds, Diane B. Wilsey, and Barbara A. Wolfe.
