The full moon over San Francisco and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland, CA. carries Interstate 80. (Photo by Rick Friedman/rickfriedman.com/Corbis via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO - The orchestra for the San Francisco Opera announced a strike on Saturday evening, prompting the organization to cancel its opening night performance.
Strike just before curtains open
What we know:
The musicians announced the walkout just hours before curtains were set to open for the opera’s 104th season.
"It is with heavy hearts that we announce that the musicians of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra are on strike and we will not be performing at tonight's Opening Night," the orchestra said in a statement. "A strike is not something we take lightly, and we are deeply sorry to everyone who planned to spend this evening at the opera. We have been clear throughout these negotiations that management's offers were insufficient, and that without a fair contract we would have no choice but to stop work. Management's insistence on cuts has left us no other option."
The musicians said the strike came after Saturday negotiations with the San Francisco Opera over pay fell apart.
Performances canceled
Dig deeper:
Due to the strike, the San Francisco Opera’s opening night performance on Saturday of Verdi’s "Simon Boccanegra" and Sunday afternoon’s free, annual "Opera in the Park" concert were canceled.
"I am very disappointed that the Orchestra has chosen to strike the opening of our 104th season, canceling the opening performance and the beloved 'Opera in the Park' concert, rather than continuing to engage in dialogue at the negotiating table," said San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock in a prepared statement. "This is an incredibly difficult time for the arts. As with many organizations, we must adjust to the changing realities of the arts, and we cannot sustain a compensation structure that originated 45 years ago without bringing it into alignment with current reality. We deeply value the Musicians of the Orchestra and hope that they will return to the pit as soon as possible, such that the whole company can return to bringing transformative opera to the community."
Those with tickets for the "Simon Boccanegra" performance could
- Use the value of their ticket to purchase tickets for an upcoming performance in the 2026–27 Season.
- Donate the value of their tickets.
- Request a full refund for the value of their tickets.
The Source: Information for this story came from the San Francisco Opera and from the union representing the musicians of the opera's orchestra.