SF Opera's opening night on Tuesday, as musicians' strike ends

The San Francisco Opera has rescheduled opening night for Tuesday, September 22, 2026 after reaching a labor agreement with the AFM Local 6 orchestra musicians' union. The union called an end to their strike that led to the cancellation of the original opening night performance of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra. The deal comes as many arts organizations nationwide are struggling to meet the challenges of outreach to new audiences, the aging of traditional donor pools, and uncertain times in federal grants and arts funding.