Sword-rattling from SF Opera Orchestra

Echoing its threat prior to the 2024-25 season, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra has said it will strike if it has not reached a satisfactory agreement with management for the company's 2026-27 season—planned to open on September 12 with Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. The orchestra’s contract expired July 31.

The dispute comes as the Opera continues to present a smaller schedule than it did before the COVID-19 pandemic. Musicians report management has proposed a 20 percent cut, which would roll back pay to what they earned in 2018.

"We cannot begin a season under proposals like these," the musicians said.

Company General Director Matthew Shilvock has been quoted in the SF Chronicle as reporting, “the 2024-25 season sold at 82% of capacity and that the 2025-26 season was expected to match that figure. He also said the company gained about 1,200 new subscribers last season and noted that six productions had sold out over the previous three years. The company has also reported increased donations and growth in the number of donors giving more than $100,000 annually. 

“Despite those gains, the Opera said ticket sales cover only 15% of its budget.”

The Chronicle puts SFO total net assets at $329.8 million as of the end of the fiscal year, much of which is donor-restricted.

San Francisco Chronicle