American Guild of Musical Artists and San Francisco Opera Announce New Two-Year Agreement
San Francisco, CA (September 9, 2025) — The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) and San Francisco Opera (SFO) announce a new two-year collective bargaining agreement, ratified by AGMA’s Board of Governors on August 25, 2025.
Following over nine months of negotiations, the new contract, retroactively effective from March 1, 2025 and in effect through February 28, 2027, brings pay increases including equitable pay adjustments, enhanced work-life protections, and new benefits, as well as enhancements to scheduling and audition processes, while also recognizing the challenges being faced across the arts at the moment. San Francisco Opera’s AGMA members include the Chorus, Principal Artists, Dancers, and Production Staff.
"This agreement reflects the dedication of every AGMA member at San Francisco Opera; we really came together. Solidarity works,” said Sally Mouzon, AGMA's Western Region Vice President, SFO Chorister, and member of the Negotiating Committee. “It’s about respect for the job we do, a healthy balance between life and work, and ensuring that artists have a real seat at the table as our beloved San Francisco Opera plans for the future.”
“I am deeply grateful to all those on both negotiating committees who gave so deeply of their time and wisdom to craft a new agreement. The new contract will ensure that San Francisco Opera continues to produce opera at the highest levels of excellence, while reflecting the need for long-term sustainability in the arts,” said Matthew Shilvock, General Director of San Francisco Opera. “Our AGMA Artists are extraordinary professionals and partners in the creative vitality of the company and I’m very excited for the thrilling artistry that this contract will make possible in the years ahead.”
This agreement underscores the shared commitment of San Francisco Opera and AGMA to honor the artistry and contributions of the AGMA Artists of SFO, fostering a workplace culture that supports excellence and creativity, and building a long-term pathway to a sustainable future for opera in San Francisco.
ABOUT AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS (AGMA)
The American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) is the labor union of singers, dancers, and staging staff in opera, ballet and concert dance, and concert choral performance in the United States. A national union with a membership of 7,000 artists, AGMA provides forceful advocacy and defense of its members’ employment and artistic rights. AGMA negotiates and enforces over 70 collective bargaining agreements nationwide, ensuring fair and safe working conditions and enhancing the quality of life for its members. AGMA has a direct charter from the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO Branch of Associated Actors and Artists of America and the Department for Professional Employees (DPE). AGMA is also a part of the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds (COBUG).
ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
Under the leadership of Tad and Dianne Taube General Director Matthew Shilvock and Caroline H. Hume Music Director Eun Sun Kim, San Francisco Opera is a global leader for presenting opera, training young artists and fostering repertory-expanding new works, a tradition which continues this fall with the world premiere of Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s The Monkey King. The Company’s 103rd season also includes a new production of Wagner’s Parsifal, a 25th-anniversary presentation of Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally’s Dead Man Walking (a San Francisco Opera commission in 2000), Verdi’s Rigoletto, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Strauss’ Elektra, and a variety of concerts and special events. Learn more at sfopera.com.
*For the complete press release, open the PDF version above.