San Francisco Opera's Season-Opening Performances Canceled Due to Strike By San Francisco Opera Orchestra
September 12 Simon Boccanegra and September 13 Free, Public Opera in the Park Performances Cancelled
Season-opening performances cancelled due to strike.PDF
San Francisco, CA (September 12, 2026) — At 7:25 p.m. tonight, San Francisco Opera’s 104th season-opening performance of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and tomorrow afternoon’s free, annual Opera in the Park concert were cancelled due to a strike called by the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. No other cancellations are announced at this time.
September 12 Simon Boccanegra ticketholders have the following options:
- The value of your tickets may be held on your account to purchase tickets for an upcoming performance in the 2026–27 Season.
- The value of your tickets may be donated.
- Request a full refund for the value of your September 12 performance tickets.
No immediate action is required. Ticketholders can visit sfopera.com/updates or call the San Francisco Opera Box Office at (415) 864-3330 to choose the most appropriate option.
San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock said: ”I am very disappointed that the Orchestra has chosen to strike the opening of our 104th season, cancelling the opening performance and the beloved Opera in the Park concert, rather than continuing to engage in dialogue at the negotiating table. This is an incredible 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.”
San Francisco Opera has been in mediated negotiations with our Orchestra for a successor collective bargaining agreement. The agreement expired on July 31, 2026. We have incredible respect for the Musicians of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and deeply value the talents they bring to the Company and the community. The Company looks forward to continuing conversations with the Orchestra to find the right path forward for all parties.
As with many arts organizations, San Francisco Opera faces a difficult economic situation, and we appreciate that this makes for a challenging labor negotiation. While the Opera is seeing incredibly positive trends in audience and donor growth, the fundamental economics underlying the organization have been straining for over 60 years as expense growth has, over decades, outpaced revenue growth. This has led to the gradual reduction of our seasons and volume of work, a reality faced by many arts organizations. Even with positive revenue trends, the growing economic strain has put an unsustainable drain on the Opera’s endowment to balance the budget and caused a structural deficit of $15M each year.
The current structure of the Orchestra’s contract was designed for a volume of work that has not been economically feasible for many years. San Francisco Opera is very sensitive to the impact of salary reductions on our Musicians and proposed a multi-year contract that phases in structural change at the same time as increasing wage rates, such that the Musicians’ seasonal compensation does not reduce during the term. The Company has great respect for all of its employees, artists and labor organizations, and we look forward to reaching a resolution with our Musicians for a new contract that recognizes the tremendous value of all company members while aligning their contract with the economic realities of the Company.
For more information about the economic context in which these negotiations are happening and the key issues under discussion, visit sfopera.com/economics.