SF Opera reaches tentative agreement with Orchestra musicians; season to start next week
SAN FRANCISCO -- The San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra have reached a tentative contract agreement and performances in the 2026-27 season will begin next week.
The agreement between management and members of the American Federation of Musicians Union Local 6 was reached Thursday, following a strike that began one week ago which caused the cancellation of season-opening performances.
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The new contract, covering Aug. 1 of this year through July 31, 2030, is still subject to ratification.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, whose office assisted with negotiations, said, "I am grateful to the musicians of Local 6 for their constant commitment to reaching an agreement, and I want to thank Matthew Shilvock and the San Francisco Opera leadership for their hard work throughout the process. We would not have an agreement without the dedication of Matthew Goudeau, our executive director of arts and culture, who spent night after night in City Hall and the War Memorial, working to get the opera started again."
The 104th season opens Tuesday with Giuseppe Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" in Claus Guth's Hamburg State Opera production, staged for San Francisco Opera by revival director Katherine M. Carter.
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Thea Musgrave's "Mary, Queen of Scots," which had its West Coast premiere in 1979 under the composer's baton, opens Thursday in a new co-production with English National Opera directed by Stewart Laing and led by debuting conductor Clelia Cafiero.
Ticketholders for canceled dates of "Simon Boccanegra" and "Mary, Queen of Scots" have various options: They may apply the ticket value to purchase tickets for an upcoming performance in the 2026-27 season; they may donate the value or may request a refund by visiting sfopera.com/updates or calling the box office at 415-864-3330.
