Issue: March 2021
San Francisco Opera Returns to the Stage The San Francisco Opera (SFO) announced a return to live performances—but not at its usual venue, the War Memorial Opera House. Instead, SFO will stage a drive-in production at the Marin Center in San Rafael, an abridged 90-minute version of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville with no intermission. The expurgations include the chorus and a few of the … [Read more...]
Issue: March 2018
When hurricane Harvey battered the greater Houston area on August 25, the Houston Grand Opera (HGO) was devastated. The lower levels of the Wortham Theater Center were badly flooded, causing damage to both stages and the wig and costume shops. In the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, our thoughts went out to our dear colleagues and friends, including HGO’s Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers, … [Read more...]
Issue: October 2014
Atlanta Locked Out At midnight, September 6, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra musicians found themselves locked out for the second time in two years. Management of the ASO/WAC (Woodruff Art Center, the parent corporation) issued a Last, Best and Final proposal to the negotiating committee by email on September 5, and a subsequent counterproposal was dismissed as “inadequate.” Health insurance is … [Read more...]
Issue: November 2011
The San Francisco Opera Company completed an immensely successful Ring Cycle in July—the first Ring Cycle in San Francisco since 1999. At a time when the relevance and significance of the art form are being seriously and repeatedly questioned, the measure of this production’s success is not confined to the numerous accolades garnered by the company and everyone associated with it, as this Ring … [Read more...]
