The San Francisco Opera Opening Night production of Romeo and Juliet inspired the gala theme of “The Capulets’ Masked Ball.”

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 97TH OPENING GALA

Los Angeles has the Oscar’s Red Carpet, New York has the Met Ball, and San Francisco has its Opera opening galas that are their equal in glamour and excitement. For many, it is a tradition to attend the prestigious Opera Gala that opens the San Francisco fall social season and is one of the West Coast’s most glamorous events.

The Opera Guild produced the highly anticipated opening night gala that launched the San Francisco Opera 2019-20 season.

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Not only does the Opera Gala open the fall season, but also it is an opportunity to meet up with friends after the summer hiatus—to see and be seen.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA CELEBRATES ITS 96TH SEASON

The San Francisco Opera opened its 2018–19 season with its annual weekend of celebratory affairs, including two sold-out galas—Opera Ball 2018: ¡Viva La Noche!and the BRAVO! CLUB Opening Night Gala, one of the grandest and most opulent events in the city.

Opera aficionados enjoyed a double bill of Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci (or Cav/Pag), set in Argentina, which inspired the theme of the evening. Continue reading →

Artist David Hockney designed stunning sets for Turandot, kicking off the San Francisco Opera’s 95th season and its Opening Night Gala.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 95TH SEASON LAUNCHES WITH TURANDOT AND AN “IMPERIAL PALACE” THEME

At the 2017 San Francisco Opera Opening Ball, one of the West Coast’s premiere philanthropic evenings, more than 3,000 opera fans enjoyed a champagne promenade, dinner in an “Imperial Palace,” a performance of Puccini’s Chinese-themed Turandot, and a hopping after-party.

The Ball kicked off the 95th season of the SF Opera and the last season for which Maestro Nicola Luisotti will be company music director.

Though he’s leaving the SF Opera, Maestro Luisotti will return for future engagements as a guest conductor.

Opera Guild President Jane Mudge and Event Chairs Courtney Labe and Maryam Muduroglu hosted the Ball, along with Honorary Chairs John and Cynthia Gunn and Diane Wilsey. Alex Petalas and Victoria Weatherford co-chaired the BRAVO! Gala (for the younger set).

Opera Ball Co-Chair Courtney Labe (in Lily Samii), Opera Guild President Jane Mudge (in Marchesa), and Opera Ball Co-Chair Maryam Muduroglu (in Lily Samii).

Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock (wearing a vintage Armani suit from a SF Opera production of Lulu), Kate Shilvock (in Lily Samii), fashion designer Lily Samii, Rita Simonini, former General Director David Gockley, Linda Kemper, and Music Director Nicola Luisotti.

BRAVO! Board members Anjali Menon, Laurie Diab, Kari Coomans, Alex Jakle, Shannon Eliot, Xanadu Bruggers, Victoria Weatherford, Laura Della Guardia, Alexander Petalas, Katie Bryant, Susan Walker, Leah Fine, Rachel Lem, Aris Damji, and Nicole Jiam.

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For its 94th season, San Francisco Opera’s annual gala featured a French theme to match its opening show Andrea Chénier, including lighting up City Hall like the French flag.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 94TH SEASON: GALA EVENING CELEBRATED “LA REVOLUTION ET L’AMOUR”

The San Francisco event you absolutely don’t want to miss is the annual Opera opening night gala in September, a thrilling kickoff for the philanthropic, social, and cultural season. I’ve seen many grand events in cities around the world — and none outclass this one.

In 2016, as always, opera aficionados packed the house, and the audience — bejeweled, begowned, and betuxed (if there isn’t such a word, there should be) — put on a show that for style and beauty was equal to the fabulous performance we saw onstage.

The season began with Italian composer Umberto Giordano’s Andrea Chénier. Musical Director Nicola Luisotti and Director David McVicar led an international roster of performers in the story of a tragic love triangle based loosely on events of the French Revolution.

The beaux arts San Francisco City Hall was built in 1915, with fellow beaux arts masterpiece the Opera House built across the street only 17 years later.

The stunning work by set designer Robert Jones and costumer Jenny Tiramani gave the performance a sense of grandeur and luxury reflective of pre-revolution France.

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San Francisco Opera opened its 93rd season with a gala performance of Verdi’s romantic drama Luisa Miller in the magnificent 1932 Beaux-Arts War Memorial Opera House.

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA’S 93RD SEASON

GALA EVENING INCLUDED VERDI’S LUISA MILLER AND A BALL

San Francisco kicked off its fall social and philanthropic season with the annual Opera opening night gala in September. One of the city’s grandest events, it’s a must-attend for lovers of opera, theater, fashion, and glamour.

The Opera’s General Director David Gockley and Musical Director Nicola Luisotti pulled out all the stops for the season’s opener, Giuseppe Verdi’s Luisa Miller.

The cast of Luisa Miller: Vitaliy Bilyy, Ekaterina Semenchuk, David Gockley, Francesca Zambello, Michael Fabiano, Nicola Luisotti, and Leah Crocetto.

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The 2014 San Francisco Opera Gala kicked off the season with Bellini’s dramatic bel canto masterpiece, Norma.

SAN FRANCISCO – The fall philanthropic, social, and cultural season begins here right after Labor Day. It’s the busiest week in the city, with the opening night of the Symphony and the Opera.

The Opera’s highly anticipated opening night event is possibly one of the grandest in the world, a not-to-be-missed mix of music and drama, glamour and excitement.

Among this season’s San Francisco Opera performances, at the War Memorial Opera house, are Tosca, Cinderella, La Bohème, and Partenope.

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