The San Francisco Opera company said today it is scrapping its entire summer season of three productions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A press release said S.F. Opera’s board of directors approved the measure at a meeting last week and noted the move would cost the company $8 million and the public a chance to see the Bay Area premiere of a new opera, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” which had been scheduled to run June 20-July 3.
“Today I am announcing the heartbreaking decision to cancel our 2020 summer season due to
the current pandemic,” said S.F. Opera general director Matthew Shilvock “The safety and health of our audiences, artists and employees must come first, and it is imperative that we continue to do our part in the critical effort to contain COVID-19.”
Shilvock added that the company, like the Bay Area, was resilient and that he was confident S.F. Opera would weather the storm. He noted that the company website now includes a variety of streaming content under the collective title “Opera is ON.”
“This company has faced many challenges in its nearly 100 years,” he said. “Our very theater was built from the determination of San Franciscans to bring music back after the devastation of the 1906 earthquake. We have survived the Great Depression, a World War, the Loma Prieta earthquake, the dot-com bust, September 11 and the 2008 recession. I know San Francisco Opera will emerge from this doing what we do best: bringing works of soaring beauty to life and sharing them with our extraordinary community.”
Officials said ticket-holders have a variety of options, including donations to the company, exchanges for future productions or full refunds. More information is available at 415-864-3330 or www.sfopera.com.
The canceled summer season included 18 performances of three operas. Besides “Steve Jobs,” which was written by Bay Area composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell and received its world premiere in 2017, the company had scheduled productions of Verdi’s “Ernani” and Handel’s “Partenope.”
Shilvock noted that the cancellation is a financial blow to the performers, costume and set artists and technical engineers who are part of every production. Such artists throughout the country are facing uncertain times from the pandemic.
He said the company will continue to pay full compensation and benefits for employees through the current May 3 shelter-in-place period.
“We are in conversation with all eight of our union partners to determine how we can best support our employees during this unprecedented situation,” he said. “At this time, we are focused on mitigating the devastating impact that cancellations could have on the lives of the artists, musicians, crew members and staff who are the heart of this company, while also maintaining a strong organization when we return to the stage.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has already canceled concerts and theatrical productions well into the fall, S.F. Opera’s 2020-21 season for now remains scheduled to open Sept. 11 with a special gala and concert. Its first fall production, Beethoven’s politically-charged opera “Fidelio,” is slated to open Sept. 12.
In the meantime, the opera company is hosting on its website a variety of videos — featuring Opera Adler Fellows performing from their homes — and classic opera playlists; go to sfopera.com/opera-is-on.
