Founded in 1923, San Francisco Opera is the oldest surviving opera company on the West Coast and a leader in arts education and innovation.

It all started, according to legend, over a game of poker. In his travels across the United States, the Neapolitan conductor Gaetano Merola had noticed that San Francisco audiences hungered for opera.

Over a card game in the North Beach neighborhood, an idea took hold: Why not give San Francisco its very own resident opera company? Merola rallied local leaders and music lovers, and soon — on September 26, 1923 — the curtain rose on a new beacon in the art world: San Francisco Opera.

Starting with that very first performance of “La Bohème,” San Francisco Opera established itself as destination for world-class talent and incomparable artistry.

Artists like Leontyne Price and Birgit Nilsson would arrive to make their American stage debuts. New operas like “Dead Man Walking” and “Appomattox” would take shape under its proscenium. And new technology like supertitles and simulcasts would be adopted early on to make opera more accessible for everyone.

Matthew Shilvock leads the company as its seventh general director, having assumed the role in August 2016. He succeeds company founder Gaetano Merola (1923-1953), Kurt Herbert Adler (1953-1981), Terence A. McEwen (1982–1988), Lotfi Mansouri (1988–2001), Pamela Rosenberg (2001–2005) and David Gockley (2006–2016).

He is joined by the leadership of music director Eun Sun Kim, who follows in the footsteps of previous music directors including Sir John Pritchard (1982-1989), Sir Donald Runnicles (1992-2009) and Nicola Luisotti (2009-2018).

Come visit us in our historic 1932 home, the War Memorial Opera House, the first municipally owned opera house in the United States — and one of the last Beaux-Arts buildings to be built in the country. Or find us out and about in our community, where we hold free events like Opera in the Park. To learn more, please visit sfopera.com.

Music

Performing Arts

San Francisco Opera

Matthew Shilvock

Eun Sun Kim

Yi Zhou

Michael Cox

Eva Karasik

Tracy Davis

Kevin Myers

Zach Hislop

Zachariah Spellman

Victor Avdienko

Thalia Moore

Susan Kang

Stephanie Mcnab

Shinji Eshima

Scott Macomber

Ruth Lane

Rufus Olivier

Phillip Palmore

Peter Myers

Patricia Niemi

Patricia Heller

Nora Pirquet

Natalia Vershilova

Mingjia Liu

Michael Severance

Meredith Brown

Martha Simonds

Liam Boisset

Leslie Ludena

Kevin Rivard

Keith Green

Ka - Yeon Lee

Jungin Yang

Junghwan Lee

Jung - Hsuan Ko

Julie Mckenzie

Joy Fellows

Joseph Lescher

José González Granero

Jonathan Lancelle

John Pearson

John Burgardt

Joanne Burke Eisler

Jeremy Preston

Jeffrey Budin

Ivo Bokulic

Gabriel Young

Evan Kahn

Evan Hillis

Emily Liu

Emil Miland

Elizabeth Prior

David Ridge

Daniel Macneill

Craig Reiss

Carlamaria Rodrigues

Bruce Chrisp

Brian Mccarty

Beni Shinohara

Aya Kiyonaga

Assistant Principal

Adam Luftman

The Leadership Team at San Francisco Opera is responsible for guiding the overall strategic direction and artistic vision of the company. Comprising key leaders in both administration and musical direction, this team prioritizes innovation, community engagement, and the promotion of world-class talent, ensuring that the opera remains a vibrant cultural institution. They collaborate to develop programming, oversee operational efficiency, and enhance the company's commitment to arts education and accessibility.

Leadership Team

Artistic and Programming Team

Orchestra Management Team

Leadership Team

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Team members

Other teams at San Francisco Opera

Artistic and Programming Team

Orchestra Management Team