SF Opera Opener Canceled as Musicians Strike; Opera in the Park Also Off
San Francisco Opera’s season opener — the Sept. 12 performance of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra — was canceled at the last minute on Saturday evening when the orchestra musicians went on strike.
The popular Opera in the Park event, an annual performance in Golden Gate Park falling this year on Sept. 13, has also been canceled.
The strike had been threatened for weeks by the musicians union, should San Francisco Opera fail to offer what the musicians characterized as a fair contract. The previous contract expired on July 31.
“A strike is not something we take lightly, and we are deeply sorry to everyone who planned to spend this evening at the opera,” the musicians said in a statement. “We have been clear throughout these negotiations that management’s offers were insufficient, and that without a fair contract we would have no choice but to stop work. Management’s insistence on cuts has left us no other option.”
Matthew Shilvock, General Director of San Francisco Opera, expressed dismay at the development.
“This is an incredible difficult time for the arts. As with many organizations, we must adjust to the changing realities of the arts, and we cannot sustain a compensation structure that originated 45 years ago without bringing it into alignment with current reality,” Shilvock said in a statement.
Both sides of the bargaining table have publicly made their case to patrons and audiences. The musicians highlight the Opera’s successful recent seasons and increased donations and ticket sales, while pointing out high inflation, San Francisco’s rising living costs and Shilvock’s salary increases.
San Francisco Opera counters that “even with strong sales and donations, inflationary expense growth has outpaced revenue growth for decades, resulting in a structural deficit of $15M that must be resolved. San Francisco Opera is increasing revenues as much as possible, but expense reduction is also critical.”
The musicians’ statement can be found here. The Opera’s statement can be found here.
As of Saturday night, it is unclear whether the Sept. 16 performance of Simon Boccanegra will carry forth as planned.