San Francisco Opera Strike Ends; Season Now Opens September 22

San Francisco Opera and the musicians of its orchestra reached a tentative contract agreement on the evening of Thursday, September 17, ending a strike that had shut the company down since September 12 and wiped out five performances, including the season opener and the free Opera in the Park concert.

The company’s 104th season now opens on Tuesday, September 22, with Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra at the War Memorial Opera House at 7:30pm. That is the performance that was called off half an hour before curtain on September 12, when the orchestra walked out.

What the Deal Covers

San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, represented by American Federation of Musicians Local 6, announced the agreement jointly. It runs four years, from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2030, and the musicians still have to ratify it before it takes effect.

Neither side has released the financial terms. General Director Matthew Shilvock said in a statement that the agreement “addresses important structural changes while providing a fair agreement for our musicians.” Gabe Young, the orchestra’s associate principal oboist and chair of the musicians’ negotiating committee, said the deal “provides a fair contract and stability for the members of the orchestra” and thanked patrons for their patience.

Both sides credited Mayor Daniel Lurie and Matthew Goudeau, the city’s executive director of arts and culture, who joined the talks shortly after the walkout began.

The Dispute

The company argued that a contract structure written in 1980 no longer matches how it schedules a season, and said it could not use 25 percent of the orchestra hours it guaranteed last season, with that figure projected to reach 33 percent this season. The musicians said management had proposed a 26 percent pay cut, then a 20 percent cut, then a five-year wage freeze, and pointed to $1.2 million in healthcare savings they gave up in 2025.

We covered the walkout and the cancellations as they happened, in our report on the September 12 strike, a guide for ticket holders, and the cancellations through September 20.

If You Held a Ticket to a Canceled Performance

The five canceled dates are not being rescheduled. San Francisco Opera has been offering ticket holders a refund, a credit toward a future performance, or the option to donate the value back to the company. Contact the box office directly rather than waiting for an automatic refund.

The annual gala, originally set for September 12, was moved to November 12 and that date stands.

Practical Info

What: Simon Boccanegra, opening the 2026 to 2027 season

When: Tuesday, September 22, 7:30pm

Where: War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Avenue

Tickets and the current calendar: sfopera.com. Dates later in the run, and the Mary, Queen of Scots performances that follow, are listed there. Check the site before you travel, since the contract is tentative until the orchestra ratifies it.

Getting there: The Van Ness Muni station on the J, K, L, M, N and T lines is two blocks away. The 5, 21 and 47 all stop within a block of the Opera House. Civic Center BART is about a ten minute walk.

Photo: Andreas Praefcke, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.