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23h ago

San Francisco Opera Orchestra Goes on Strike, Cancels Opening Night

The walkout follows management proposals to restructure pay that musicians say would cut real wages, signaling risks to community performances and fundraising.

Logan Bryck, right, and Phillip Palmore of the French horn section of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra play for their supporters Sunday at the site of the canceled Opera in the Park in Golden Gate Park’s Robin Williams Meadow. Members of the San Francisco Opera went on strike Saturday evening to protest working without a contract after their previous one expired July 31.
Visitors and workers walk through Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park, where Opera in the Park was to be presented Sunday before the musicians strike canceled plans. 
Members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra mingle with fans Sunday at Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park, where Opera in the Park was to be presented until a musicians strike scuttled plans. 
San Francisco Opera Music Director Eun Sun Kim told musicians she would resign in solidarity if the orchestra strikes, according to two players who said they were present during the exchange.

Overview

  • The orchestra announced a strike late Saturday, prompting the company to cancel Saturday’s season opener of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra and Sunday’s free Opera in the Park.
  • Musicians say their contract expired July 31 and that management first proposed a 26 percent pay reduction, later a 20 percent cut, and most recently a five‑year wage freeze they say equals roughly a 20 percent loss when adjusted for inflation.
  • San Francisco Opera management says the company faces a roughly $15 million annual structural deficit and seeks to change how musician pay is structured to match a smaller post‑pandemic season and budget realities.
  • The labor action has already forced the postponement of the Opera Ball to Nov. 12, prompted public pickets and informal park performances by musicians, and left ticket holders with refund or credit options.
  • Union members warn the proposed terms would hurt recruitment and retention in high‑cost San Francisco, and a reported comment by Music Director Eun Sun Kim that she would resign if the orchestra struck remains unconfirmed as negotiations continue.