Hvorostovsky Competitors

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.

Ballet and opera capture the deepest human emotions. We want to share these unique art forms and their power to thrill, move and excite, with as many people as possible. Three principles stand the test of time and guide us today: EXCELLENCE: We bring together the arts at their best – music, dance, theatre – to craft thrilling, moving, experiences that transport you to other worlds THEATRICALITY: The spirit of theatre runs deep in our veins, on stage, backstage, online, at workshops, events and performances CURIOSITY: We question, we discover, we-reimagine, we perform; and we empower others to do the same We work as two performing companies, The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, in two theatres; our glorious 1858 auditorium and, opening in late 2018, our brand new, mid-scale Linbury Theatre. Our home is in the heart of London’s bustling Covent Garden but our work is experienced across the UK and globally, with 1.5m+ attending over 500 performances in a theatre or cinema each year, and many millions more enjoying our work on radio, TV and online. Our Learning and Participation programme opens up opportunities to 25,000 people each year, reaches many more through digital insights and resources, and connects families, schools and communities with affordable performances. We are a National Portfolio Organisation, supported by the British public via Arts Council England, and a registered charity, supported by donations from those who share our ambition and passions. We raise ¾ of our income ourselves, through box office sales, donations and ancillary revenues like distribution, licensing, merchandise and catering.

Imaginative, adventurous, and accessible, New York City Opera was founded in 1943 with the purpose of making great opera available to a modern, wide-reaching audience. For more than sixty years, since Mayor Fiorello La Guardia established its reputation as “The People’s Opera,” the company has stayed true to its original promise: introducing generation after generation of young singers who are stars in the making, bringing the public exciting new works and compelling, fresh interpretations of classics, acting as a champion for American composers and performers, and ensuring that today’s opera, and tomorrow’s, can be a part of every New Yorker’s life. NYC Opera's expansive repertoire spans five centuries, from the Baroque operas that have become signature productions to commissioned works by some of today's most important composers. The company has given its audiences 29 world premieres to date, as well as 62 U.S. and/or New York premieres. An advocate for emerging directors and designers and extraordinary new singers, the company has helped launch the careers of such stars as José Carreras, Phyllis Curtin, David Daniels, Plácido Domingo, Lauren Flanigan, Elizabeth Futral, Jerry Hadley, Catherine Malfitano, Bejun Mehta, Sherrill Milnes, Samuel Ramey, Gianna Rolandi, Beverly Sills, Norman Treigle, Tatiana Troyanos and Carol Vaness.