Opera Comique 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.

L’Opéra national de Paris s’attache depuis sa création en 1669 à faire vivre et rayonner les arts lyrique et chorégraphique, en France et dans le monde, avec quatre objectifs principaux : créer, transmettre, démocratiser, pérenniser. Chaque année, au sein du Palais Garnier et de l’Opéra Bastille, nous proposons une programmation riche et variée, fruit de la recherche d’un équilibre entre redécouverte des classiques et présentation des nouvelles créations. C’est grâce à leur talent et leur savoir-faire que les salariés de l’Opéra national de Paris (1550 salariés permanents de droit privé), parviennent à présenter chaque soir des spectacles d’une qualité exceptionnelle. En 2018-2019, 420 soirées sont données sur nos scènes et 860 000 billets sont chaque année proposés au public. L’Opéra national de Paris prête une attention particulière à la transmission du répertoire et des savoir-faire en formant de jeunes professionnels, et notamment des artistes au sein de l’Ecole de Danse de l’Opéra de Paris (Nanterre) et de l’Académie, récemment étendue aux métiers d’art. L’Académie de l’Opéra conduit également des programmes en direction du jeune public (Dix mois d’école et d’opéra, Les Petits violons…). Depuis quelques années, l’Opéra de Paris a conduit une politique digitale ambitieuse (3e scène, réseaux sociaux…). L’Opéra national de Paris dispose d’un budget annuel de 217M€. bit.ly/2DMsSI5

Glyndebourne – situated on the edge of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex – is recognised internationally as one of the world’s leading opera houses; a reputation that stems from a passion for artistic excellence encapsulated in founder John Christie’s insistence on doing ‘not the best we can do but the best that can be done anywhere’. John and his opera singer wife, Audrey Mildmay, founded the Glyndebourne Festival in 1934. Glyndebourne’s annual summer Festival runs for 15 weeks from May to August presenting more than 70 world-class opera performances in a 1,250-seat opera house. Throughout its history, Glyndebourne has been a pioneer in reaching new audiences. Its expanded Autumn Season offers affordable access to exceptional opera and music while shining a spotlight on emerging talent. Subsidised Festival tickets are available for families, under-30s and under-40s. Glyndebourne also produces open days, art and archive exhibitions, member events and more. An award-winning Learning & Engagement programme is active year-round, staging new work and delivering projects to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of opera among a diverse and broad audience. Since its founding in 1934, Glyndebourne has remained financially independent. As a registered charity, the company’s work is funded by Box Office income, Members and supporters, with valued Arts Council England support for learning and engagement work.