San Francisco Opera Announces 2026-27 Season With Tosca, Das Rheingold, New Commission

San Francisco Opera announced a season that mixes grand repertory, rarities and a forward-looking Ring project while keeping community events and fundraising at the center of its calendar. The company bills the 2026-27 slate as its 104th season and will open with Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra as part of a weekend that includes the Opera Ball and a free Opera in the Park concert.

General Director Matthew Shilvock framed the season as an effort to balance breadth and relevance, saying, “Putting together an opera season is an incredibly meaningful creative process,” and “We look to find a balance of styles, composers, aesthetics and time periods, crafting a season that will showcase the extraordinary talents of the company, that will welcome in both new and returning artists, and that will share stories of resonance to our lives today.” The announcement follows a year of momentum after last season’s The Monkey King and signals a multiyear commitment to Wagner with Das Rheingold staged as the standalone first part of a full Ring cycle planned for 2028.

Fall highlights begin Sept. 12, 2026 with Simon Boccanegra running Sept. 12-27, 2026; Eun Sun Kim conducts, Amartuvshin Enkhbat sings the title role, Christian Van Horn is Jacopo Fiesco, Joshua Guerrero is Gabriele Adorno, and Eleonora Buratto and Toni Marie Palmertree are listed for Amelia/Maria in Claus Guth’s production revived by Katherine M. Carter. The company will present Thea Musgrave’s Mary, Queen of Scots in a mainstage premiere Sept. 20-Oct. 4, 2026, starring Heidi Stober with Clelia Cafiero conducting Stewart Laing’s staging in co-production with English National Opera. Massenet’s Manon runs Oct. 15-Nov. 1, 2026 with Amina Edris and Pene Pati and Eun Sun Kim on the podium. The Marriage of Figaro appears Oct. 31-Nov. 29 with Sebastian Weigle conducting Michael Cavanagh’s production.

Spring and early summer programming moves into larger-scale works and community-facing events. Parterre and season listings put Das Rheingold May 29-June 22, 2027 with Eun Sun Kim conducting and Francesca Zambello directing; the cast includes Brian Mulligan as Wotan and Falk Struckmann as Alberich. Puccini’s Tosca runs June 4-July 2, 2027 with Rachel Willis-Sørensen in the title role, Quinn Kelsey as Scarpia and Riccardo Massi as Cavaradossi, conducted by Clelia Cafiero and directed by Shawna Lucey. The company’s third annual Pride Concert is scheduled for June 25, 2027 at 8:00 PM, and the season includes Strauss in Concert on Nov. 6, 2026 with Eun Sun Kim conducting and soprano Adela Zaharia as soloist, plus Adler Fellows and Chorus showcases in November.

The calendar keeps local economic and cultural ties front and center. The Opera Ball on Sept. 12, 2026 is promoted as “San Francisco's biggest night of the year,” with proceeds supporting opera education and future programming. Ticketing and access notes on the season page list livestream options and state that tickets start at $29, reinforcing subscription and donation appeals that underpin the company’s education and outreach work.

For San Francisco audiences, the season offers both familiar box-office draws and rarities likely to attract visitors and local patrons alike. The staged Das Rheingold at the War Memorial Opera House and the promise of a full Ring in 2028 represent a multiyear investment in large-scale production and local cultural tourism, while community events such as Opera in the Park and the Pride Concert maintain free or accessible touchpoints for residents. Tickets, subscription options and final casting for alternating performances are available from the company; readers should check the opera’s season pages for confirmed performance-level casting and any schedule updates.