San Francisco Opera

If you’re visiting SF this should be a must see place, Beautiful theatre with amazing sound it has perfect view of City Hall from the balcony upstairs.

I enjoy visiting this location, to watch an opera and to admire the beautiful building. Yesterday I ordered a meal, had the sea bass, it was delicious!!!! Staff was super friendly and the experience was wonderful.

I've been here multiple times to see the ballet and recently also the Opera. Great performances, and good visibility from every seat. The experience is great. The staff is always ready to help. The only complaint I have is that the subtitle panel is small and the subtitles are not always accurate, and sometimes disappear too soon Note: Last time we went to the Opera there was some kind of cable just in the middle of the subtitles' panel, which difficulties visibility. It was complicated to read some words. This is something I like best from San Jose Opera, as they have a bigger panel, easier to see, and the subtitles are available in both English and Spanish.

Christmas Season means add Nutcracker to my calendar. There are so many places to go. This year I picked San Francisco Opera House. Plan to get there early as traffic around there is no joke. Ideally plan on having dinner downstairs, buffet or chose from the menu. I believe they start at 5pm. It’s a way better option then stress out in traffic (as I did this time around) Uber may be ideal if you live nearby, if you are driving and running late, pick the 2nd garage their website is recommending. The first one got fully booked and we wasted time getting there. The building is beautiful and performance was top tier, very enjoyable. The camera is prohibited 🚫 I just took a tidbits of some scenes as a “souvenir”…a reminder of a cool evening

TRISTAN AND ISOLDE It is always such a treat to visit this historic building in San Francisco with its gorgeous Beaux-Arts architecture outside and inside. Designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. in the American Renaissance style, the 3,000 + seat War Memorial Opera House is a California Historical Landmark. The performance of Tristan and Isolde was nearly five hours long, yet it felt far shorter thanks to the captivating storytelling and exquisite music. From the very first note, the audience was swept into Wagner's rich, emotional landscape, a testament to his genius. The orchestra delivered powerful sounds that complemented the singers beautifully. The drama on stage was l imagine what captivated Friedrich Nietzsche. The staff at SF Opera were extremely friendly and helpful, making our experience even more enjoyable. With three intermissions, there was ample opportunity to discuss the unfolding drama with fellow audience members. Each act brought new depths to the characters' struggles, showcasing the amazing talent of the cast. "Das Leben ist kurz. Die Oper ist lang. WAGNER IST FÜR IMMER" CARMEN What a delightful experience at the SF Opera with Eve-Maud Hubeaux,delivering a captivating performance that truly embodied Carmen’s fiery spirit. Her portrayal was both powerful and nuanced.Francesca Zambello’s direction brought a fresh perspective to this classic opera, setting it in Seville in 1875. The narrative of Carmen is deeply engaging, and the nearly three-hour performance seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. I was taken aback by the discourteous behavior of the ushers during the performance.Despite this, the artistic excellence of the production, particularly Eve-Maud Hubeaux’s stellar performance, made the evening memorable.

This was my first opera ever, and it was incredible! We went to see Innocence, about the long-term aftermath of a school shooting. The set design was phenomenal, the actors and their voices were hauntingly beautiful, and the entire show was intense and emotional. The orchestra was absolutely amazing. The resolution was tear invoking. I will be back for more!

Don't go see Rigoletto if you understand Italian because the male leads surely don't. They're mumbling something unintelligible instead of the lines of the opera. The daughter of Rigoletto was fantastic but her Dad the star sang beautifully but too often it didn't sound like Italian at all

Magnificent music, visually rich, with a lively music culture, and the opera house itself is beautifully maintained and charming. I don't live in the Bay Area, but I tried to go to the Opera every time I visit San Francisco.

Recently attended the SF Opera World Premiere The Monkey King by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang. Love everything about it--from staging and set designs, lighting, costumes, choreography to all the talented casts. Hurry, you can still see it as it runs until November 30. Having grew up reading The Monkey King, this Opera spoke to me. So excited to have this timeless story come alive in operatic form, such an amazing experience in that the monkey king is a smart, rebellious, powerful being and he learns through his adventures to harness power and balance it with wisdom, humility and responsibility. Very aspirational and yet familiar. Some Chinese Opera (Northern and Southern) nuances incorporated into this Western-style opera. Beautiful and provoking. Looking forward to the next event.

Beautiful stunning venue with amazing sound quality! Saw my first opera here parsifal and the opera orchestra was amazing. The seats were comfortable and the ambiance was perfect. Plenty of restrooms and a good range of prices for tickets. Loved the costumes and set.

I honestly left the Monkey King Opera confused. I was excited for a classic Monkey King telling, but the version at the opera house was... horrible. I don't know why the director decided to make almost every lyric sound like a swear word, it completely ruined the vibe. It is supposed to feel mythical not like a tik tok slang parody. I understand that it supposed to have western influence for a crossover but the constant slang terms directed on the lyrics were distracting . It took away the meaning of the whole story. With the 8 immortal . They were written as selfish, over-confident, and weirdly rude for no reason. They should portray them as wise not full of pride or greed. The staging and visuals were decent, but the writing and language choices dragged the whole thing down. If you're expecting a traditional or heartfelt version of the Monkey King this is not it. I left disappointed and honestly wondering why they thought this was a good idea.

SF Opera is wonderful - first class! Lots of gorgeous music under that beautiful domed blue ceiling. I just saw Rigoletto and Dead Man Walking a week apart and both were excellent but very different. Casts were great . Pick an opera that appeals to you and go. And you can reserve a table at intermission for treats and champagne. Glorious singing.

Brought kiddos over for nutcracker. It is a beautiful opera house with so many details throughout. They do have strict rule about food consumption inside the opera house. I found folks helping out here to be way more serious as compared to people at symphony (more cheerful and helpful). We sat on the highest level to be close to my daughters' classmates. Most people dress up here. So it was good to do some minor people watching. When the show just started, there was one person came in a bit late and there was quite a stir about who to sit where. There was a lady working there directing folks to seat and was asking a mother to leave her seat even though she was seating at her seat. It was very disturbing and not respectful. That working lady also insisted the guy to sit at an open seat even though folks stated that the seat was taken (someone was seating there and was there for over half of the show). It was loud and disrespectful. I found that extremely unprofessional and took way longer than it is supposed to be. At the end, it was sorted out. The audience basically figured out and told her what to do. I found that to be unexpected and do not respect the audience in general. Besides that, the show was wonderful. The sets are fascinating, performance was beautiful, and the music was on point. The kids and parents all had a good time. Snacks are okay too at the bar. We would like to come back again but would sit at lower levels. Fingers crossed that we don't have to run into the same lady working there....

You can come here for many great performances. We saw the Nutcracker and sat in the upper level seats. If you are seated at a higher level, you will want to bring binoculars so you can view the details of the performance. The production is so amazing. The opera has many mechanisms to help with setting up various stage scenes. You might also see some "cannon fire" in a few of the performances. My suggestion for seats is to be seated at least 15 min before the show starts, to get comfortable in the cozy seating spaces.

You must be kidding, Rigoletto felt and sounded like a dinner theater. I felt so sorry for the conductor Eun Sun Kim, following the tenor," accommodating the voice" more times than I thought possible, and lost count after 11 times- she could not save him at every turn and it showed. This was a sham; set was like that of a high school play. Look, it's not about whose country is being represented here. It's about doing a good job at what we came to see. - I like my money back- I would recommend not going- The opera board must be in on a take on this one, or micro dosing- not good, not good at all.

Went there for the last opera of the season Carmen. The building is so historic and grand. The inside decor is so magnificent. The whole experience was incredible! I enjoyed the show so much. The seat was comfortable. I am a huge opera fan

Part of the community Benefits in the SF Bay Area are the arts: museums, Ballet, Opera, Symphony and so many other music and art venues! Most have free or low cost days for the locals. We are enjoying our first Opera in SF after seeing many other all over the USA and Europe-- lol- so glad to be here. The Elixir of Love ( really a lousy Bordeaux in a small bottle) a comedy - what else? Silly, flirty, suspenseful, marriage proposals... One beautiful melody after another. And Happily ever After!! Marsha Green is giving us a pre- discussion of the thrill of this Opera!! Worth coming early! This is such a beautiful building- it is worth exploring and looking at the architecture.

I never thought I would say this...I love the opera. For me, the subtitles make all the difference. The shows are incredible, the most recent one I saw was Madame Butterfly yesterday. The venue is fantastic and awe-inspiring. It's a great date spot and a chance to wear your best clothes and take in some culture. Give it a chance if you have not already.

The SF Opera Rigoletto was a horrible production. The sets were boring and minimalist with blaring bright red lights as the backdrop. The costumes were equally as horrible! The women wore black dresses that you couldn't see any detail, and the female lead wore a grey dress! So boring and uncreative. WOW! How could they spend so much money on such boring visuals. I left as soon as intermission happened, not soon enough. The plot reminded me of Jeffrey Epstein stealing young girls and all the republican Pedophiles protecting Trump and the Billionaires. Very untimely production.

It doesn't matter where you sit. It's spectacular. The singing and the orchestra, and the arias. Bravo. Glad they had plenty of women's restrooms. The line for snacks and coffee was very long. Seat numbers were a bit confusing. From center, right is even numbers. Left, odd numbers.

There are many positive things I can say about SFOpera. We attended "The Ring" cycle, which was an unforgettable experience. However, in this review, I would like to give praise for their OUTSTANDING customer service. I've been a season ticket holder a few times and the agents are always SO very very helpful AND very very knowledgeable. With the ongoing pandemic a surges (I follow the wastewater dashboard ... and btw, covid levels are high in SF at the moment) I continue to be a consistent N-95 mask wearer. On multiple occasions, I did not feel safe to attend an indoor event with hundreds of unmasked attendees. The staff have been very helpful and accommodating to explain my options and to quickly send LiveStream options, which have been FANTASTIC. I highly recommend the ease of LiveStream. (No parking, no commute. I can watch in my pjs, have a drink when I like, and pause for a bathroom break.) I mostly wanted to submit this review to that the excellent customer service. Thank you. Training makes ALL the difference. Note: I just got a phone call alert that the upcoming Sunday matinee of "The Magic Flute" is the same day as the annual Pride Parade. The call advised being prepared for traffic and road closures urging allowance of additional time in anticipation! How excellent is that. (This is in addition to several emails earlier in the week.)

Good to experience once in a while with the whole family and dressing up. Subtitles are easy to read and parking nearby (civic center garage) is convenient. Prices for snacks are pretty high, just be aware. Audience and staff are very friendly to the younger crowd and excited to introduce them to opera. Would also recommend a comedy / happier ending kind of story for the family. Seems like majority of shows are tragedies.

We saw the last performance of "Carmen" the first part of December. My wife and I had never attended an opera and we both were impressed and very much enjoyed the show. The opera was sold out and we were glad we got tickets. However, as a live and learn, we purchased box seats at $450 plus a piece, and got the 2 seats in the back of the box. Very difficult to look around heads to consistently view the opera particularly seated on the side of the theatre. Either buy early to purchase the front seats of the box or buy seats in the Orchestra. I stood up for the majority of the last act and saw very well! I'm still humming the music .

Last night at La Boheme. Opera was great. Seating was terrible. We sat in Grand Tier. I am 6'1". Had to leave at intermission. There should be reasonable seating for Anerican size humans. Had to sit at an angle. Painful.

My first Opera in 20 years - what a treat! My friends had an extra ticket and invited me to a lovely time in The City. Delicious sushi at O-Toro followed by a brisk walk to Opera Plaza. We showed vax cards and IDs outside and then quickly into the beautiful War Memorial Opera House. Stunning interior and it's exciting to see people still dress up for an evening on the town. Fidelio is Beethoven's only opera and features a strong female lead. Leonore dresses as a male prison guard to save her husband from a political prison. It's hard to believe it first premiered in 1805 because it it seems timely, even today. The heroine Leonore/Fidelio starred Elza van den Heever and she was fantastic in the role. After the performance the Music Director Eun Sun Kim got flowers and a standing ovation from her orchestra. It was really moving. Outside there were some children playing classical music - ages looked like 8 to 14. So talented and very smart to be busking outside the Opera with all those wealthy patrons.

Staff here is so rude. Really ruined my first opera experience. Won't be back. The idea that opera is elitist is being upheld but this company.

You'd better be on time. Even a minute late and they will make you watch standing from the back for the first half of the show, anywhere between 1 and 2 hours. Also, our seats had an awkward viewing angle of the subtitles which was pretty annoying

Great performance but so hot stuffy throughout the entire performance. They need to be better at using the ventilation.

I love San Francisco Opera House. It's a beautiful historic building that is a landmark of San Francisco. We try to see opera at least couple of times a year. Great sound, beautiful costumes, amazing voices, incredible performance, and outstanding surrounding. They also have variety of other events here, some of them are not cheap but are well worth the experience.

It was good. However, it wasn't as good as many other places I have visited including the Orpheum in Chicago or Kennedy center. The show itself was okay, not as great of a hall, the seatings are not elevated enough so if someone slightly taller than you sits in front of you, you can't see much. The bathroom is not very accommodating and wish they had drink service. Still, had a great time here.

Saw lots of Operas at this house. Have all the playbills. I believe in saving playbills. They are nice. Young adults bravo and for your mom! The opera house is a blast. Old tradition.

We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful building and organization in our city. Every time I come to San Francisco Opera I'm filled with inspiration and joy. Staff who work here are very friendly, they are usually volunteers and they are ready to help. The building is gorgeous inside and out with mesmerizing architecture, sound and lighting. The seats are comfortable in the orchestra and dress circle, not so much as you go on the balconies, so we usually buy tickets at the orchestra. They have different events in addition to operas, you can always find something to see and do at San Francisco Opera. I encourage everyone to attend San Francisco opera at least once, it's definitely an experience.

Amazing always. This is my fifth opera. This is truly a vocal power house. The program is not as thorough as they used to be. I used to love the program book design, now it is just two A4 paper with double-sided. Will for sure come back and very excited for Dream of the Ref Chamber next year.

World class opera! I've been a subscriber for 30 years, and I've only walked out once... Otherwise mesmerized‼

We recently saw Lohengrin. We were in the dress circle. It was a fantastic experience. We got affordable tickets from the Dolby grant. I had not been to the opera since 2014. It's worth going to.

A sign that San Francisco is a world class city is that it has an opera company performing a full season. This is remarkable. They are excellent. I write to say for those who are hesitant -- and I am no expert, so I am no different than anybody else, having seen maybe two dozen operas total over a lifetime, and all but one here -- the prices are not exorbitant. That is, they can be, but the balcony is in line with live theatre and other music. So if you are curious, you can check it out without breaking the bank. The other thing is of course bring opera glasses or binoculars. I carry a monocular anyway. No matter where you are, these are a good investment. I splurged on a monocular, and it is something I have gotten great use out of. There are very affordable models, as well as compact binoculars. The only sad aspect of the experience is they eliminated the OperaVision screens. At select performances, you could see a simulcast right in front of you, in addition to the action on stage.

This was my first show with the world renowned San Francisco Opera. Customer service was great and the opera house was elegant. Upper levels were a little warm but I blame the weather. Voices were uniformly excellent as was the accompanying orchestra. The set for Billy Budd was lavish and created perfect spaces for all dramatic activity of the opera. I did not love this particular opera as it was more of a play set to words than aria driven show but that doesn't take anything away from The opera company or the venue itself. Can't wait for "Nozze di Figaro"!

I had a wonderful opportunity to see Anthony and Cleopatra at the San Francisco opera during its world premiere performances. Because I lived out of town I had the will call people hold my tickets instead of mailing them and that worked out just fine the facility is very nice it's not too large the main stage is wide enough that you can look around but not too wide or two tall that you can't see the performers easily. They do have the close caption items above the stage so they do simultaneous translation some people don't like that but I even felt was helpful in an English language of opera. The orchestra was really great I heard the string section in the Percussion section very clearly. From my seat. The temperature at the auditorium was good I was a little unclear but I thought I may have been able to hear some outside street noise but it was minimal and not really distracting from the performance. People were dressed nicely the singers and the chorus were fabulous I paid retail price for my tickets and it was a significant entry fee but as I said to someone it was over 100 people trying to make art doing their very best and it really showed. If you're unable to go to the concert hall they do stream the shows via the Internet and I have done that also and enjoyed it this was a special experience John Adams the composer was actually at the show and this is the third of fourth opera he's premiered at the San Francisco opera if you're going to San Francisco and you want to have a cultural experience I would highly recommend checking out the opera

When I first went to the San Francisco Opera many years ago, it was my first introduction to an opera performance. I was riveted by "Tosca",but I wasn't sure when I would see another opera again. I'm all for a fine night at the theater, but opera prices can be quite steep. However, thanks to the San Francisco Opera's fantastic program, BRAVO!, I've been able to see more than ten operas in the past several years without breaking the bank. The BRAVO! club is open to people between age 21 to 40, and for an annual membership fee, you get steep discounts on both orchestra and dress circle tickets. The discounted ticket prices vary from year to year, but last year I could save almost 70% off of normal prices. Being a BRAVO! members also gives you access to educational workshops and fun events like a stage combat class, so you get to check out opera for cheaper prices and also learn more about what goes into making these amazing productions. Overall, I've been impressed with the operas I've seen, and I can't wait until the season starts again later this year!

Well preserved Victorian decor with an up to date caption machine that is hung up above the stage for translation purposes during a foreign opera performance! The seating is well situated and from all angles you can get a get view of the stage! It's a leisurely outing and great for special events!

50% off tickets with SIMFIG at sfopera.com/offer Magic Flute for only $54.50! What a steal.

As an arts enthusiast and former resident of San Francisco, my time and exposure to SF Opera shows was limited to Stern Grove Sundays and Bravo! events combined with the other young professionals groups (Symphonix for the SF Symphony, Encore! for the SF Ballet, and Art Point for the SF museums De Young and Legion of Honor.) On a recent trip to San Francisco however; I had the opportunity to attend one of the SF Opera's events at the War Hall Memorial & Performance Arts Center: Drinks & Drama, a Taste of the Season. It was a fun girls night my girlfriends and I planned to listen to a sneak peak of the upcoming SF Opera season, and taste accompanying (and very strong!) cocktails mixed. This was an educational and engaging event that introduced 3 opera singers and a pianist to the audience, and combined the educational session with video clips of opera performances from years past. I am very grateful that even though Drinks & Drama: A Taste of the Season was sold out, the program managers kindly put my group of 3 girlfriends on the wait list and let us in the night of the event! Thank you San Francisco Opera for a wonderful event at Drinks & Drama: A Taste of the Season, and your commitment to the San Francisco arts community.

This has always been my spot for a great opera experience. It's an amazing building and it's huge. It's definitely far and hard to see if you get a seat in the balconies, but they're more reasonable. They usually do simulcast at the ballpart each summer as well. One of the things I like about the SF Opera is that during these last few months, they've been allowing you to watch many of their previously recorded opera online. This has been a great experience since we haven't been able to watch it live at the building. Not a replacement for live opera and orchestra, but it's been nice to spend an evening watching opera with the family.

First time here and first time to opera. Beautiful building. A few snack and drink counters which are nice but not slot of places to really sit if you want to truly eat a sandwich. I guess you go here for the show not food but they do sell food so there is that. The seats are velvet and am sure were nice at one time but mine was lumpy. Also I Tend to get seats that have a tall or set of tall people that make it hard to see. Good thing I was reading the TelePrompTer most of the time. It was a great show- Carmen and cool experience short of everything I mentioned. It may be historic but if you are going to keep current than a few upgrades will be needed.

Watched the Nutcracker last night at the War Memorial Opera House, and the performers were all great. Still, this is the SF Nutcracker. They are always going to hire the best of the best. No exceptions. Still, I really enjoyed the show and the performances, and always have a laugh when the man in the bear suit comes out and starts rolling around. It's brilliant. A great team of dancers, and I'm sure they will always have the best performers here.

Opera house - 5/5 "Show Boat" - 3/5 The Opera House is beautiful, from the elegant ceiling to the soft red velvet seats. However, the storyline to the "Show Boat" opera show was unfortunately merely average. In the beginning, the plot didn't really have a clear direction. The end was a little disappointing, though the showboat singers were great. But for $100 for balcony, it just was not worth it. At least there was a projection screen to see the singers close up. ATTIRE: Formal, majority of ladies in dresses PRICE: Expensive, $100 for Balcony seats OVERALL: I prefer musical much more over Opera, but this venue is gorgeous

I'm a big fan of San Francisco Opera and I really love the opera house. The only downside is the cost of food in the area and ridiculous charges for parking -- $28 on Saturday nights. I used to go to Tommy's Joint to save money, but that place has really declined and it's a significant walk up Van Ness. Max's Opera Cafe is convenient with good food, but it's pricey. Other places, like Absinthe, should be enjoyed without having to meet a curtain time. The food in the basement is fine, but the atmosphere is rushed and crowded. Taking BART saves money, but the Civic Center station and the walk to the Opera House are a horror show.

Came here this evening for Aida. It was a beautiful show. The set design was slightly underwhelming but the performance made up for it. This facility is a tad bit outdated but still has tons of beauty and charm. I was surprised to see all the different levels. Downstairs you could enjoy a dessert and coffee during Intermission and upstairs you could visit the gift shop. I can't wait to check out the Nutcracker!

Yes, I'm a lover of opera. I used to have season tickets here. But I must say, compared to other opera houses throughout the world, the War Memorial is a bit drab. Although the seats aren't the most comfortable, the stage lighting and sets are as good as any in the world. The casts are usually hit or miss. The casts for recent performances of La Boheme and Madame Butterfly were perfect. The cast for Fidelio wasn't so good. The repertoire is unpredictable. There have been modern operas (Dr Atomic) which were horrid flops and there have been wonderfully animated performances of Tosca, Eugene Onegin, and Barbers of Seville. Avoid the early classical period operas as the character development is too superficial. Do watch the French Operas and romantic and late romantic Italian Operas. Anything by Puccini or Rossini's good. Wagner's operas are very intense (a simple request for mayonaise could be two 45 minute acts). The ending of any Wagnerian opera is an effusion of intensity. Russian operas are painful to watch (at least Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades" was. Ruslin and Lyudmilla by Glinka is good and the Tchaikovsky opera's are extremely cold. The single great aria (solo) to me is "Printemps Qui Commence" in the opera "Samsen and Dalilah" composed by Saint-Saens. A good first opera to see would be "Carmen" or "Barbers of Seville" or "La Boheme" if you can see it around Xmas time. The conductors and accompanying symphony are pretty good at the SF Opera. The seating isn't so good nor the ventilation of old, rustic air. I sat in the box seats for a couple of seasons which are not very good quality for $350 dollar seats. They need to be upgraded. If you've been to Scala, Metropolitan, Staatsoper, Teatro Colon, or even the Opera House in Liege Belgium, you'll see that the quality outside of the US is superior on all levels. The only nod at SF was for superior stage lighting and design. Yes, I've become an opera snob. I fly to Europe if I really want to see a good opera. I recommend Scala, Staatsoper (Vienna), Covent Garden (London), and the gentle blue, orange lit opera house in the fog in the City Centre of Liege, Belgium. SF's ok, but once you experience opera in Europe, you realize that the culture in America is still somewhat behind. Don't rent binoculars at the SF Opera. They aren't the best quality for the $5 you pay. If you must eat during intermission, be sure to arrive 15 minutes prior to the opera's commencement to reserve a table. You do not want to try eating during intermission without reservations. The quality of the food is ok and yes, it's ridiculously overpriced. The Creme Brulee is pretty decent though.

"It was so good, I almost pee'd myself!" Julia Roberts from Pretty Women. That's exactly how I felt when I was introduced to opera. I had no clue what the "hell" they were singing or talking about, but I was bursting into tears. I saw two operas here that was just phenomenal. One was "Aida" with the legendary diva, Leontyne Price. The other was Madame Butterfly. I probably have seen Madame Butterfly more since I couldn't get enough of "Un Bel Di!" Man, that song is way deep!! The San Francisco Opera is very beautiful. Love the decorative ceilings. If you have never been to an opera or at the San Francisco Opera, I highly recommend at least, trying it out once. It is magical. Until then, Cheers! ~ :p

A reminder that the city we live in is truly world class. For added decadence, order champagne and chocolate truffles beforehand. When you emerge at intermission they'll be waiting for you at a reserved table. Sip and nibble in peace and then float back to your seat for the remainder of the performance.

What a fantastic place! What fantastic people! What a fantastic show! WHAT a fantastic experience! Act 1 - Morning - I could not find my tix......anywhere. Not on the fridge w/ my umpteen million other tix for upcoming events (all tix live on the fridge - they're supposed to) Not in my neglected stack of mail, nowhere. Frantically searched & searched when I finally have to give up b/c I'm now late for work. Thinking I may have had them held at Will Call, my last glimmer of hope is crushed when the Box Office tells me their records showed tix were mailed to me back in Oct. What's a girl to do?! I did not keep my order number; I had phoned in the order, so no TicketMaster confirmation email to reference; I have nothing..... I thought I was screwed. But was this the case?! NO! The person at the box office OFFERED to reprint my tix for me. I didn't have to sing my song of woe or even whimper in the slightest - she just offered to do it, no problem! Hey, uh, TicketMaster? Please take lesson here!! Act 2 - Evening - walk into the Opera House & am completely taken w/ the lush decor & ambiance. And be sure to check out the chandelier / center light-thingy!! When the lights dim for the show to start, this chandelier winds its circles down & down, like a whirlpool. Really cool!! What was not cool was the temp in there.....whew lawdy was it HOT. Do yourself a favor & be sure to wear layers & make sure it's the layers that include the flimsiest, wicking-iest, coolest thing you can think of, b/c you're gonna need it! I left there w/out putting on my coat, into the 50 degree night & never put it on.....I may have even seen steam coming off myself (But even this did not detract from my 5 stars!) Patricia Racette's "Madama Butterfly" was absolutely incredible! Her voice was amazing & I actually *felt* her sense of anguish. In fact, I ended up hating Pinkerton so badly, I wanted to "Boo" him when they were taking bows....b/c she made me believe he was THAT much of an asshole & I couldn't separate actor from character.......very convincing! Overall a fantabulous 5 star night & can't wait to go back & see another Oh-pear-ahhh......

I have been here for performances twice and hated the experience both times and left early both times. Don't get me wrong. The music is great -- it's the damn venue itself that bugs me. It was built in 1932. That means the seats were built for scrawny, tiny folks who had just survived the Great Depression. That is not at all conducive to sitting through a lengthy opera. Second gripe: everything looks sort of ratty. Third gripe: the sound is muddy. fourth gripe: WTF is up with the bathrooms?? Why does it take 15 minutes to go to the bathroom here? Hmmm -- now looking back at what I've written you might get the impression that I am fat, deaf and incontinent.

On Sunday I saw the second opera in my lifetime. The first was Hansel & Gretel when I was about 8 years old. After that I never wanted to return to an opera. Despite it being in my native (and at that time only) language, I couldn't understand a word. Our housemate is an opera buff. He has season tickets. So when a German opera was on the schedule, he convinced me to go. And I was pleasantly surprised. I used the supratitles and translated back into German. With that I could make out about 70% of the words. More from the male voices, since the women screech so high, it's hard to get anything. I was even a ble to see what a poor job the translators did. The performance itself was very nice. Having studied German lit in the past, I was ready for the melo-drama of mourning, love, and death. The costumes were fantastic. I was won over and may return.

Beautiful grand building housing the best entertainment in the city. *Easy will call *Helpful volunteer staff *Comfy chairs *Plenty of space to commune outside of the theater space *Check out the 2nd floor outdoor patio area *Supertitles for easy comprehension I think the SF Opera is my new favorite thing.

Er-mah-gerd I freaking love the opera, and the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco is such a beautiful venue for it. I've seen a few operas there & I'm looking forward to my favorite, Carmen, this summer. Try to get there early if you can and get some wine, appetizers, or coffee downstairs at the cafe. You can also take advantage of the buffet if price is not an issue. Just make sure you are back in your seats before the overture starts. As far as seating goes, there are advantages to both. From the balcony you get a pretty good overhead view of the show and subtitles are easy to read. In Orchestra seating, of course your view of the stage is better, but reading the subtitles can be a pain because you constantly have to look up. But no seats are bad seats, so whichever section you end up, you'll still have a great time!

I'm lucky to get to the Opera once a year. Taking an entire evening + night to attend a 3.5 hour opera is a luxury in my hectic work life. However! Everytime I go, I love it. Last night's Traviata wasn't my cup of operatic tea, but the sets, the beauty, the sounds, Operahouse itself and everything around it is stellar. I particularly like that there are adequate women's restrooms, and after years of going, I never even knew of two things: a basement area with a buffet, an ENORMOUS Beaux Arts Bar -- I've never seen one larger. I went down to the basement as it was the closest women's restroom to my seat. I had a horrible feeling in my stomach when I realized I left my stomach meds in the car! Oh gosh, on the way to the restroom, what amazing find? A "hospital" or first aid station complete with a City EMT. OMGosh! This saved my life, I got some OTC meds and was back in my seat in 5 minutes. I love this place, only wish that seats were a little wider with a little more legroom since I think they built them when people were smaller in the 1800's, but hey, it's a treat! ~Ms. Ali