

Auerbach also hired the firm of Paoletti and Associates to test reverberation time and background noise in the Opera House. The theater consulting firm of Auerbach and Associates, which oversaw the theatrical renovation of the Opera House, retained Ceitronics to install audio-video systems. The resulting seismic retrofit, which shut down the building for the 1996 season, provided an opportunity to bring the antiquated theatrical systems up to date. However, in 1996, both companies moved to the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for a season. The San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet, which share the Opera House, made do with the damaged building and equipment. Most San Francisco buildings are earthquake-proof the Opera House was not. However, it was discovered that many of the city's cultural treasures, including the Geary Theatre, the Main Library, and the War Memorial Opera House, had received serious blows as well. As flames shot up into the sky over the Marina District, many thought that most of the destruction occurred there. On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m., Loma Prieta, one of the century's strongest Bay Area earthquakes, jolted San Francisco. Performing arts patrons are accommodated amid plush velvet seats, elaborate Beaux Arts detailing, and state-of-the-art technology. The War Memorial Opera House opened in 1932, along with the Veterans Building as part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. The War Memorial Opera House is the 3,146-seat home to the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet. Originally founded by Gaetano Merola, who had a vision of a San Francisco-based opera troupe that would not be beholden to outside companies, he launched its first season in 1922 and the San Francisco Opera was born, an immediate critical success.The San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue and Grove Street, rivals Old World theaters with its elegant lines, vaulted and coffered ceiling, marble foyer, and sweeping balconies.

The opera is calls home the beautiful San Francisco Opera House, an enormous Greek-style architectural masterpiece featuring grand columns and arched doorways- a fitting backdrop to the classic pieces of art being performed nightly during the opera's active season. Each year the opera holds a gala on the opening night of their performance season which draws luminaries from all over San Francisco and the world to its luxurious and classy halls.


First debuting with a performance of La bohéme in 1923, the SFO has gone on to put on a wide and diverse range of operas and classical performances featuring world class vocalists and performers. Founded nearly a century ago and holding the distinction of being the continent's second largest opera group, the San Francisco opera, or SFO, is a legendary company that commands the greatest talent and most discerning audiences in the world.
