News

Coming to the San Francisco Opera in the fall, Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ opera Omar has won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for music. The opera is based on the actual 19th century journal of an Islamic scholar abducted from his home in West Africa and enslaved in South Carolina.

As the SF Opera embarks on its second century, the company has co-commissioned three resonant new works. Read our interview with General Director Matthew Shilvock about the art and soul of engaging audiences.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) will perform on Nov. 6 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and again the next evening at Bing Concert Hall on the Stanford University campus, after opening the tour with four performances in Southern California starting Nov. 2.

At San Francisco Opera, rehearsals are now underway for the world premiere of Antony and Cleopatra, the latest drama from preeminent American composer John Adams. Opening September 10, the opera tells the story of a romance that would topple the world order—splintering alliances and sparking war on the Mediterranean.

The 20-year transformation of the Presidio’s waterfront adds 14 acres to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, building a national park space over concrete tunnels connecting San Francisco to the Golden Gate Bridge. Presidio Tunnel Tops features walking trails, art installations, picnic areas, and the mobile food program Presidio Pop Up.

Jewish Story Partners, a Los Angeles-based non-profit film funding organization, announced its third round of grantees today, with $468,000 in new grants distributed among 16 projects. The films traverse a rich variety of Jewish experiences, among them powerful stories from award-winning filmmakers like Michel Franco, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, Julia Mintz, Pierre Sauvage, Jason Osder, William Youmans, and Joshua Zeman.

OMCA is one of six organizations to win the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. It is the nation’s highest honor given to museums and libraries that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. The award will be presented at a ceremony in July in Washington, DC.

OMCA is welcoming Spring at its newly-renovated outdoor gardens. Lunchtime Sessions will feature dance, music, and children’s literature events every Saturday in March at noon. Grab a picnic blanket and bring your lunch, or stop by the museum cafe or Off the Grid Food Trucks, and enjoy a live outdoor performance. For more details on upcoming programs, visit museumca.org.

Exactly a year after longtime director Neal Benezra stepped down from his role, SFMOMA has named Christopher Bedford, formerly of the Baltimore Museum of Art, as its new director.

Freestyle Love Supreme, the unscripted musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda, began its national tour at ACT in San Francisco last week. Read more about the show below:

SF Opera will celebrate its centennial with a packed season of eight productions for 2022-23. The first operatic offering will be the world premiere of “Antony and Cleopatra,” an opera by Berkeley composer John Adams based on the play by Shakespeare. The full slate of productions can be found in the press release below.

Tamara Rojo has been announced as the next artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet. Rojo joins the organization from the English National Ballet, and will be the first woman ever to lead SF Ballet.