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Art >Opera
| War Memorial Opera House |
Address:
Civic Center on Van Ness Avenue
| San Francisco |
Region:
San Francisco
Rating:
 
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More Info
Phone: (415) 864-3330
FAX:
Website
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Description and Basic Information ::
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The beautiful War Memorial Opera House sits like a proud lion. This building was designed by Arthur Brown Jr, the architect who also built Coit Tower as well as City Hall, which stands across the street. The War Memorial has been the home of the San Francisco Opera since October 15, 1932, when the doors opened with its first performance of Tosca.
The San Francisco Opera was founded by maestro Gaetano Merola and incorporated in 1923. The Company's first performance took place on September 26th, 1923, in the City's Civic Auditorium, and then nine years later, the Company moved into its palatial new home.
Since 1988, the San Francisco Opera has been led by renowned conductor Lotfi Mansouri, and today is the second largest opera company in North America. He has directed the Company’s expansion as well as overseeing the Western Opera Theater - the only remaining traveling opera company in the country.
Due to the damage suffered during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the War Memorial Opera House was closed for 18 months. A $49.5 million seismic retrofit, along with $28 million improvement in backstage additions. |
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