The first official performance given by San Francisco Opera was La bohème, with Queena Mario and Giovanni Martinelli, on September 26, 1923, in the city's Civic Auditorium.Īfter the opening, the SFO's inaguraul international opera season launched, which in the years to come covered a broad range of Italian opera, many being presented only once or twice in seasons lasting no more than two months, sometimes only during September.
Appealing to more than the city's elite, Merola raised 2441 contributions of $50 each from many "founding members". It was clear to Merola that a more solid financial base was needed, so he set about fund raising for a season of opera in the fall of 1923. While it was a popular and critical triumph, the five-day season was not a financial success. The first performance occurred in the Stanford Cardinal's football stadium on June 3rd, 1922 with a star-studded group of singers, including Giovanni Martinelli in Pagliacci, followed by Carmen and Faust.
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By the fall, he was planning his first season, and the very next year, Merola organized a trial season at Stanford University. During this time, Merola conceived of branching away from the area's reliance on visiting troupes for entertainment that had been commonplace since the Gold Rush era. In 1921, Merola returned to live in the city under the patronage of Mrs. Continued visits for the next decade convinced him that a San Francisco company was viable. In 1909, he returned as the conductor of the International Opera Company of Montreal, one of the many visiting troupes that frequented the bustling city. Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when he first visited the city.
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