San Francisco Chronicle

S.F.’s opera house to get new seats

- By Joshua Kosman Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicle’s music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicl­e.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosm­an

The next time you’re in the War Memorial Opera House for a performanc­e by the San Francisco Opera or the San Francisco Ballet, give the seats a fond, or notsofond, farewell. By the end of next year, they’ll be gone.

A 14week renovation project scheduled for summer of 2021 will see the old seats — which have been in place since the house opened in 1932 — taken out and replaced by new accommodat­ions. A joint release by the two companies, who share the house under the auspices of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, promises wider seats with more leg room, better ergonomic sight lines and greater accessibil­ity for patrons with disabiliti­es or using wheelchair­s.

The renovation will run from May through August of that year, and will have an impact on the performing schedules of both companies. The Opera, which is due to announce details of its 202021 season on Wednesday, Jan. 22, will offer a shortened spring schedule in place of its full summer programmin­g.

The Ballet is in discussion­s with BroadwaySF about presenting the last two programs of its 2021 season, due to be announced in April, at the Orpheum Theater. The 2020 season will not be affected.

This is the final installmen­t of a threephase upgrade that began in 2013 with new seats in the Box sections, followed two years later with upgrades in the Balcony and Balcony Circle. The final push includes all the seats in the Orchestra, Grand Tier and Dress Circle sections.

The project’s $3.7 million cost is funded by a facility fee of $1 to $3 that has been tacked on to every Opera and Ballet ticket since 2013.

Still to be decided is the burning question of whether the new seats will have cup holders.

 ?? Brandon Patoc ?? In 2021, War Memorial Opera House gets new seats in its Orchestra, Grand Tier and Dress Circle sections.
Brandon Patoc In 2021, War Memorial Opera House gets new seats in its Orchestra, Grand Tier and Dress Circle sections.

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