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THE SAN FRANCISCO OPERA CHORUS was established in 1927 by General Director Gaetano Merola
who also served as the ensemble’s director through 1943. As part of General Director Kurt Herbert Adler’s
development of the Company, the Chorus became full-time in 1981, working a minimum of 31 weeks,
typically from March through early December. The current chorus consists of two groups: the 43-
member Regular Chorus with 21 men and 22 women and the Extra Chorus, which can expand the
ensemble to 100 singers or more in larger operas. The Opera Chorus was the subject of the 1992
Academy Award-winning feature-length documentary In the Shadow of the Stars, and has been featured
in numerous video presentations, beginning in 1979 with an international live telecast of La Giocanda
and continuing with recent DVD releases of Mefistofele, Porgy and Bess, and Show Boat. The Opera
Chorus is represented by its union, the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).