Who are we?

Established in 1947, the San José Opera Guild was formed to promote the appreciation and enjoyment of the operatic arts and to provide both volunteer and financial support to opera. The Guild incorporated in September 1958 as a non-profit corporation under the laws of California. The original purpose of the Guild has not changed over the years.

Members of the San José Opera Guild express their enthusiam for opera in a variety of ways. Financial support of promising young artists in the community is a high Guild priority. We help sponsor singers each year in the Merola Opera Program, Opera San José as well assist other Bay Area opera companies.

The Guild contributes to the support of San Francisco's Opera à la Carte program and to Opera San Josè’s school program which bring opera to the classrooms of Bay Area schools. The Guild also provides a juried competition every other year. Winners of the vocal awards auditions held at San José State University receive monetary awards. On alternate years we support Opera Scenes, operas performed by the Opera Workshop at San José State University. During the opera seasons, the Guild sponsors lectures and previews at three different venues to coincide with the San Francisco Opera and Opera San José’s yearly offerings. In addition, the Guild publishes a quarterly newsletter containing information on opera-related events throughout the Bay Area.

The Guild also organizes several social events each year ranging from season opening dinners to holiday galas to educational programs

Fall Lecture Series

The Guild provides a series of lectures for most of the San Francisco Opera productions. Given at the Mormon Church in Los Gatos, the series is free to Guild members, with a $10 charge to non-members.

Downtown Lecture Series

This series takes place in the Beethoven Center in the MLK Library on Tuesdays two weeks prior to the opening of the operas being performed by Opera San José. These are free to all and include live previews with arias by the resident company.

Summer Lecture Series

A continuation of the Fall Lecture Series, these lectures take place at the Saratoga Foothill Club in advance of the operas being performed at the San Francisco Opera company’s summer season.

Other Activities

Outreach

The Guild supports San Francisco Opera's Opera à la Carte program, which provides an opera preview for school children in the community. Please contact the Guild if you know of a school that would like to participate. The Guild also supports Opera San José's Operafest program which provides free student matinees to their operas, drawing an annual average of 25,000 students throughout Santa Clara County.

Phantoms

Phantoms of the San José Opera Guild is an offshoot of the Guild, a social group whose younger members enjoy a pre-opera dinner in downtown San José before attending Opera San José performances on the Thursday evening series D subscriptions. Often, one or more of Opera San José's resident artists attends these dinners. For more information, contact Alice Skurko at 408-356-7651 or by email at aliceskurko@yahoo.com