San Francisco Opera is the second largest opera company in North America and has been one of the world's leading producers of opera since its inception in 1923.  With a current budget of $70.4 million, the Company opens its 88th season in the historic War Memorial Opera House on September 10 with Verdi's Aida, led by Music Director Nicola Luisotti. 

The 2010-11 Season features 66 performances of ten opera productions-seven of which are new to San Francisco audiences-including a new production of Jules Massenet's Werther, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, the Company premiere of Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac, a new production of Leoš Janá?ek's The Makropulos Case and Richard Wagner's epic four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).