West Bay Opera's history begins in Vienna in the 1930's, where founder Henry Holt received his training as a concert pianist and conductor. After a successful touring career, Mr. Holt gave a final performance in Europe as a soloist with Toscanini and the Vienna Philharmonic, and then left for the United States. He began as an accompanist and vocal coach for many well-known opera singers, working in New York and on tour throughout the United States. Mr. Holt settled in Palo Alto in 1955, and formed an opera workshop called the "Little Opera Guild." From presentations of operatic excerpts with piano accompaniment, Mr. Holt's workshops soon developed into fully staged performances. While local residents participated in the chorus, leading singers from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area appeared in the principal roles. Thus West Bay Opera was born!
Following Henry Holt's death in 1969, his wife, the late Maria Holt, guided the company as General Director for nearly three decades. Under Maria Holt's leadership, West Bay Opera grew significantly in prominence and distinction. The West Bay Opera Orchestra was established in 1974. In 1983, as a result of the efforts of the entire West Bay Opera community, the Holt Building was constructed. Today this facility provides space for rehearsals, administrative offices, a costume shop, and set and properties storage.
Under the direction of Maria Holt, David Sloss, and now current General Director José Luis Moscovich, West Bay Opera has strengthened its commitment to the mission first articulated by Henry Holt:
To offer audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area operatic productions of the highest quality while providing for the professional growth of emerging artists, as well as experienced directors, designers, and other artistic personnel, and maintaining the traditions of community participation and education.
Performing both the familiar and the adventurous, West Bay Opera seeks to please and challenge singers and audiences with three productions per season, one each in October, February, and May. The repertoire includes standard popular works, lesser-known operas and operettas, and occasionally operas by modern composers. Some of West Bay Opera's greatest successes result from undertaking formidable artistic challenges. Past accomplishments include Bellini's Norma, Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in the original Russian, and Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer. The principal consideration is always to give talented young opera singers an opportunity to perform challenging roles and, in turn, to give audiences the pleasure of hearing these singers on their way to fame.
All productions include projected supertitles in English.
West Bay Opera has the loyal support of a large contingent of opera lovers throughout the Bay Area. The company performs to an estimated 5,000 audience members every season, and the company's Opera In The Schools (OITS) program reaches an estimated 20,000 schoolchildren per year, from Daly City to Santa Cruz. Most of West Bay Opera's audience members live on the San Francisco Peninsula, although many come from Sacramento, the Monterey Peninsula and even further.
One of West Bay Opera's greatest assets is the site of its performances: Palo Alto's Lucie Stern Theatre. Popular with audiences for its intimacy, the theatre has excellent acoustics.
Tickets for performances are less than one-third the cost of similar seats at the San Francisco Opera, and parking is free. Season subscriptions are available and guarantee prime seating for productions. West Bay Opera encourages the attendance of young audiences, students, and seniors by offering tickets at reduced prices. Before each production, West Bay Opera brings outreach performances to schools, corporations, shopping malls, community centers, colleges, universities, and retirement communities.