ABSTRACT
The San Francisco Opera, founded in 1923 by the Italian conductor Gaetano Merola, presented annual seasons that by the mid-1930s lasted approximately four weeks each autumn. For wealthy patrons who as “guarantors” subscribed to boxes, the opening performances signaled the beginning of the fall social season. Famous singers were imported to lead the local chorus; productions in the 1930s featured such legendary names as Lauritz Melchior, Lawrence Tibbett, Ezio Pinza, Kirsten Flagstad, Lotte Lehmann, and Lily Pons. While prominent singers were imported regularly from the Metropolitan Opera or from abroad, little attention was given to the choreographic aspect of the repertory. During the company’s first decade, it had no permanent ballet school or ongoing ballet troupe beyond the temporary company assembled for each season. In those ten years, no less than five different ballet masters provided choreography for productions: Natale Carossio, Theodore Koslov, Serge Oukrainsky, Ernest Belcher, and Estelle Reed. 1
