To open the 103rd season, San Francisco Opera and The San Francisco Opera Guild presented Opera Ball: Palazzo on Friday, September 5, 2025. The evening included a cocktail reception, dinner, and after-party in San Francisco City Hall, and the opening night performance of Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto. Guests enjoyed the settings themed as an Italian extravaganza in a Renaissance court setting.
Though born into wealth, which she used in part to establish an unparalleled private art collection, Gund gave and gave and gave some more, promising many works to institutions, where they might be enjoyed by all, and selling others to raise money for political and social initiatives. By the time of her death, noted the New York Times, the first publication to report her passing, the cupboard was bare.
The nonprofit's board of trustees this month expanded its mission statement to include the East Palo Alto community at large. Our community has been telling us they would like access to amenities enjoyed by other neighboring cities, and we took that feedback seriously, with our board of directors determining in May to explore how to expand our offerings to additional constituents, EPACENTER's Executive Director Nadine Rambeau said in a release.
"I know the value in a child's life of having those opportunities. They improve interpersonal communication skills, self-confidence, teamwork, dedication, and cooperation, plus the ability to stick with projects - even when they are a challenge."
"We only were aiming for 10!" Allard said, saying the support was going to bring her to tears. "We've seen such an outpouring of support in the last three weeks... It's been reaffirming the importance of the work that we do."