San Francisco Opera has announced the launch of its Company Relief Challenge, a $5 million matching fund to help the company through this challenging time.

The fund will match one-to-one annual gifts, pledges, and donated ticket funds through Nov. 23, 2020.

“We are a company of makers and creators, each season employing hundreds of the world’s leading singers, instrumentalists, designers, dancers, crew members, administrators and more. We are deeply grateful both to our Company members who are making such deep sacrifices right now and to the community of opera lovers that is sustaining these incredible employees and artists, allowing us to present world-class opera long into the future,” said San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock in a press release. “The support that this challenge will make possible ensures we will come back to an exciting future that includes Eun Sun Kim’s inaugural 2021–22 Season and our 2022–23 Centennial Season with confidence, optimism and creativity.”

The company was forced to cancel its fall and summer 2020 seasons due to the COVID-19 shutdown. The company has since taken to presenting past performances online via its Opera is ON program as well as other virtual events for audiences around the world.

The organization is also currently undergoing construction on several shops in the opera house; it is also engaged in an a seat upgrade project.