Curtain S A N F R A NCIS C O O PERA
SUMMER 2016
B E H I N D
T H E
A Man with a Vision Te n S t r o n g Ye a r s a t S a n F r a n c i s c o O p e r a
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when San Francisco Opera’s founder and first hen David Gockley announced his director Gaetano Merola passed away, but when he departure as San Francisco Opera’s joined the Company in 1979, Kurt Adler, Merola’s General Director at the end of the successor, was still in charge. Having worked for— 2015–16 Season, it couldn’t have come as a and with—every General Director since, Cranna surprise to anyone who knows him—least of all provides a uniquely nuanced Kip Cranna, the Company’s perspective on Gockley’s years dramaturg who has worked “The job requires a rare with San Francisco Opera. alongside Gockley for the individual: someone who past decade. “I have known really knows the artistic Taking the Helm David to be very decisive, Gockley joined the Company determined and able to side of opera.” — Kip Cranna in 2006, but that was not the make decisions that he can first time he and Cranna met. “David was very well follow through on. And he always said he was known for running Houston Grand Opera, where only going to stay for ten years,” says Cranna. he started in his twenties and did many great Gockley’s tenure at San Francisco Opera things. The first time I actually met him was in and long career in opera will be honored with 1992; we were asked to co-commission the opera a star-studded Gala Concert on June 16 at the Harvey Milk, so I went to Houston to confer about War Memorial Opera House. Across the green that. The opera premiered in Houston in 1995 and from the War Memorial, we caught up with was produced in San Francisco one year later. It Cranna in the brand-new Diane B. Wilsey didn’t occur to me that David was going to be my Center for Opera, on the fourth floor of the boss at some point, but he was the logical choice Veterans Building. when the time came.” Cranna has served the Company for 37 years Continued on page 6 (and counting). He was still in grade school
PHOTO BY MICHAEL WINOKUR
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