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Spanning the Decades

 

San Francisco Opera is a community of makers who pioneer innovative ways to make opera while preserving the techniques of previous generations. Spanning the Decades is a collection of conversations with past and present Company members about creating opera. Additional features include dramaturg emeritus Kip Cranna’s interviews with former staff and General Directors David Gockley and Pamela Rosenberg discussing their tenures in oral histories. Finally, hear the Company’s oldest known audio memento, a 1925 piano roll by Company founder Gaetano Merola.

Hair and Makeup Edition

Stan Dufford and Jeanna Parham

Listen in as Jeanna Parham, SF Opera's Head of Hair, Wigs and Makeup since 2014, speaks with Stan Dufford, the charming gentleman who held the position from 1956–1968 and has served the Company for nearly seven decades.

(run time ~ 25 minutes)

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Lighting Edition

Tom Munn and Justin Partier

Tom Munn, Company Lighting Director from 1976-2001, sits down with Justin Partier, our current Lighting Director, to talk shop, Ponti projections and commiserate on the dauting use of mirrors on stage.

(run time ~ 32 minutes)

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Production Edition

Pierre Cayard and John Del Bono

San Francisco Opera’s scene shop foreman, John Del Bono, and Pierre Cayard, the Company’s Master Builder for over three decades, recently sat down together in the Company’s Burlingame scene shop to discuss the history of the scene shop and building sets for the War Memorial Opera House stage.

(run time ~ 20 minutes)

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Tour Edition

Christine Bullin and Kip Cranna

Wrangling multiple affiliate programs at a Company as big and busy as SF Opera can be daunting task, one that Christine Bullin embraced and accomplished with great skill.  Listen in as she and Kip Cranna discuss the creation of the San Francisco Opera Center, the evolution of the Adler Fellowship, and several other fascinating bits of Company history.

(run time ~ 41 minutes)

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Ann Farris and Robert Darling

SPO/T Edition

Ann Farris and Robert Darling

Taking opera out of the Opera House and into the community was a priority of the Adler administration.  Spring Opera, Spring Opera Theater, and Western Opera Theater were crucial for realizing that mission.  Listen in as Ann Farris and Robert Darling discuss SPO/SPOT, WOT, and designing/directing shows outside of the WMOH.

(run time ~ 30 minutes )

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Director Edition, pt. 1

Francesca Zambello and Kip Cranna

Director Francesca Zambello speaks with Kip Cranna about her historic career at San Francisco Opera stretching back to 1982 and the introduction of supertitles to her productions of Jenůfa, The Little Prince, Show Boat, and Wagner’s massive Ring Cycle.

(run time ~ 15 minutes)

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Director Edition, pt. 2

Francesca Zambello and Kip Cranna

Kip Cranna and Francesca Zambello continue their engaging conversation as they discuss directorial challenges, Pavarotti, Freni, Kazakhstan dancers, and more.

(run time ~ 13 minutes)

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Director Edition, pt. 3

Francesca Zambello and Kip Cranna

Kip Cranna and Francesca Zambello finish up their engaging 3-part conversation as they discuss young artist training, obscure titles, musicals turned opera, and of course, the Ring.


(run time ~ 18 minutes)

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Director Edition

Gaetano Merola's 1925 piano roll

From a rare 1925 Piano Roll, experience Gaetano Merola playing Samson et Dalila.

(Grateful thanks to Peter Phillips for the MIDI file, and to Stanford Libraries Archive of Recorded Sound for use of the image and audio files/licensed via Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International — CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.)

(run time ~ 5 minutes)

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Chorus Edition, pt. 1

Ian Robertson and Kip Cranna

Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna sits down with recently retired colleague Ian Robertson for a three-part conversation about Robertson’s 35-year tenure as San Francisco Opera Chorus Director.


(run time ~ 27 minutes)

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Chorus Edition, pt. 2

Ian Robertson and Kip Cranna

Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna sits down with recently retired colleague Ian Robertson for the second of a three-part conversation about Robertson’s 35-year tenure as San Francisco Opera Chorus Director.

(run time ~ 14 minutes)

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Chorus Edition, pt. 3

Ian Robertson and Kip Cranna

Focusing in on the internal machinations of the SF Opera Chorus, dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna sits down with recently retired colleague Ian Robertson for the third of a three-part conversation about Robertson’s 35-year tenure as San Francisco Opera Chorus Director.

(run time ~ 17 minutes)

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Oral History Edition

Pamela Rosenberg, General Director

In partnership with the Oral History Center at UC Berkeley and the Company's Archives, SF Opera's 5th general director, Pamela Rosenberg sat down with Paul Burnett, director of the OHC, to discuss her life, career, and tenure at SF Opera.  This audio excerpt focuses on the US premiere of Messiaen's only opera, Saint Francois d'Assise in 2002.

(run time ~ 26 minutes)

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David Gockley

Oral History Edition

David Gockley, General Director

In partnership with the Oral History Center at UC Berkeley and the Company's Archives, SF Opera's 5th general director, Pamela Rosenberg sat down with Paul Burnett, director of the OHC, to discuss her life, career, and tenure at SF Opera.  This audio excerpt focuses on the US premiere of Messiaen's only opera, Saint Francois d'Assise in 2002.

(run time ~ 26 minutes)

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Rent-a-Kip Edition

Kip Cranna, Dramaturg Emeritus

So what exactly IS a dramaturg?  Join Kip Cranna, SF Opera dramaturg emeritus, as he discusses dramaturgy, midwifing, commissioning, and the ones that got away.

(run time ~ 32 minutes)

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