Brian Olson

Why is opera important to you?
Opera is important to me because it’s such a powerful way to express human stories. There is something in the singing and music that conveys emotions so much more powerfully than acting them out or reading them.

What are your first opera memories?
My first memory of opera is seeing Salome in college, at the Opera Pacific. A group I was in organized a night out, as most of us had never been to an opera before. It was amazing! Not the screeching I’d always seen characterized in media. It was so easy to get caught up in the passion on stage, it felt real. I’ve never had that sort of connection to a performance before.

Could you tell us about your best memories or experiences at San Francisco Opera?
My best memories of SF Opera have come through the BRAVO! Club. Going to the opera on my own always seemed a little daunting, and most people I know had no interest in it. BRAVO! Club changed all that, introducing me to group of other opera goers, that I could readily relate to. It’s been fantastic having that connection, and I have a group of friends that I can regularly count on to go to the Opera. Instead of getting together to go to the movies, we go to the Opera – it’s also a social outing.

Is there an aspect of opera that most resonates with you?
The stories are what make opera resonate with me. The emotions are amplified and over the top, but watching the performers go through them can be cathartic. The music and singing creates a visceral connection, so that I really feel what they are going through. That drives the stories home and makes them relevant, even when the settings are somewhat ridiculous.

You have a story about your professional and opera lives intersecting. Could you tell us about your involvement with the War Memorial Opera House catwalk and projector design?
At my last job I had the great fortune to do some work at the War Memorial Opera House during its renovations. I was with Tipping Mar (a structural engineering firm), and we were doing a number of the interior renovations. Late in the construction process, the new catwalk above the Atrium Theater was completely redesigned, and was handed off to me. Because of how visible the catwalk is in the space, the structure needed to be open and unobtrusive. As most of the reconstruction work was already complete, I had to figure out how to make it work with what was already there. And of course everything was needed in a hurry, so that the project could get wrapped up.
One of the major problems was how to keep the catwalk from moving around, both when people are walking on it or in the event of an earthquake. Conventional designs typically have lots of diagonal braces, which would be very visible. I ended up designing a moment frame to handle this, very similar to what is used for the soft story retrofits that have been going on around SF. The tricky part is that it’s installed upside down! This meant the forces on the roof framing (already completed) would be fairly minimal, a huge win as doing any work to strengthen the roof was almost impossible.

The other obstacle was sequencing the construction. Everything had to come up in the freight elevator, so no part could be more than about 12 feet long. For both speed and cost, it’s typically better to fabricate pieces in a shop and do minimal attachments in the field. With the roof already in place, using a crane to lift the completed catwalk in place wasn’t an option. I eventually figured out a way where the catwalk could be fabricated in sections, moved up to the theater, and put together one section at a time. It was like designing a LEGO set!

Why did you make a legacy gift to San Francisco Opera and join the Bel Canto Legacy Society?
I joined the Bel Canto Legacy Society because I want to be part of the legacy of SF Opera. The world is a rapidly changing place, and SF Opera is adapting to show that Opera is still a vibrant, contemporary art form. I’m excited to see where this goes in my lifetime, and want to help it continue on beyond that.

Why is it important for patrons to consider making a legacy gift to the Opera, if they can?
I understand that money is tight for almost everyone, which is where making a legacy gift can be a wonderful option. It’s a way to support the Opera now even if your current finances are stretched. It helps the Opera know that there are people who want to support it, and to plan for long-term projects. Opera productions aren’t planned on a whim, but are literally years in the making. Legacy gifts make the Opera part of your legacy and you part of the Opera’s future.