Ione Gille

Attending her first performance at San Francisco Opera in 1951, she remembers seeing the renowned soprano Dorothy Kirsten in 1955, in Charpentier’s Louise and William Walton’s Troilus and Cressida. “I saved every single program since 1951, many with newspaper clippings of the reviews, until 2016 when I gave them all to the SF Opera Archives. Quite a few pounds of them!”

“I have many wonderful memories of the great artists and conductors we met, but one that I remember fondly was when my husband and I were invited to dinner by a very famous person (who shall remain anonymous), where we met John Denver. This was in the fall of 1978 and we all went to the SF Opera to hear Der Rosenkavalier. At intermission we saw Mr. Denver, rushing toward us, tears streaming down his face, and with immense wonder said: ‘And they have no microphone!’ ”

Ione joined the Merola Board of Directors that same year and served for over 15 years. Her husband Rolf was as much of an opera lover as she, and together they saw performances all over the world – Paris, Milan, Stockholm, Venice, Berlin, Prague, Buenos Aires, even Aida in Luxor, Egypt.

“San Francisco Opera is truly an amazing Company, whose history is a saga in itself, a living monument to individuals, artists, leaders and to an entire community. It is also an adventurous opera company in producing new operas, in giving their chance to future great singers who needed their first ‘push’ on the international stage (Leontyne Price comes to mind!). I have a truly deep love for the operatic form which is very expensive to produce well. So we need to assure the future of this magic art and if my contribution can help insure that, I gladly join the Bel Canto Legacy Society.”

A subscriber since 1971 and Bel Canto member since 1995, Ione is still happily attending San Francisco Opera performances.