Karen Broido

Karen Broido had never seen an opera in her life until she met her second husband, Irv Broido. “He was an opera lover and played a VHS tape of La Bohème with Teresa Stratas and Jose Carreras for me. Soon I fell in love with him, and with opera!” A few months after they were married, Karen met longtime San Francisco Opera philanthropist Barbara Jackson, who invited her to be her guest at several SFO productions. Karen and Irv soon became subscribers and donors (she admits to being more obsessed with opera than Irv was), and joined the Bel Canto Legacy Society in 2015. “Sadly, Irv had a major stroke in late 2013 and passed away in 2016. I’ll be forever grateful to Irv for introducing me to opera, and to Barbara for introducing me to San Francisco Opera!” Karen continues to be a vibrant part of the Bel Canto Legacy Society.