Karen Kubin

Why is opera important to you?

I just love going to the Opera. It’s the total experience – the excitement of being in our beautiful Opera House, visiting with friends, settling into my seat for a few hours of gorgeous music. It really doesn’t get any better!

What are your first opera memories?

My first opera memories are a film version of Puccini’s La Bohème that I saw in high school – my English teacher said it would change our lives and it certainly changed mine – and then an opera survey course I took in college. Our final exam had a listening component, including an aria from Madame Butterfly. Apparently seeing a hundred blank faces as he looked out at his assembled students, my professor leapt onto his piano bench and shouted, “It’s Puccini, you fools, it’s Puccini!” I trust that I have never failed to recognize Puccini again!

Could you tell us about your best memories or experiences at San Francisco Opera?

My best memories at San Francisco Opera stem from when I was a young lawyer. My then boyfriend took me to the opera on Friday evenings – Date Night, just like now. I did not know many opera stories at the time, but he knew them all and he was a wonderful storyteller (this was before surtitles). He would tell me the story of that evening’s opera, then we would go to the opera and, at the end of the show, to Trader Vic’s for London Sours and Hangtown Fry. It was the best of times and so romantic. Better than Julia Roberts and Richard Gere! Or Cher and Nicholas Cage!

Is there an aspect of opera that most resonates with you?

I had the good fortune to travel to Rome with other members of the San Francisco Opera family recently. Among many other special sites, we toured Sant’Andrea della Valle, the basilica where Act I of Tosca is set. Then, for a surprise treat, we were escorted into the basilica’s sacristy, where local artists performed all the great Tosca arias for us. Hearing the first notes of a beloved aria and anticipating what’s coming is, for me, a profound experience. Certainly opera is the complete art form, but it’s the transcendent power of the music that most resonates with me.

Why did you make a legacy gift to San Francisco Opera?

Making a legacy gift to San Francisco Opera was a no-brainer for me. David Gockley’s goal was to have 750 Bel Canto Society members by the time he stepped down as the Opera’s General Director, and I wanted to help him get over the goal line. San Francisco Opera has given me one of the great joys of my life. How could I not give back?

Why is it important for patrons to consider making a legacy gift to the Opera, if they can?

Producing world-class opera is expensive, and ticket sales do not come close to covering all the expenses associated with it. Every legacy gift to San Francisco Opera helps ensure that the Opera will continue to thrive for generations to come. It’s really important to do whatever one can to help make that happen.