Nancy Kraus

For most of my long life, I have had a love affair with opera. I grew up listening to radio broadcasts from the MET and, in particular, experienced opera for over 55 years with San Francisco Opera, first as a high schooler on a field trip to Madama Butterfly, followed by years as a struggling student in standing room and ultimately working my way from balcony to orchestra as a subscriber for four decades. I was also a supernumerary in the seventies.

Precious jewels given to me in my early affair with SFO which continue to sparkle in my treasure chest of memories are performances by Troyanos, Price, Te Kanawa, Vickers, Sutherland, Bruson, Magda Olivero as Tosca – pure verismo singing; then later, Fleming, Radvanovsky, Di Donato, Hvorostovsky, Fabiano; a spectacular roster of conductors; glorious productions; and the visions of five General Directors. Above all, the one moment in the love affair which stands out, both in terms of the struggle I had in getting to the performance and the effect it had on me once I was there, is 1969 La Boheme with Plácido Domingo in his Company debut.

I heard his voice for the first time on the radio earlier that year singing “Amor ti Vieta” and nearly lost control of the car. I was so overcome by the beauty and color of his singing. When I learned on short notice he was singing on San Francisco Opera’s stage, I had to be there, but how? I had a young child, was a student and had no extra money except for what I kept in a jar for food and rent. Still, I had to hear him. I asked a trusted neighbor to watch my child, took money out of the jar for a standing room ticket (promising to feed my child, but I would not eat!) and, made my way to the opera house.

When Plácido sang “Oh Mimi tu piu non torni” his Rodolfo broke my heart. His passionate interpretation colored by the rich velvet colors in his voice, his caressing of every phrase, and emotion pouring from his soul left me breathless. No one sobs over Mimi’s death like Plácido. In the 49 years since, SFO brought him to our stage in many of his signature roles and I was at every performance, except one.

This is but an excerpt from the story of what this love affair with SFO has meant to me. It became my turn, as a partner, to give something back to memorialize my love and gratitude by becoming a member of the Bel Canto Legacy Society. In so doing, a part of me will live on in perpetuity as the Company moves forward, long after the final curtain has come down on the affair.