Born on February 29th, Rossini only had a birthday every 4 years, but he deserves to be celebrated every year. This fascinating figure in the history of music created his very own musical style in the bel canto (“beautiful singing”) period of the early 1800s. His music is unmatched for its effervescent wit, dazzling virtuosity, and brilliant flair. San Francisco Opera’s Dramaturg (Scholar in Residence) Emeritus Kip Cranna will use subtitled video to highlight beloved Italian comic works such as The Barber of Seville, The Italian Girl in Algiers and Cinderella, and imposing serious operas like Tancredi and Semiramide, culminating with his final masterpiece, the French grand opera William Tell. Together we’ll exult in glorious singing and compelling storytelling.

Clifford (Kip) Cranna, Dramaturg Emeritus of San Francisco Opera, served on the staff for over forty years and was Director of Music Administration for over thirty years. In 2008 he was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal, the company’s highest honor, and in 2012 he received the Bernard Osher Cultural Award for distinguished efforts to bring excellence to a cultural institution. In 2014 he received the Star of Excellence Award for outstanding service to the programs of the San Francisco Opera Guild. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University. For thirty years he was Program Editor and Lecturer for the Carmel Bach Festival. He lectures and writes frequently on music and teaches at the Fromm Institute at USF and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at U.C. Berkeley, Dominican University, and San Francisco State.