San Francisco Classical Voice

Gockley spoke with genuine affection about "the jewel in (San Francisco's) cultural crown," of the "presence of ghosts " in the Opera House, “flying around and exhorting us to become as great as they were (Joan, Beverly . . . ).” He explained the reason for his decision to leave behind his “comfort zone” in the stability of the Houston company, that could grow but is mature and at its peak”, along with the prospect of "floating off into the Texas sunset." With "10 more productive years" left for him, Gockley, 61, said he is convinced he can "make a much greater difference for opera here,” so he decided to "take on the challenge."

In an unusual gesture, Gockley cited the presence and welcome of other San Francisco artistic directors as a factor in his decision — Carey Perloff of ACT, Michael Tilson Thomas of the Symphony, and Helgi Tomasson of the Ballet.

David Gockley, who will next January become the sixth general director in San Francisco Opera's 85-year history , faced good times and bad times during his remarkable 33-year-run at the head of the Houston Grand Opera. In recent years, with the collapse of Enron, one of the Houston company's main corporate sponsors, Gockley had an even greater challenge than San Francisco Opera general manager Pamela Rosenberg, whom Gockley is now slated to succeed next year.

The switch from Houston to San Francisco means leaving a company with a $20-million annual budget for another with almost three times the amount, although the level of activity is closer: SFO has nine productions with 72 performances, HGO stages eight, giving 54 performances. Regardless of figures, Gockley will face the same kind of struggle, trying to pay-as-you-go for the highest possible quality while leading, experimenting, challenging. Gockley had a chance to come to San Francisco as artistic director, leaving business and hands-on management to someone else, but he told the Houston Chronicle: "They just have need for somebody who can be a strong leader, not only artistically but also in a managerial and financial sense," being clear about wanting total responsibility for the operation. That's how Gockley operated in Houston all these years.

Putting a regional opera company on the national map with premieres, commissions, American works, exceptional casting, the general manager also maintained fiscal viability. A recent article in the New York Times said Gockley's "influence transcends his company... In ways seldom acknowledged, his vision has shaped the destiny of opera in America." Gockley's strategy is simple: "We must evolve an American repertory if we want to continue in the future." On the other hand, he has favored composers committed to "true theater music as the basis for theater works," eliminating "modernism," "academic music," and staging for shock value, rather than focusing on the music.

Born in Philadelphia, on July 13, 1943, Gockley — the son of a football coach — studied at Brown and Columbia universities (where he received an MBA), and at the New England Conservatory of Music. He began his career as an opera singer (a baritone), and taught drama and English. His administrative career began in 1968, as house manager for the Santa Fe Opera. In 1970, after a few months of serving as assistant to the managing director of New York's Lincoln Center, Gockley joined the Houston Grand Opera as business manager. Two years later, he became general director.

Since 1972, Gockley has presided over seven world premieres by American composers, introduced English supertitles, many educational programs, performance opportunities for young singers, and he started the touring Texas Opera Theater. At the same time, Gockley managed to cast big-name singers frequently. For the Houston company's 50th anniversary golden jubilee on April 30, Gockley has engaged, among others, Renée Fleming, Patricia Racette, Ana Maria Martinez, Laura Claycomb, Frederica von Stade, Denyce Graves, Joyce Di Donato, Marcello Giordani, Ramón Vargas, and Bryn Terfel — a lineup that would do any major opera company in the world proud. To show Gockley's showmanship, the gala will also offer Sir Elton John, and the MC will be Sir Roger Moore, of 007 fame.

In leaner times, Gockley showed his ability to cut quick and deep, in order to assure the company's survival. Sacrificing his trademark commitment to new American works, when the Enron debacle, local flooding and 9/11 struck in 2001, Gockley substituted Mozart and Lehar for the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Lysistrata and the local premiere of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking. At the same time, Gockley made an extraordinary gesture by offering free season-ticket renewals to Enron subscribers, who were laid off during the company's meltdown, as "thanks for supporting our work over the years."

Under his administration, HGO has won a Tony, two Emmy and two Grammy awards. Gockley also initiated international and national tours, including tours to Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Broadway, Japan, Egypt and twice to the Edinburgh Festival. Gockley's efforts have taken the company to Italy's La Scala and Paris' Opera Bastille.

At home, he has launched the aggressive multi-pronged Community Connections Initiative (CCI), aimed at educating and nurturing new audiences and at taking opera to the center of the community. Under CCI, HGO has produced eight "Plazacasts," live feeds of opera performances projected on a giant outdoor screen. In 1998, Gockley and HGO unveiled the Multimedia Modular Stage (MMS), opera that combines state-of-the-art computer images; live close-up video projections and MTV sensibilities to get a sense of intimacy in large outdoor settings.

Unlike the San Francisco Opera's many years of silence over the airwaves, Houston Grand Opera's seasons have been heard nationally each fall since 1999 on National Public Radio's World of Opera. In 2002, HGO's radio broadcasts expanded to include New York City's WQXR and the European Broadcast Union, and in 2003, the broadcasts expanded again, including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. HGO now reaches over 5 million people annually with its radio broadcasts. One of his major achievements was the 1987 opening of the Wortham Theater Center, HGO's home, a $72 million performing arts center, built entirely with private funds. Gockley is the father of two daughters, Meredith and Lauren, and a son, Adam.

Gockley's pending move to San Francisco makes Houston's recent arts-drain only deeper, following ballet boss Ben Stevenson's departure, and Alley Theater managing director Paul Tetreault's transfer to Washington's Ford Theater.