Opera for the birds, bees and trees!

Composers love to display their descriptive skills depicting the natural world, from storms to pastoral beauty to lush forests, not to mention birds and beasts.  Let’s dig into subtitled video selections to explore the creative genius of opera composers through the centuries as they give musical expression to the wonders of Mother Nature. 

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.