When we found out that San Francico Opera Chorus Member Elisabeth Rom's brother is Set Designer Erhard Rom for Nixon in China, we immediately asked her to write a blog post. So glad we did! Elisabeth shares how she became a chorus member at SF Opera (with a little help from her brother) and how with their busy schedules they still make time for family.

Pretty much anyone can recognize an image by graphic artist Michael Schwab—even if you don’t know it yet. He has created award-winning logos and posters for a remarkable list of prestigious clients, including Apple, Amtrak, the Golden Gate National Parks, Major League Baseball, Robert Mondavi, Robert Redford, Sundance and Wells Fargo. His work is easily recognized by his signature use of large, flat areas of color, dramatic perspectives and bold, graphic images of archetypal human forms.

 We cannot wait to unveil our brand new production of The Magic Flute, designed for us by visual artist and sculptor Jun Kaneko. His whimsical, colorful and creative production features unique and stunning costumes and a playful world that comes to life through complex projections. One of the (many) challenges that comes with presenting a brand new production is finding appropriate images to promote the opera months in advance, often times when the sets and costumes are yet to be built. This time we really lucked out and had the unique opportunity to have a photo shoot with one of the stars of the show a couple of months before he gets to town to begin rehearsals.
 

Jun Kaneko, renowned Japanese-American visual artist, is the Production Designer for our new production of The Magic Flute, opening June 13, 2012. His ceramic, bronze, and glass sculptural work and two-dimensional artwork appears in numerous international solo and group exhibitions annually and is included in approximately fifty museum collections. He has realized almost thirty public art commissions in the United States and Japan. His previous opera productions were Madama Butterfly for Opera Omaha (2007) and Fidelio for the Opera Company of Philadelphia (2008).