The announcement on Friday that David Gockley will retire as general manager of the San Francisco Opera in 2016 has received attention in operatic circles everywhere. A few examples:
Mr. Gockley, 71, has long been regarded as one of the most innovative and adventurous leaders in the American opera world.Since his arrival in San Francisco, Mr. Gockley has overseen the world premieres of six works, including Philip Glass’s Appomattox, Mark Adamo’s Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and Tobias Picker’s Dolores Claiborne.
He has also presented the West Coast premieres of works by Rachel Portman and Jake Heggie, and a new production of Wagner’s Ring cycle, directed by Francesca Zambello.
Gockley ranked No. 3 on the Business Times' Nov. 13, 2013 list of the highest-paid nonprofit executives in the Bay Area, with compensation of $1.5 million, a huge jump over the prior year. The institution's CFO said the big boost included a five-year deferred compensation plan that was used to lure Gockley to San Francisco from the Houston Grand Opera, where he held a similar role for more than three decades.
One of the most influential American impresarios — commissioner of new operas, technology innovator, smart businessman — he will leave his post in July 2016, after his tenth season with the company.
Commissioning new operas has been one of the hallmarks of Gockley's leadership of both companies. Houston Grand Opera premiered 33 works during his tenure [in Houston], including John Adams' Nixon in China, Philip Glass' The Making of the Representative for Planet 8 and Leonard Bernstein's A Quiet Place.The company's 1976 revival of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess went to Broadway; that and other projects during Gockley's time won a Tony, two Emmy awards and two Grammy awards. Gockley and composer Carlisle Floyd co-founded the Houston Grand Opera Studio training program, whose alumni include Joyce Di Donato, Denyce Graves and Ana Maria Martinez.
"David Gockley's impact on opera cannot be overstated," said Marc Scorca, president of the service organization Opera America. "He led a successful national movement to establish an American opera repertoire and guided programs that nurtured some of the greatest singers of our day."
Gockley became Houston Grand Opera's director at age 27, after joining the company as business manager in 1970.