He is a brilliantly sensitive and giving musician and a beautiful soul, and I have no doubt that he will lead and support the San Francisco Opera Chorus with integrity and kindness.” He has an extraordinary well of knowledge and experience in this art form and a true love of opera and the human voice. My years as a student were guided by his gentle and incredibly informed counsel. Mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack, Merola and Adler Fellowship alumna, greeted the news by saying Keene “has been in my life for the past 20 years as a teacher, coach, conductor, mentor, collaborator, and dear friend. His operatic resume includes affiliations with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, New Orleans Opera, and San Francisco Opera Center, conducting the touring production of The Barber of Seville in 1996 to celebrate Western Opera Theater’s 30th anniversary.ĭaniela Mack | Credit: Shervin Lainez Previously, he served as head of music staff and chorus master with Florida Grand Opera, where he worked with Plácido Domingo, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sherrill Milnes, Renata Scotto and Bryn Terfel, among others. He also conducted the company premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s As One, was assistant conductor for Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), and acted as musical consultant for the recording of the Ring cycle issued on the Avie label.
Keene made his Seattle Opera debut in 2012 preparing the company’s chorus for Beethoven’s Fidelio, conducted by Asher Fisch.
His sense of collaboration and his skill in music-making will enable our chorus to perform to the highest artistic standards, and I am excited for our future work together.” San Francisco Opera Music Director Designate Eun Sun Kim at the War Memorial Opera House | Credit: Marc Olivier Le Blanc/SF Opera With deep respect and gratitude for the many shoulders on which I stand, I am ready to help bring great opera to life with the gifted San Francisco Opera Chorus.Įun Sun Kim said, “I have been consistently impressed by John’s vision - he is a big-picture thinker who understands how things function both onstage and between departments. I was inspired by the immediate connection I felt with the Chorus when we rehearsed together recently, and I am so looking forward to our work of bringing the highest possible artistic standard onstage for our audiences.
John Keene responded to the appointment by saying, “It is a great honor and privilege to be given the trust of carrying on the exceptional legacy built by Ian Robertson within this great company.
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