Wikipedia

David Gockley

David Gockley(born July 13, 1943,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an Americanopera companyadministrator. He served as general director ofHouston Grand Operafrom 1972 to 2005[1]andSan Francisco Operafrom 2006[2]to 2016.[3]He is a student ofMargaret Harshaw.

Biography

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Richard David Gockley was born in Philadelphia and grew up inWayne, Pennsylvania.[4]He holds a bachelor's degree fromBrown University,where he sang with theJabberwocks,and a master's degree fromColumbia University.[5]According to San Francisco Opera's website,[2]his father was an athletic coach and inspired his early love for sports, and he inherited a passion for music from his mother. He is the father of three children: Meredith, Lauren, and Adam.[6]

He has served as president ofOPERA Americaand is currently a board member.[7]

Houston Grand Opera

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In 1970, Gockley joined Houston Grand Opera as business manager and was appointed general director in 1972. Under his tenure, Houston Grand Opera presented 35 world premieres and six American premieres. Gockley oversaw the founding of the Houston Grand Opera Studio in 1977, the company's young artist development program, and the opening of theWortham Theater Centerin 1987. He introduced “plazacasts”, free broadcasts of mainstage opera productions to outdoor audiences; created OperaVision, a series of screens located throughout the Wortham Center that projected close-up shots of the action on stage; and began annual radio broadcasts of Houston Grand Opera performances in the U.S. and abroad.

After a 33-year tenure as general director, Gockley resigned from Houston Grand Opera in 2005 to assume the post of general director for San Francisco Opera.[8]

San Francisco Opera

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Gockley became San Francisco Opera's sixth general director on January 1, 2006.[2]Under Gockley's leadership, San Francisco Opera (SFO) has presented the world premieres ofAppomattox[9]byPhilip GlassandChristopher Hamptonin 2007;The Bonesetter's Daughter[10]byStewart WallaceandAmy Tanin 2008; andChristopher Theofanidisand Donna Di Novelli'sHeart of a Soldierin 2011.[11]

The company also presented the West Coast premieres ofRachel Portman'sThe Little PrinceandJake Heggie's chamber operaThree Decembers.San Francisco Opera also presented three world premieres in 2013:Nolan GasserandCarey Harrison’sThe Secret Garden,based on the children's book byFrances Hodgson Burnettin conjunction withUC Berkeley'sCal Performances;Mark Adamo’sThe Gospel ofMary Magdalene;andTobias PickerandJ.D. McClatchy’sDolores Claiborne,based on the novel byStephen King.[12]San Francisco Opera will present the world premieres ofLa CiociarabyMarco TutinoandLuca Rossiin the summer of 2015, based onnovel of the same namebyAlberto Moravia,andDream of the Red ChamberbyBright ShengandDavid Henry Hwangin fall 2016, based on thework of the same nameby 18th-centuryQing dynastywriterCao Xueqin.[12]

Gockley oversaw the creation of San Francisco Opera's Koret-Taube Media Suite, the first permanent high-definition broadcast-standard video production facility installed in any American opera house according to the company's website.[13]Through the Koret-Taube Media Suite, he expanded on the plazacasts he pioneered at Houston Grand Opera with a series of “simulcasts”, live broadcasts of San Francisco Opera mainstage performances to remote locations. The company has presented eight simulcasts throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area, specifically to San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, Stanford University's Frost Amphitheater, and seven simulcasts presented on the scoreboard at San Francisco's AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. All simulcasts have been presented free to the public, drawing as many as 200,000 people collectively.[12]San Francisco Opera also broadcast a live performance ofDon Giovannito four theaters across Northern California in June 2007.[14]

Gockley continued his OperaVision program[15]at San Francisco Opera and supervised the presentation of four San Francisco Opera productions in movie theaters across the United States. Unlike the Metropolitan Opera, which began live broadcasts of performances to theaters in 2006 using projection systems used for advertising,[16]The opera partnered withThe Bigger Pictureto present four operas in a feature–film quality digital cinema format in 2008.[17]

In 2007, the opera returned to national and international radio after 25 years under Gockley's leadership.[18]Earlier in 2007, Gockley announced the appointment of Italian conductorNicola Luisottias the company's new music director, effective September 2009.[19]Luisotti is the company's third music director following SirJohn PritchardandDonald Runnicles.In January 2009, Gockley announced the reappointment ofPatrick Summersas principal guest conductor and namedGiuseppe Finzias the company's new assistant music director.[20]In May 2011, it was announced that Gockley's contract was to be extended through SFO's 2015–16 season.[21]

Gockley announced his retirement in 2014[22]and transferred leadership toMatthew Shilvockin August 2016.[3]

Awards and honors

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  • Dean's Award for “Distinguished Professional Achievement”, Columbia University Business School
  • Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters, University of Houston, 1992
  • Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts, Brown University, 1993
  • William Rogers Award, Brown University, 1995

References

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  1. ^"Houston Grand Opera – About Us: Houston Grand Opera".www.houstongrandopera.org.Retrieved16 December2018.
  2. ^abc"Biography of David Gockley on San Francisco Opera's official website".Retrieved16 December2018.
  3. ^abKosman, Joshua(22 September 2015)."S.F. Opera names Matthew Shilvock, Gockley protege, to succeed him".SFGate.Retrieved16 December2018.
  4. ^Joshua Kosman, "The Populist Innovator,"San Francisco Chronicle,January 2006
  5. ^"95-015 (1995 Alumni Awards)".brown.edu.Retrieved16 December2018.
  6. ^Joshua Kosman, "The Opera's next director has big plans"San Francisco Chronicle,February 2005; accessed June 28, 2015.
  7. ^OPERA America official website
  8. ^Daniel Wakin, "San Francisco Opera Names a New Director,"The New York Times,February, 2005
  9. ^Anthony Tommasini, "Appomattox,"New York Times,October 2007
  10. ^Joshua Kosman, "Opera review: The Bonesetter's Daughter",San Francisco Chronicle,September 15, 2008.
  11. ^Cori Ellison, "Opera Recalls A Hero's Life, Love and Song",New York Times,September 4, 2011.
  12. ^abc"Learn About the San Francisco Opera - SF Opera".sfopera.com.Retrieved16 December2018.
  13. ^"History of San Francisco Opera on company's website".Retrieved16 December2018.
  14. ^Joshua Kosman, "DATE LINES",San Francisco Chronicle,May 23, 2007.
  15. ^Jessie Hamlin, "Grand opera gets grander with state-of-the-art screens",San Francisco Chronicle,June 2, 2007.
  16. ^Daniel Wakin, "Met has New Rival in Operas at Movies,"The New York Times,December 2007
  17. ^Sarah Duxbury, "S.F. Opera bows on the big screen",San Francisco Business Times,December 17, 2007.
  18. ^Joshua Kosman, "S.F. Opera to return to radio after 25 years",San Francisco Chronicle,March 13, 2007.
  19. ^Joshua Kosman, "Nicola Luisotti named Opera's music director, starting in 2009,"San Francisco Chronicle,January 2007
  20. ^Joshua Kosman, "San Francisco Opera tightens belt for 2009-10,"San Francisco Chronicle,January 2009
  21. ^Joshua Kosman, "David Gockley seeks to overhaul S.F. Opera funding"San Francisco Chronicle,May 7, 2011.
  22. ^Kosman, Joshua (3 October 2014)."San Francisco Opera leader David Gockley to resign in 2016".SFGate.Retrieved16 December2018.

Sources

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  • Cummings, David,International Who's Who in Music and Musicians' Directory,Cambridge, England: Routledge; 17 edition June 13, 2000;ISBN978-0-948875-53-3
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