As we observed in an earlier post, an ongoing celebration of San Francisco Opera’s Italian Roots and Legacy is contained in the current “Bravo” exhibition at The Museo Italo Americano.
We were especially moved by this display:
“On August 30, 1953, at an outdoor concert of the San Francisco Symphony at Sigmund Stern Grove, Gaetano Merola died while conducting Madama Butterfly.”
On another poignant note, we learned that Frank Bruscia passed away recently.
He was 106 years old.
The Bruscia family were among the original founders of San Francisco Opera.
The Museo Italo American interviewed Frank a few weeks before the exhibit opened and he told a great story about old Merola, “The Fox.”
Here is the interview: https://qrcodes.pro/V8NUm2