SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT at San Francisco Opera

Eun Sun Kim

Photo: Nikolaj Lund

                  James Gaffigan                                     Christopher Franklin

              Photo: Daniela Kienzler                           Photo: Paolo Tambellini

Henrik Nánási

Photo: J. Henry Fair

I've got an invitation in hand, accepted 30 seconds after it dropped, to a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT from the stage of the War Memorial Opera House on Thursday.

Unless they've suddenly dug up a half-billion to build a new opera house, I'll just make a wild guess that they're going to (finally) appoint a new music director. My opinion: there are four plausible candidates among the guest conductors who've appeared with SFO since Luisotti's departure:

• Christopher Franklin. Great conducting in Turandot, Hansel und Gretel, and last year's Adler Fellow concert.
• Henrik Nánási. Excellent conducting in Elektra and Le Nozze di Figaro.
• James Gaffigan. Mostly just because. I thought his Carmen nothing special, but he has a developing reputation, etc.
• Eun Sun Kim. Great conducting in Rusalka, leading this week's Adler concert.

Two of these conductors are conveniently in town (or could be soon): Franklin, wrapping up H&G, and Kim, who will be rehearsing the concert. Gaffigan is a not-too-long plane ride away in Chicago; Nánási....far away in Barcelona. (I'm relying on Operabase.com for those last two.)

Updated with photos; courtesy of the San Francisco Opera; photographers credited above.