The Speaker of the House Emerita and her husband celebrated their lifelong love of lyrical and dramatic productions at the benefit
Words by CATHERINE BIGELOW
Despite her demanding schedule, November 18 was a not-to-be-missed date night at the War Memorial Opera House where the San Francisco Opera Guild honored Speaker of the House Emerita Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi, with its Crescendo Award during the annual Opera on the Stage gala.
The September 7 wedding anniversary of this dynamic power couple, married for 61 years, falls during the season-opening Opera Ball. And the Pelosis, stalwart Italian-Americans, have attended the ball over the past 50 years to celebrate their love and their passion for opera.
“Choosing a favorite opera is far too political a question,” Nancy said with a giggle. “I have favorite arias, such as Nessun Dorma. But it’s the opera you’re seeing that’s always the best. We’ve celebrated our anniversary here for almost half as long as the Opera has existed.”
Led by cochairs Olivia Hsu Decker and Ginny Ziegler, with Opera Guild President Courtney Labe, the evening benefited the Guild’s youth music education programs. And 250 supporters traipsed past auditorium seats to alight upon the opera house stage. Exquisitely set by designer J. Riccardo Benavides, the scene incorporated a vibrant, Sevillian town square inspired by staging from the opera’s blockbuster production of Carmen.
Amid Benavides’ lush floral arrangements and orange trees, McCalls Catering & Events served up a delectable four-course dinner (langoustine bisque, manchego cheese salad, sable fish and wild prawn paella, chocolate Valencia orange pave) paired with Castellucci Napa Valley vinos.
The soirée also starred Flamenco music by guitarist Freddie Clarke and stellar performances from San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows soprano Caroline Corrales and tenor Moisés Salazar, belting out a stunner of “America the Beautiful.”
Among a chorus of grandees: previous Crescendo honorees, including Dede Wilsey, Pitch Johnson, John and Cynthia Fry Gunn, Carol and Dixon Doll, Bill and Mary Poland and Karin Kubin; as well as the Pelosi’s daughter, Christine Pelosi, and granddaughter, Bella Pelosi Kaufman; SF Opera Board President Jack Calhoun; California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; philanthropists Barbro and Bernard Osher; composers Carlo Ponti and Jake Heggie; philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem; SF Protocol Chief Maryam Muduroglu and War Memorial Board President Thomas Horn.
“Time and time again, Speaker Pelosi has tenaciously fought for federal funding for arts organizations and artists. We owe her profound gratitude for believing in the arts and why they must be sustained for our communities and our children,” toasted San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock. “Speaker Pelosi mentioned that she chose the title of her recent memoir, The Art of Power, because it also works in reverse: the power of art.”
Since 2005, San Francisco native Paul Pelosi has served with distinction as a member of the War Memorial Board of Trustees, chairing the Building Committee (which encompasses the Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Memorial Court, and Veterans Building) amid the Beaux-Arts campus of the Civic Center.
“I’ve been privileged to see the depth of care that Paul brings to his trusteeship, balancing fiduciary oversight of these stunning buildings with the need for tenant organizations to remain forward looking and connect with new audiences,” said Shilvock. “Paul has an indefatigable energy, celebrating artists and arts-makers and bringing an inspirational joyfulness to the San Francisco cultural community.”
Paul Pelosi’s parents emigrated from Italy, eventually settling in San Francisco, where his father indulged his passion for the art form at the Opera House. Yet his penchant for loudly humming along to the performance inspired his wife to preserve the peace and quiet of their fellow patrons by insisting the family invest in a box.
Signori Pelosi also established a friendship and tennis tournament in the ’80s with storied tenor Luciano Pavarotti that benefitted the Guild’s programs. In 2022, Paul Pelosi was the victim of a brutal attack in the couple’s San Francisco residence — and shared his appreciation, also championed by his pals, Grateful Dead percussionist Mickey Hart and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, for the healing power of music.
“Music gets into more parts of the brain than anything else. There are studies that show that the impact of music on people coming out of a stroke, that they can speak more quickly and recover better,” said Paul Pelosi. “It’s an amazing thing.”
Nancy Pelosi grew up in Baltimore, where her parents taught her that opera echoes our lives and embodies freedom of expression.
“It has the music, it has the words — the libretto, it has the acting, it has the costumes, it has the history. Music is about freedom,” said Nancy Pelosi. “Many of us in this room may have different views on many subjects. But the arts really bring us together. When we see the opera, or any painting, play or artistic presentation, we forget our differences. We laugh together, we cry together, we’re inspired together and we find common ground. And now, more than ever, that is what gives us hope.”
Nancy Pelosi was also particularly thrilled to share this honor with her husband.
“Thank you to all of you who have looked after Paul while I was working in D.C. and he was enjoying the opera,” she said. “And, [like the name of the award], Crescendo — meaning much more to come.”
November 22, 2024
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