(Credits: San Francisco Opera)

The San Francisco Opera’s Department of Diversity, Equity and Community has announced new “Opera Aficionado” online discussions in November 2021 on the topic of composers who did not compose an opera.

San Francisco Opera Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna will talk about German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, analyzing possible reasons why the famed German did not compose an opera. Cranna will also explore video examples of Bach’s cantatas and oratorios to illustrate his gift for combining music and drama.

Discussion date: Nov. 7, 2021

Musicologist Laura Prichard will talk about American composer Florence Price. Price’s musical manuscripts were discovered in an abandoned house in St. Anne, Illinois in 2009. She wrote the music based on poetry by the leading Chicago Black Renaissance poets such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Langston Hughes.

Discussion date: Nov. 14, 2021

Finally, Cole Thomason-Redus will talk in detail about a number of German composers who never composed an opera, including Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler and Clara Schumann. All three composers mainly focused on lieder.

Discussion date: Nov. 21, 2021

Tickets for the online discussions are available until noon on the day of each event at sfopera.com/aficionado.