Events › Wagner in His Youth: How Beethoven and Bellini Won His Heart

San Francisco Opera's Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna will use video (with subtitles) to explore Wagner's musical youth and the early influences—especially Beethoven and Bellini—that shaped the budding composer's style.

Clifford (Kip) Cranna, Dramaturg Emeritus (Scholar in Residence) of San Francisco Opera, served on the staff for over forty years and was Director of Music Administration for over thirty years. In 2008 he was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal, the company’s highest honor, and in 2012 he received the Bernard Osher Cultural Award for distinguished efforts to bring excellence to a cultural institution. In 2014 he received the Star of Excellence Award for outstanding service to the programs of the San Francisco Opera Guild. He holds a Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University and teaches opera appreciation at the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) at U.C. Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and Dominican University.

Registration is highly encouraged. We plan to open doors fifteen minutes in advance of the start of the program.

Accessibility Notice: We strive to make our events accessible. To request a disability accommodation and/or language services, please contact the Adult Programs Department at programs@bpl.org or 617-859-2129 by December 23. Please allow at least two weeks to arrange for accommodations.

Programming like this is enabled through the generosity of a variety of public and private funding. To learn more and support our programming, visit the Boston Public Library Fund website.