Michael Anthonio’s love affairs with classical music and opera started in primary school, when his parents bought him an organ and he began taking lessons. During high school and college, he gave private organ lessons to some of his parents’ friends’ kids (for pocket money) and he was church organist and later, choir conductor. In 1999 he moved to Singapore where he got involved with the classical music online website “flying inkpot.” His interest in opera became an obsession when he was transferred for work to US in 2008. In addition to enjoying world-class opera in SF, he indulges in opera tours in Europe. His favorite opera composer is Handel; at this point, Michael seen 24 of his operas , with hopefully three more coming next year.
“Who are you? Who do you want to be?” The search for one’s identity is explored in American composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer’s brand new opera If I Were You, which received its world premiere at Herbst Theatre on Thursday August 1. 
“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” went the introduction to the 1940s radio program The Shadow, an apt description for the San Francisco Opera’s second-ever production of Czech composer Antonín Dvorák’s haunting opera Rusalka, that opened at War Memorial Opera House in a spectacular fashion Sunday June 16—after 24 years! 
“How far should we give way to grief? How far dare we, without disaster?” Such heavy, contemplative words were uttered wisely by the main character of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s youthful Die tote Stadt. The opera opened at Teatro alla Scala Milan for the first time in a glamorous production by English director Graham Vick on Tuesday, May 28. 
In memory of Jason T. McVicker (August 13, 1962 – October 13, 2016.) We pause to remember how Jason touched and enriched our lives. Jason was an 
Cher Public