SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

E s t a t e , F i n a n c i a l & G i f t P l a n n i n g I d e a s f o r S a n F r a n c i s c o O p e r a P a t r o n s

Volume I • Spr ing 2013

“Years ago if you’d told me that I’d become an opera lover, I would have called you crazy,” laughs Ina

Bauman. Her husband Steve concurs. “I loved opera and classical music from an early age. But Ina kept saying she didn’t like opera. I had to wear her down.” “Finally I agreed,” Ina says. “We saw Tosca. It was all over. I fell in love. We subscribed immediately.” The Baumans have been subscribers for over twenty years. “San Francisco Opera be-came part of our lives, a place to see friends and enjoy special evenings,” Steve remarks. Tellingly, the Company’s outreach activities are close to Ina’s heart. “I love events like Opera in the Park and Opera at the Ball-park,” she explains. “I know that if I’d been exposed to opera at an earlier age, I would have fallen in love with it sooner.” Like most subscribers, the Baumans make regular annual contributions. “As much as we love the Opera, we’ve never been huge donors,” Ina observes. By including San Francisco Opera in their will through a bequest, they’re helping to ensure the Com-pany’s future. “As we looked at our estate, we saw that we were supporting medical, religious, and other ‘do good’ causes,” Ina continues. “We wanted to strike a balance. And so we thought about things that are

Giving to Future Generations

both meaningful and have brought us plea-sure. The Opera was an obvious choice.” “We’re at a time of life when we can re-flect on meaning and humanity. Opera, like any great art, civilizes us, immerses us in community and culture,” Steve points out. “Our membership in the Bel Canto Legacy Society isn’t a matter of being recognized. But we do hope it might provide an exam-ple for others to follow.” “Why did we do it? Do you know ‘Honi and the Carob Tree’?” Ina smiles, referencing a Talmudic parable about a tree that takes seventy years to bear fruit: the planter does not benefit from the planting, but future generations do. Echoing that sentiment, Steve remembers, “My mother used to say, ‘Leave your room nicer than you found it.’ She wasn’t just talking about a room.”

P R O F I L E

“We hope our legacy gift

might provide an example

for others to follow.”

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Ina and Steve Bauman included a bequest in their will to help ensure the Company’s future.

YOUR OPERA

“I am not wealthy,” Mitzie Kay Weiner states matter-of-factly. “I pay rent. I have a son in college. But including San Francisco Opera in my life in-

surance plan was a painless way for me to make a major gift to a company I love.” As a member of the Opera Chorus, Mitzie has graced the War Memorial stage for nearly twenty seasons. “I love being part of such a group. And I’ve had the privilege of singing next to legends.” It is dif-ficult for her to name a favorite. “Pavarotti and Domingo, for different reasons. Paolo Gavanelli is a hero to me. I adore Ruth Ann Swenson, Melody Moore, Jennifer Lar-more, and Sam Ramey. And Thomas Hampson has done as much as anyone for singing not just opera, but also art song, which is particularly dear to me. I am proud to call him a friend – and feed him my homemade cornbread!” To Mitzie, the Opera House is “my cathedral, my temple, my house of worship. And my home. There are times when I see more of my fellow choristers than my own husband. San Francisco Opera has fed and clothed people like me. We are called to give back.” When Mitzie inherited a modest estate, she planned to make a one-time gift. But after doing a little research,

Mitzie Weiner at home in the War Memorial Opera House.

Chorus Member Mitzie Weiner Helps

Show Go On

Did you know there are many ways to set up a legacy gift that don’t require legal assistance? You can do so through a “designation” on a beneficiary form. Simply request and sign your fi-nancial institution’s form, stating how you want your money distributed when you pass on (for example, you want _____% to go to San Francisco Opera Association).

she realized she could make a greater impact by desig-nating San Francisco Opera as a beneficiary of her life insurance policy. “Think of it as endowing an annual gift,” she explains. “The payoff comes down the road. My premium is about $3,000 per year, but when the policy matures my gift stands to total $250,000. And it was easy. You don’t need a lawyer. This is something you can do now, even as a younger person.” In addition to being an opera professional, Mitzie is a fan. “When I want a truly religious experience, I go to the opera,” she remarks. “Just recently I saw Moby-Dick, not once but twice. I was overwhelmed. It might be my favorite opera of all time.” Mitzie concludes, “I’ve seen this company into the 21st century. I want to make sure it survives into the 22nd century. Doing this, I feel as if for once in my life I did something to make the world a better place.”

P R O F I L E

“This is something

you can do now, even

as a younger person.”

You Can Give the Fol lowing Assets Through a Designat ion:

n IRA and pension plansn Life insurancen Commercial annuitiesn Stocks and bondsn Saving accountsn Checking accounts

Attorney Not Required

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D E S I G N AT I O N S

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Randolph G. Baier*Gloria S. Baxter*Jane Bernstein & Bob EllisDrs. Seymour & Sylvia BoorsteinChristopher & Renee BowenJack CalhounBetty J. CarmackHella H. CheitlinMaureen ClarkeJean Cleverly & Frank WarnerDavid DallLudmila & Peter EggletonYnez Ghirardelli*Wanda Lee Graves & Stephen DuschaAnne Patricia GraySanford* & Mary Grace Harris*Winchell T. Hayward*Ms. Margaret C. HutchinsLawrence A. KernChristine Stevens KradjianDr. & Mrs. John LavorgnaMarcia Lowell LeonhardtMichael McGinleyRuth McManus*Burt & Deedee McMurtryCarol L. Meyer*Cathy & Howard MorelandAndrew Morris Nancy S. MuellerHeidi MunzingerDante NotoJohn Merola Papa*David & Gail PerinWilliam D. RasdalIlse Sauerwald*Mrs. Edwin A. Seipp, Jr.James & Connie ShapiroJohn ShottRobert ShultzKenneth & Joanne SnowRobert L. Speer & John WongMaxine D. Wallace (1921-2011)*S. Shariq Yosufzai & Brian JamesWilliam T. ZaumenAnonymous (3)

*deceased

New Bel Canto Legacy

Society Members

Since August 1, 2011

L E G A C Y G I F T S

Sample Bequest Language“I give to San Francisco Opera Association, a California nonprofit corporation, tax ID #94-0836240, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, ____% of my estate.”

sample wording above). If you don’t have a will or living trust, our staff can provide you with attorney referrals. You can easily update an existing document through an amendment to your will or trust. No gift is too small. When you make a legacy gift to San Fran-cisco Opera and inform us of your gift, we’ll invite you to join the Bel Canto Legacy Soci-ety. You’ll receive invitations to special events and be listed in our publications, unless you prefer to remain anonymous. Thank you for considering a legacy gift to San Francisco Opera. San Francisco Opera patrons subscribe,

purchase tickets to individual perfor-mances, and make annual contributions.

All of these are important revenue sources and keep the Company strong. Whether you support San Francisco Opera in one or more of these ways, there’s another way you can strengthen the Company’s finan-cial base. And it doesn’t involve giving money now. All it takes is the stroke of a pen, and you can make a gift through your will or trust — helping keep San Francisco Opera strong for future generations. When your attorney drafts your will or trust, you simply request that bequest language be added to include San Francisco Opera (see

These San Francisco Opera performance, education, and outreach programs are all supported through legacy giving.

Your Charitable Bequest

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Why We’d Like to Hear About Your Legacy Gift Now

Have you already included San Francisco Opera in your estate plan and not told us? Every year we receive surprise gifts

by will or trust from our patrons. While we’re extremely grateful, we would love to celebrate your gift by thanking you now. When you notify us of your gift, we’ll honor you by inviting you to join the Bel Canto Legacy Society. There is no minimum size gift. Your example will provide leadership in encouraging others to step for-ward — whether they know you or not. And of course, you have the option of remaining anon-ymous if you prefer. So please, consider sharing your wonderful plans with us. Just use the re-sponse envelope we’ve provided. And whatever your choice, thanks so much for your support of San Francisco Opera.

Your membership in the Bel Canto Legacy Society encourages other Company supporters to step forward.

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NONPROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

W a r M e m o r i a l O p e r a H o u s e

3 0 1 V a n N e s s A v e n u e

S a n F r a n c i s c o , C A 9 4 1 0 2 - 4 5 0 9

s f o p e r a . c o m

( 4 1 5 ) 5 6 5 - 3 2 0 6

SAN FRANCISCO OPERA

W E L C O M E

This inaugural issue of Your

Opera Legacy tells the stories of

three Company supporters who

have made their own legacy gifts.

There is also information on how

you can join them.

INTERESTED?

Please contact Mark Jones, Director

of Endowment and Legacy Giving, at

(415) 565-3206 or mjones@sfopera.com.

Remember San Franc isco Opera in Your Wi l l

Bel Canto Legacy Society

Members Enjoy a Host of Events

Each spring our Bel Canto Legacy Society members take delight in the Bel Canto Tea, where they renew old friendships, listen to remarks by David Gockley, and enjoy an Adler Fellow performance.

Last fall Bel Canto Legacy Society members savored a behind-the-scenes peek during the Moby-Dick sitzprobe, in which performers sang with the orchestra for the first time. Bel Canto members are invited to two rehearsals each year.

A n n u a l Te a

S i t z p r o b e

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