SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
Vo l u m e I • S p r i n g 2 0 1 3
YOUR OPERA
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Estate, Financial & Gift Planning Ideas for San Francisco Opera Patrons
PROFILE
Giving to Future Generations
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“We hope our legacy gift might provide an example for others to follow.”
ears 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 became 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 Ballpark,” 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 Company’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
Ina and Steve Bauman included a bequest in their will to help ensure the Company’s future.
both meaningful and have brought us pleasure. The Opera was an obvious choice.” “We’re at a time of life when we can reflect 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 example 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.”
Photo by Kristen Loken
PROFILE
Chorus Member Mitzie Weiner Helps Show Go On
“I
Photo by Cory Weaver
am not wealthy,” Mitzie Kay Weiner states matterof-factly. “I pay rent. I have a son in college. But including San Francisco Opera in my life insurance plan was a “This is something painless way for me to make a major gift you can do now, even to a company I love.” As a member of as a younger person.” 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 difficult 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 Larmore, 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.
she realized she could make a greater impact by designating 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 MobyDick, 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.”
Attorney Not Required 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 financial 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).
D E S I G N AT I O N S
Yo u C a n G i v e t h e Following Assets T h ro u g h a D e s i g n a t i o n : n n n n n n
IRA and pension plans Life insurance Commercial annuities Stocks and bonds Saving accounts Checking accounts
LEGACY GIFTS
New Bel Canto Legacy Society Members
Photo by Linda Manyisha
Your Charitable Bequest
S in ce A u g u st 1, 2011
Sample Bequest L
anguage
“I give to San Fra
Association, a Cal
ncisco Opera
ifornia nonprofit corporation, tax ID #94-0836240, located at 301 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102, ____% of my estate.”
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an Francisco Opera patrons subscribe, purchase tickets to individual performances, 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 financial 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
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 Francisco Opera and inform us of your gift, we’ll invite you to join the Bel Canto Legacy Society. 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.
These San Francisco Opera performance, education, and outreach programs are all supported through legacy giving.
Randolph G. Baier* Gloria S. Baxter* Jane Bernstein & Bob Ellis Drs. Seymour & Sylvia Boorstein Christopher & Renee Bowen Jack Calhoun Betty J. Carmack Hella H. Cheitlin Maureen Clarke Jean Cleverly & Frank Warner David Dall Ludmila & Peter Eggleton Ynez Ghirardelli* Wanda Lee Graves & Stephen Duscha Anne Patricia Gray Sanford* & Mary Grace Harris* Winchell T. Hayward* Ms. Margaret C. Hutchins Lawrence A. Kern Christine Stevens Kradjian Dr. & Mrs. John Lavorgna Marcia Lowell Leonhardt Michael McGinley Ruth McManus* Burt & Deedee McMurtry Carol L. Meyer* Cathy & Howard Moreland Andrew Morris Nancy S. Mueller Heidi Munzinger Dante Noto John Merola Papa* David & Gail Perin William D. Rasdal Ilse Sauerwald* Mrs. Edwin A. Seipp, Jr. James & Connie Shapiro John Shott Robert Shultz Kenneth & Joanne Snow Robert L. Speer & John Wong Maxine D. Wallace (1921-2011)* S. Shariq Yosufzai & Brian James William T. Zaumen Anonymous (3) *deceased
NONPROFIT
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
Bel Canto Legacy Society
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN FRANCISCO OPERA
War Memorial Opera House 301 Van Ness Avenue San Francisco, CA 94102-4509 sfopera.com
Members Enjoy a Host of Events
(415) 565-3206
WELCO
Photo by Kristen Loken
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.
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A n n u a l Te a
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Photo by Kristen Loken
Why We’d Like to Hear About Your Legacy Gift Now
Sitzprobe
Photo by Cory Weaver
H Last fall Bel Canto Legacy Society members savored a behind-thescenes 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.
Your membership in the Bel Canto Legacy Society encourages other Company supporters to step forward.
INTERESTED? Please contact Mark Jones, Director of Endowment and Legacy Giving, at (415) 565-3206 or mjones@sfopera.com.
ave 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 forward — whether they know you or not. And of course, you have the option of remaining anonymous if you prefer. So please, consider sharing your wonderful plans with us. Just use the response envelope we’ve provided. And whatever your choice, thanks so much for your support of San Francisco Opera.