From: San Francisco Opera
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 11:30 AM
To: Tom@TomTaffel.com
Subject: June e-Opera: Love and Pride at the Opera

A First Date at the Opera. A Lifetime of Love.

Dancer Bill Repp had a suit tailored just for the occasion: a crisp beige blazer with a tie and a blue button-down shirt, accented with a pair of brown wingtip shoes.

It was October 14, 1972, and Repp was about to go on his first date with Tom Taffel, a young military man who shared his passion for the theater. Shirley Verrett was starring in Aida that night, and they had tickets to go.

Higher and higher they climbed--"up to heaven," Repp jokes--to find their cheap seats in the balcony. But awash in the sounds of Verrett's voice, they fell in love: with each other and with the art form itself.

That was 49 years ago. Now, Taffel and Repp share the story of how they met and how opera became a way of life, introducing them to a world of celebrities and opera stars.

Beth Clayton, Pat Racette and Bill Repp at SFCM Opera and Musical Theatre production of "The Consul"

How Opera Stars Beth Clayton and Patricia Racette Found Their Romantic 'Zing'

Grammy-winning soprano Patricia Racette and mezzo-soprano Beth Clayton were already stars on the rise. Their careers were looking up: Both would end up originating roles in world-premiere operas and starring on some of America's glitziest stages.

But 2002 was a different time. Marriage equality was far off in the future: The United States still operated under same-sex marriage bans and policies like "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prevented American service members from being open about their sexuality. It would be an entire year before the Supreme Court struck down criminal penalties for sodomy in Lawrence vs. Texas.

And yet, 2002 was the year Racette and Clayton came to a decision: They wanted to go public with their relationship. And not just public. High-profile. Racette was set to be on the cover of Opera News magazine. The couple decided that this would be the moment to open their doors to the world, even if that meant facing discrimination.

"For me, I couldn't be in the closet about this professionally. We weren't personally anymore. But professionally it was scary," Racette says. "We didn't know what impact it would have on our careers, respectively. But to be closeted would be to act shameful and hide. And why would I act that way about the best thing in my life?"

Now, in honor of Pride Month this June, Racette and Clayton open up once more, to share laughter, goals, and the story of how they first met.