© Cory Weaver
Behind the Scenes ~ San Francisco Opera
Tom Taffel & Bill Repp are the friendliest faces at the War Memorial Opera House
by Elizabeth Connell Nielsen
SAN FRANCISCO OPERA offers a singular sense of warmth and belonging to its patrons, thanks to the dedication of two San Francisco Opera staff members - Bill Repp and Tom Taffel. Together for forty-four years, Bill and Tom had their first date at San Francisco Opera in 1972 and share a lifetime of memories and friendships with patrons, artists, journalists and administrators that often makes them seem like a special heartbeat in the opera house.
On the main floor to the left, opposite the press room, is the familiar red-headed, black-tie form of Bill, beloved by patrons who know that when the curtain falls, Bill will have assembled a host of taxis ready to sweep them back home. Bill started volunteering as an usher in 1972. After twelve years, he was asked by the house manager to join the staff. "I truly like dealing with people and look at every patron who wants a cab as someone like my aunt, uncle, grandmother, etc.," he says, "and I want to take care of them and get them on their way. They're my angels!"
Philanthropist Phyllis Wattis gave Bill his now-famous taxi whistle, employed liberally after the final intermission between runs to the telephone in the press room to instruct taxi companies: "We need ten taxis at the opera house in five minutes!" Inevitably, no matter the weather or the circumstances, they appear.
Tom Taffel, "Taff" to his friends, is the smiling salt-and-pepper-haired prized usher of the Intermezzo Lounge on the box level. The day Tom retired from a career in government surveillance, he started volunteering at the opera as a supernumerary and usher. He has albums of photos with virtually every great singer of the past forty-five years and stories that could fill volumes. After becoming part of the usher staff, Tom retired as supernumerary. Tom welcomes high-end donors, artists and distinguished guests to the lounge during intermission with quiet aplomb. He has met princes, presidents and philanthropists of all kinds, and everyone is treated with the same genuine warmth and attention.
Tom reserves special admiration for Nancy Pelosi. "When she is in the opera house, no matter what, she gives me a hug," he says. "She is so warm and gracious, completely aside from politics. I love to make her laugh." Among his favorite benefactors is Jeannik Littlefield, who gave an unprecedented $35 million to San Francisco Opera and, according to Tom, "looked just like my mother, down to the chinchilla." He adds, "The night she announced her gift was overwhelming. As she came into my lounge, she was thronged by the crowd, but she came over to me behind the podium and hugged me. She just wanted to be grounded to touch someone real that she felt a connection with."
Tom and Bill can speak with a wealth of knowledge about productions and artists. Of course they love the standard repertoire, but they share a wide appreciation of newer works, too. Both adore the music in Thomson's Mother of Us All and name among their favorite operas Messiaen's Saint Francois d'Assise.
Tom and Bill recommend volunteering as a great way to get involved on a more personal level with an opera house. "Go over and see the person in charge of ushers," says Bill. "You never know where that first volunteer job will get you!"
Elizabeth Connell Nielsen, SFO's public relations director from 1998 to 2002, has written features for opera news and Opera magazine.