San Francisco Classical Voice

Celebrating Carlisle Floyd, Father of American Opera, at 100
June 2026

This year marks the centennial of Carlisle Floyd's birth. The anniversary will be celebrated internationally with over 50 performances, including 30 opera productions, and community and educational initiatives. On June 20, the celebration arrives in New York with a concert at Carnegie Hall.

Ask anyone who knew Floyd about him, and the same words come up: kind, calm, and funny.

“He was a live wire,” said composer Jake Heggie, a close friend and mentee of Floyd’s. According to Heggie, Floyd was the kind of person with whom you could exchange knowing glances across a room. "He had a real fire and spirit of curiosity inside."