San Francisco Opera Guild Presents Nod to Mod Ball Celebrating Matthew Shilvock

San Francisco Opera Guild celebrates British-native Matthew Shilvock, San Francisco Opera's General Director Designate, with a Nod to Mod Ball on Wednesday, April 20 at San Francisco City Hall. San Francisco Opera Guild co-chairs at the helm of this very festive British-themed event are Ms. Maryam Muduroglu and Ms. CJ Van Pelt.

The celebration will commence at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception on the second floor of San Francisco's renowned Beaux-Arts designed City Hall followed by an elegant dinner in the Rotunda created by McCalls Catering at 7 p.m. The evening will be distinguished by a brief live auction and an after-party with dancing to the acclaimed San Francisco-based band Notorious, who will fill City Hall with the musical sounds of the best English bands of the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

Guests are encouraged to sport their vintage Mod-Chic sartorial wear or simple black tie attire for a very special evening to welcome Matthew and his lovely wife, Kate. Ticket purchasers at the Benefactor and Grand Benefactor levels will be included in a special VIP reception with Matthew and Kate following dinner. The evening's emcee and auctioneer will be Emmy Award-winning radio and TV personality Liam Mayclem, host of Eye on the Bay on CBS 5.

When he assumes his position as the Company's seventh, and youngest, director on August 1, 2016, Shilvock will serve an important role as the vanguard of young and vital talent for the future. His passion for connecting audiences with the emotional core of opera has been the driving force behind a number of signature initiatives over the past decade that he has overseen to great success, programs that have dramatically expanded the Company's local and international reach.

Event co-chairs Maryam Muduroglu and CJ Van Pelt said: "We're honored to welcome Matthew Shilvock as the new General Director of San Francisco Opera with a festive and elegant evening at City Hall. Our theme - Nod to Mod Ball - is a tribute to Matthew's British heritage and his youthful energy that will assuredly take our City's treasured Opera into its fabulous future. We look forward to an exciting and memorable celebration for everyone."

San Francisco Opera Guild President Charlot Malin commented: "This event celebrates another milestone in the history of San Francisco Opera. Over the past ten years, we've been so fortunate to work with and have the support of San Francisco Opera's stellar general director, David Gockley, who will be stepping down in July. And now we welcome Matthew Shilvock, and his wife Kate, in the beginning of a new and exciting chapter of the Company. What better way to honor Matthew than with this very British-themed dinner reception and ball."

Proceeds from this fundraising event benefit the Opera Guild's bold and innovative education and community programs reaching more than 50,000 students annually throughout Northern California.

Nod to Mod Ball is made possible through the generous support of Corporate Sponsors Burberry and Kaiser Permanente; Official Airline United; Media Sponsor Nob Hill Gazette; Wine Sponsor Beringer Vineyards; Sparkling Wine Sponsor Roederer Estate; and Entertainment Sponsor Jay Siegan Presents.

Tickets for Nod to Mod Ball are $500 to $5,000 and seating is limited. Ticket purchasers at the Benefactor and Grand Benefactor levels will be invited to a special VIP reception with Matthew and Kate Shilvock following dinner. For information contact San Francisco Opera Guild at (415) 565-3204.

Matthew Shilvock joined San Francisco Opera in 2005 and has served as the Company's Associate General Director since 2010. As Associate General Director, Shilvock manages and leads five departments: Music Operations (orchestra, chorus, dancers, commissions); Electronic Media; Education; the San Francisco Opera Center (professional artist training programs); and Rehearsal. Since March 2015, he has also served as Interim Director of Development.

Shilvock has led some of General Director David Gockley's signature initiatives over the past decade including the creation of vanguard media and education programs that have dramatically expanded the Company's local and international reach. He successfully negotiated a media rights framework across the Company that made possible commercial releases on home video, television and the internet. He managed the development of the free live opera simulcast program which to date has attracted audiences of over 240,000 to San Francisco's AT&T Park and other civic venues. As the Company's lead negotiator with the American Guild of Musical Artists and American Federation of Musicians, he has worked with the Company's labor partners to sustain a positive, solution-oriented approach, while realizing significant annual savings. He has worked closely with Gockley, the Board of Directors and the Company's senior executive team to develop strategic frameworks to stabilize the Company's finances.

For the Company, he has produced community events including San Francisco's official remembrance of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in partnership with the City of San Francisco and San Francisco Interfaith Council, and a collaborative performance of the Verdi Requiem with the Teatro di San Carlo, Naples and the Italian Consulate in 2013. With oversight of cross-departmental senior teams in both stage and patron areas, Shilvock is a strategic leader and motivator who is passionate about connecting audiences with the emotional core of opera and empowering staff through a supportive, creative and fiscally responsible workplace. Matthew Shilvock has devoted his career to executive management in the performing arts. After early work with New Chamber Opera in Oxford, England, and PORTopera in Portland, Maine, he became a 2002 Fellow with OPERA America, the national service organization for opera companies in North America, with assignments at Pittsburgh Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Janice Mayer & Associates and Glimmerglass Opera. In 2003, he joined Houston Grand Opera as the General Director's Liaison for David Gockley, who served as General Director for that company from 1972-2005. Shilvock came to San Francisco Opera in 2005 as part of Gockley's transition team, serving as General Director's Associate (2005-2007). He was promoted to Director of New Initiatives (2007-08), Assistant General Director (2008-2010) and in 2010, Associate General Director. In his positions at San Francisco Opera, Shilvock has worked closely with David Gockley on all aspects of managing this institution and nurturing innovative new projects and initiatives.

Matthew Shilvock was born in 1976 in Kidderminster, England. He studied music performance and history, reading music at Christ Church, Oxford University. He also holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, with a specialization in nonprofit administration. Shilvock resides in Marin County with his wife Kate and their two children.

Founded in 1939 to provide arts education and support San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Opera Guild is an independent nonprofit organization that believes the life lessons drawn from creative expression are the foundation of confidence and integrity. Celebrating over 75 years of offering award winning K-12 education programs and engaging community outreach programs, its mission is to give voice to potential, extending the impact of opera and bringing it center stage into the life of the community. Each year, through San Francisco Opera Guild's fundraising and education fund, more than 50,000 students in nearly 200 schools throughout Northern California find their voices, benefiting from the power of arts education as only opera can deliver. To learn more about San Francisco Opera Guild and its comprehensive education and community engagement programs, visit sfoperaguild.com.

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