Gockley, (Richard) David

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Gockley, (Richard) David

Gockley, (Richard) David, American opera administrator; b. Philadelphia, July 13, 1943. He was educated at Brown Univ. (B.A., 1965), Columbia Univ. (M.B.A., 1970), and the New England Cons, of Music in Boston. Following engagements as an opera singer, he was on the staff of the Santa Fe Opera (1968-70) and of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in N.Y. (1970). In 1970 he joined the Houston Grand Opera as its business manager. After serving as its associate director in 1971-72, he was its general director from 1972. Under his guidance, it became one of America’s finest opera companies. Gockley’s tenure has been especially note-worthy for his championship of contemporary works, among them Adams’s Nixon in China (1987) and Wallace’s Harvey Milk (1995). He also promoted educational programs, introduced the use of surtitles, and inaugu-rated the touring Tex. Opera Theater.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire