Opera Stars Gloria and Joseph Shurman reflect on the Cycle of Life, Death, and Legacy Giving
San Diego Opera’s Esther J. Burnham Opera Stars Program recognizes generous individuals who have planned for the future of the company with legacy gifts both large and small. In a recent conversation, SDO patrons Gloria and Joseph Shurman discussed their background and why they decided to become Opera Stars.
Music has always been at the center of Gloria and Joe Shurman’s lives. When they married, they made a deal to share their interests. For Gloria, cultural events came first. For Joe, it was all about sports. He was first team all-city Philadelphia high school basketball and soccer and played basketball for Temple University. Gloria feels that she got the better part of the deal since they attend many more concerts and plays than sporting events. Their home in La Jolla was also designed to accommodate musical performances.
Originally from Philadelphia, Gloria and Joe moved to San Diego in 1975. Gloria joined San Diego Opera’s Board of Directors in 2019 because she wanted to do more for the company than just buy a subscription, and she wanted to contribute to the community as well. Being part of a Board, and a whole opera family, that is so welcoming and friendly has made a big difference in Gloria and Joe’s lives.
A PhD psychologist, Gloria started her studies at the University of Washington, then moved to San Diego and finished her training at Mercy Hospital. She later became Chairman of Psychology at Scripps Memorial Hospital. Joe, a specialist in pain management, received his medical degree from Temple University and served an anesthesia residency with Harvard Medical School at Massachusetts General Hospital. He then worked as a clinical instructor at the University of Washington’s pioneering pain center. In the hospital setting beginning in the 1970s, he used music therapy for patients to calm/ relieve pain and he used regional rather than general anesthesia. After moving to San Diego, he became Chairman of Anesthesia and later Chairman of Pain Management at Scripps Memorial Hospital.
Gloria comes from a musical family and has attended opera since she was a young child. Her mother sang professionally and her uncle was the renowned Big Band leader Russ Morgan. Trained as a dancer, starting with ballet and tap at age five, she performed with a small company and continued to dance into her fifties.
Becoming Opera Stars
Leaving a legacy was an important decision for the Shurmans. Reviewing their will, they decided to include planned contributions to cultural organizations and scientific research institutions. San Diego Opera is among the beneficiaries.
Gloria’s belief in the importance of planned giving is directly linked to her work as a therapist. She believes it is essential that certain conversations take place in order to raise awareness about our impermanent human condition. “In this country,” she observes, “there is too much emphasis on the youth culture. There are subconscious, collective values about the emphasis on youthfulness. As a result, we miss a big part of life which is what happens in the aging process. People do not talk about aging, and they certainly do not talk about death, which is undoubtedly a taboo. As a therapist, it is vital to encourage people, in their families and with their friends, to talk about the span of life as a whole from conception to death. Focusing only on the first half of life limits the options and our knowledge of one another and our wisdom. Death will happen to all of us, and it needs to be a more accepted part of life. And it is important to remember that we can have a legacy even after we are not around.”
Joe also points out that operagoing itself can have the added benefit of increasing longevity. He recently read an article about the so-called “blue zones” – the parts of the world where people live the longest. “Women live six to ten years longer than men in general,” he notes, “but in these blue zones the men live as long as the women because they socialize and come together in groups as women do. Coming to the opera is an opportunity to unite people, which is an important component of longevity. SDO – bringing the community center.”
Make a difference for the future and keep the art of the opera alive!
If you are interested in becoming an Opera Star, all you need to do is to let us know that you have included a gift to San Diego Opera in your future plans. For more information on how easy it is to become an Opera Star, contact the Development Department at 619-232-7636 or email [email protected].