S.F. Opera’s Adler Dies at 82

Kurt Herbert Adler, considered the most influential voice on the West Coast operatic scene for the last 30 years, has died of a heart attack, it was learned today. Adler was 82 when he died Tuesday at his home in the San Francisco area. He was believed the last of the now-vanished breed of maestros who often conducted the casts they hired. He had retired as general director of the San Francisco Opera Co. in 1981.