Property from the Collection of Frances and Ronald Dutro. San Francisco.  Ronald Dutro was born in Oakland and began his lifelong opera career as a teenager with the San Francisco Opera.  Frances Thanash was born in Fresno, and was a highly regarded singer in her own right.  After Ronald Dutro won the American Opera Auditions in 1959, he made his European debut at La Scala, Milan, Italy.  The Dutros ended up staying in Europe for twenty-five years, where Ron sang baritone roles.  The last fifteen years of their Continental sojourn, the Dutros lived in Berlin, Germany.  There, they entertained a large variety of singers, including David Bowie.

The Dutros returned to San Francisco in the 1980s, where they re-installed their notable Salon room, filled with Meissen and other Continental Porcelains, Art Nouveau and later cameo glass, and their large collection of artwork by German artist Richard Muller.  Ron Dutro died in 2006; Frances died in 2020.