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Gordon Peter Getty (born December 20, 1933) is an American businessman and
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...
composer, the fourth child of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty. His mother, Ann Rork, was his father's fourth wife. When his father died in 1976, Gordon assumed control of Getty's US$2 billion trust. His net worth was $2.1 billion in September 2020, making him number 391 on the
Forbes 400 The ''Forbes'' 400 or 400 Richest Americans is a list published by ''Forbes'' magazine of the wealthiest 400 American citizens who own assets in the U.S., ranked by net worth. The 400 was started by Malcolm Forbes in 1982 and the list is pub ...
list of the wealthiest Americans.


Early life

Getty was raised in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, where he attended
St. Ignatius College Preparatory St. Ignatius College Preparatory, commonly referred to as SI, is a private, Catholic preparatory school in the Jesuit tradition, serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1855. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, in the Su ...
and the
University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...
. He would also earn a B.A. in music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.


Career

He joined the oil business to please his father; however, he eventually sold the family's
Getty Oil Getty Oil was an American oil marketing company with its origins as part of the large integrated oil company founded by J. Paul Getty. History J. Paul Getty incorporated Getty Oil in 1942. He had previously worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma ...
to
Texaco Texaco, Inc. ("The Texas Company") is an American oil brand owned and operated by Chevron Corporation. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owned the Havoline motor oil brand. Texaco was an independent company unt ...
in 1986 for US$10 billion. In 1983, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' magazine ranked him the richest person in America with a net worth of a little over $2 billion. His net worth was cited as $2.1 billion in 2020, making him the 391st richest person in the United States. In 2002, Getty founded ReFlow, a company which temporarily purchases shares in
mutual fund A mutual fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to purchase securities. The term is typically used in the United States, Canada, and India, while similar structures across the globe include the SICA ...
s to save funds taxes and commissions.


Classical music

Among several professions, Getty is a
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" al ...
composer whose compositions include the opera ''Plump Jack'', ''Joan and the Bells'', piano pieces, and a collection of choral works. His one-act opera ''Usher House'' was performed by the San Francisco Opera in 2015. Aspiring to become an
opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...
singer, Getty studied in the mid-1970s with Louise Caselotti, a mezzo-soprano who had been
Maria Callas Maria Callas . (born Sophie Cecilia Kalos; December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American-born Greek soprano who was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Many critics praised her ''bel cant ...
' voice teacher (1946–47). He and his wife have supported the fine arts, especially underwriting productions of the
San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...
and the
Russian National Orchestra The Russian National Orchestra (russian: Российский национальный оркестр) was founded in Moscow in 1990 by pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev. It was the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Apostolic Palace, ...
. Getty's opera ''
The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in '' The Court and Society Review'', 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American fa ...
'' was premiered on May 9, 2015, at the
Leipzig Opera The Leipzig Opera (in German: ) is an opera house and opera company located at the Augustusplatz and the Inner City Ring Road at its east side in Leipzig's district Mitte, Germany. History Performances of opera in Leipzig trace back to Sing ...
.


Personal life

On Christmas Day, 1964, he married
Ann Gilbert Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in th ...
(1941–2020) in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. On April 1, 2015, it was reported that Getty's son Andrew Rork Getty died at his home in
Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Un ...
of what was initially classified as natural causes, although coroner's officials needed to wait for the results of further examination and toxicology tests before making a final determination. The coroner eventually ruled the death as accidental. Three of Getty's seven children were with Getty's then-mistress Cynthia Beck.


In popular culture

Gordon Getty's life as a composer was chronicled in Peter Rosen's documentary ''Gordon Getty: There Will be Music'' which premiered on February 5, 2016, at Cinema Village in New York City and has been broadcast on PBS in the U.S. and Europe on ARTE, and also appeared in film festivals, and programs across the country.


Honors and awards

* 1986 – Outstanding American Composer, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts * 2003 – Gold Baton,
League of American Orchestras The League of American Orchestras, formerly the American Symphony Orchestra League, is a North American service organization with 700 member orchestras of all budget sizes and types, plus individual and institutional members. Based in New York Ci ...
* 2015 –
University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...
Alumnus of the Year


List of works

Cantata and opera * 2015 - ''The Canterville Ghost'' * 2014 - ''
Usher House ''Usher House'' is a 2014 opera by Gordon Getty to the composer's own libretto based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1839 short story "The Fall of the House of Usher". The staged world premiere of the opera took place in June 2014 at the Welsh National Opera ...
'' * ''Joan and the Bells'' * ''Plump Jack'' Chamber works * ''Traditional Pieces'' Choral works * ''Annabel Lee'' * ''Ballet Russe'' * ''Beauty Come Dancing'' * ''La Belle Dame sans Merci'' * ''For a Dead Lady'' * ''The Little Match Girl'' * ''The Old Man in the Night'' * ''A Prayer for My Daughter'' * ''There Was A Naughty Boy'' * ''Those Who Love'' * ''Three Christmas Carols'' * ''Victorian Scenes'' * ''Young America'' Orchestral works * ''Ancestor Suite'' * ''Homework Suite'' * ''Overture to Plump Jack'' * ''Traditional Pieces'' Piano works * ''Ancestor Suite'' * ''Andantino'' * ''First Adventure'' * ''Homework Suite'' * ''Scherzo Pensieroso'' * ''Traditional Pieces'' Songs * ''Four Dickinson Songs'' * ''Hostess's Aria'' * ''No My Good Lord'' * ''Poor Peter'' * ''A Prayer for My Daughter'' * ''Where is My Lady'' * ''The White Election''


Discography

*
Beauty Come Dancing
' (2018, PENTATONE PTC 5186621) *
A Certain Slant of Light
' (2018, PENTATONE PTC 5186634) *''
The Canterville Ghost "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous short story by Oscar Wilde. It was the first of Wilde's stories to be published, appearing in two parts in '' The Court and Society Review'', 23 February and 2 March 1887. The story is about an American fa ...
'' (2017, PENTATONE PTC 5186541) *
The Little Match Girl
'' (2015, PENTATONE PTC 5186480) *
December Celebration: New Carols by Seven American Composers
' (2015, PENTATONE PTC 5186537) *
Usher House
' (2013, PENTATONE PTC 5186451)
''Piano Pieces''
(2013, PENTATONE PTC 5186505) *
The Hours Begin to Sing
' (2013, PENTATONE PTC 5186459) *
Orchestral Works
' (2010, PENTATONE PTC 5186356) *
Plump Jack
' (2012, PENTATONE PTC 5186445) *
The White Election
' (2009, PENTATONE PTC 5186054) *
And if the song be worth a smile
' (2008, PENTATONE PTC 5186099) *
Young America Choral Works
' (2005, PENTATONE PTC 5186040) *
Joan and the bells & Serge Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet
'' (2003, PENTATONE PTC 5186017)


References


External links


Forbes.com: Forbes World's Richest PeopleGordon Getty composer website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Getty, Gordon 1933 births Living people American billionaires American businesspeople in the oil industry American male classical composers American classical composers American financiers American investors American political fundraisers American philanthropists Businesspeople from Los Angeles Businesspeople from San Francisco Gordon Musicians from Los Angeles Composers from San Francisco San Francisco Conservatory of Music alumni California Democrats 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century classical composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century classical composers 20th-century American composers