ABSTRACT
I had heard much about José's decades of performances, but with the exception of the quick clip of him singing “God Save Us Nelly Queens” in the PBS documentary Before Stonewall, I had never heard him perform. I stepped into the dimly lit San Francisco bar with excitement, but also a little trepidation. He was, after all, seventy-two years old. Operatic music is a challenge at any age. Most singers retire long before seventy-two.
