John Keene, who is currently the Seattle Opera’s head of music staff and chorus master, will join the staff of the San Francisco Opera in January as chorus director, the company announced Tuesday, Dec. 7.

Keene succeeds Ian Robertson, who is retiring after an acclaimed 35-year tenure in San Francisco.

“It’s extraordinary to be able to follow Ian with someone who shares engagement with the art form and deep knowledge of the repertoire,” General Director Matthew Shilvock told The Chronicle. “I know we’re moving from one great chorus director to another.”

Keene, 62, has been with the Seattle Opera for nine years, since making his debut preparing the chorus for a 2012 production of Beethoven’s “Fidelio.” During his time there he also conducted a production of Laura Kaminsky’s “As One” and served as assistant conductor for the company’s production of Wagner’s “Ring” Cycle.

He was previously head of music staff and chorus master with Florida Grand Opera in Miami, and he has worked at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the New Orleans Opera.

“This is a career that finds you, rather than something you forge a path toward,” Keene said in a phone interview with The Chronicle. “In general, opera spoke to me early on because it’s such a big art form, with so many people involved.”

Keene began his musical career as a pianist but said he knew almost from the first moment that the life of a soloist was not for him.

“I love the collaborative part of music-making,” he said, “especially the communal aspect of rehearsal. In some ways I love the rehearsal process even more than performance.”

Keene landed the job in part based on a single three-hour rehearsal with the chorus earlier this fall.

“When we saw John working with the chorus, you could feel the bond instantly,” Shilvock said. “There was a bond of understanding — he trusted in their musicianship, and he knew what he wanted and how to get them there.”

Keene agreed that his session with the chorus was definitive.

“It was a very busy time in my current job, and I didn’t have a lot of time to pre-think it. So I just went with the intention of showing them my rehearsal technique and how I work,” he recalled. “I immediately felt a connection with this specific group of people. I was aware that they were tired and had come in on a day off from their busy schedule, but I could feel their energy right away. That’s unusual, and it made me sit up and take notice.”

Opera singers who have worked and studied with Keene were effusive in their praise. In a written statement to The Chronicle, mezzo-soprano Daniela Mack called him “a brilliantly sensitive and giving musician and beautiful soul.”

Bass-baritone Greer Grimsley said, “I’ve known John for quite a few years, and the gifts which San Francisco will be getting, to name a few, are his amazing musicality and insights, his impeccable professionalism and his unrelenting focus at the task at hand.”

Keene plans to remain in Seattle through the end of January, working remotely as he concludes his tenure there. In March, he plans to begin rehearsing the chorus for the summer productions of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” and Bright Sheng and David Henry Hwang’s “Dream of the Red Chamber,” as well as a Verdi concert led by Music Director Eun Sun Kim.

The ensemble will also begin work on the 2022-23 season, which marks the company’s centennial.