Complex sentence: The group was founded in 1948 by Madi Bacon and Gaetano Merola to provide singers for the San Francisco Opera, and has been directed by Ian Robertson since 1996, prior to which it was directed by Laura Kakis Serper from 1993.
Split into simpler sentences: The group was founded in 1948 by Madi Bacon and Gaetano Merola to provide singers for the San Francisco Opera. It has been directed by Ian Robertson since 1996, prior to which it was directed by Laura Kakis Serper from 1993.