San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program begins its 2024 Summer Festival with “The Song as Drama.” The vocal chamber recital explores the narrative arc of the song and will feature ten artists from the 2024 Merola program and additional chamber musicians. Each piece will offer audiences a deeply compelling story, summarized in just a few minutes. They will perform music from a diverse range of eras and styles. Merola {…}
The Merola Opera Summer Festival has announced its 2024 season. The entirety of the season will be directed by women. First up is “The Song as Drama.” The vocal recital will be curated by Carrie-Ann Matheson and Nicholas Phan. Performance Date: June 27, 2024 Then comes the Schwabacher Summer Concert featuring extended scenes from works by Donizetti, Gounod, Leoncavallo, Massenet, Puccini, {…}
The Merola Opera Program has announced the 29 artists that will be part of its 2024 roster. Here is the rundown of the artists: Moriah Berry, Atlanta, Georgia Hannah Cho, Seoul, South Korea Alexa Frankian, Oakville, Ontario, Canada Viviana Aurelia Goodwin, Tulsa, Oklahoma Lydia Grindatto, Tijeras, New Mexico Elizabeth “Hanje” Hanje, Vestavia Hills, Alabama Mary Hoskins, Saratoga Springs, New York {…}
San Francisco Opera and Merola Opera Program has announced the 2024 Schwabacher Recital Series. First up is Simona Genga and Hyemin Jeong present “Two Laurels,” which includes both classical art songs and new compositions, “bringing the audience on a journey through the intimate moments of a queer love story.” Performance Date: Feb. 21, 2024 Then comes a program curated by Nicholas {…}
The Merola Opera Program has announced the retirement of Executive Director Jean Kellogg on Jan. 1, 2024. Kellogg started her tenure back in October 2011 and worked closely with two different artistic teams at the San Francisco Opera Center. Among her major achievements was overseeing the development of “If I Were You,” the Merola Opera Porgram’s first-ever opera commission. She {…}
(Credit: Kristen Loken Photography) Famed tenor Rolando Villazón has received a Merola Distinguished Almuni Award. The Mexican tenor was given the recognition on August 8 during a master class. During the presentation of the award, Merola Opera Program Board of Directors President Barbara Bruser Clark stated, “Those of us who heard Rolando Villazón that summer were never in doubt that {…}
Photo Credit: Kristen Loken Merola Opera Program presents Benjamin Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” on July 13th and 15th at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, with director Jan Essinger, conductor Judith Yan, and a creative team including intimacy coordinator Maya Herbsman. Merola will also host a special conversational forum, post-performance on Saturday, July 15th with the creative team and {…}
The San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program continues Schwabacher recitals for season 39 on April 12 at San Francisco’s Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater in the Veterans Building. Schwabacher’s series will feature a remarkable group of performers, including countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner, and pianists Carrie-Ann Matheson and Shawn Chang. “We will present a {…}
The San Francisco Merola Opera Program is set to open its 2023 Summer Festival with “Metamorphosis: Recovery, Renewal, and Rebirth.” The uplifting vocal and piano recital will feature a rich array of songs that explore the many facets of transformation. The program will feature songs from Alma Mahler, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Robert Owens, Florence Price, and many other notable {…}
Photo: Kristen Loken Merola Opera Program released its lineup for the 2023 season, which will feature the 29 Artists who were recently announced. This year the Merola Opera Program participants will train with faculty members such as Deb Birnbaum, Julia Faulkner, Gerald Martin Moore, John Churchwell, and Alan Darling, to name a few. Singers and audiences alike will be immersed {…}
The Merola Opera Program has unveiled the names of the 2023 Merola Artists. The 29 artists include: Sopranos Georgiana Adams, Wheaton, Illinois Juliette Chauvet, Avignon, France Caroline Corrales, St. Louis, Missouri Shan Hai, Beijing, China So Ry Kim, Daejeon, South Korea Olivia Prendergast, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mezzo-sopranos Lucy Joy Altus, New York, New York Joanne Evans, London, United Kingdom Simona Genga, Toronto, Ontario Natalie Lewis, Severna Park, Maryland Contraltos Cecelia Steffen McKinley, Sterling, Virginia {…}