David Pershall, Christopher Oglesby Headline San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program’s 2019 Schwabacher Recital Series

By Nicole Kuchta

San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program will present the 36th season of the Schwabacher Recital Series.

The series of four recitals will be held in the Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theatre in San Francisco between Feb. 13 – Apr. 24, 2019. The program is aimed at introducing gifted up-and-coming artists to Bay Area audiences. Works performed will range from Baroque to Romantic-era classics. Those performing have participated in the prestigious training programs of the San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program.

The series begins on Feb. 13, 2019 with performances by tenor WooYoung Toon and baritone SeokJong Baek, accompanied by pianist Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad. The program will include Poulenc’s “Chansons Gaillardes,” Mahler’s song cycle “Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen,” Strauss’ “Vier Lieder, Op. 27,” Heggie’s “Friendly Persuasions: Homage to Poulenc,” Bizet’s “Au fond du temple saint” from “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” as well as a selection of South Korean folk songs.

On Feb. 27, baritone David Pershall will appear on stage alongside pianist and San Francisco Opera Head of Music Staff John Churchwell. They are set to perform Beethoven’s only song cycle “An die Ferne Geliebte,” Mahler’s “Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen,” Finzi’s “Earth and Air and Rain,” and select works by Rachmaninoff.

Soprano Mary Evelyn Hangley, tenor Christopher Oglesby, and pianist and San Francisco Opera Center Director of Musical Studies Mark Morash will take the stage on Apr. 3. The program includes Schubert’s “Auf dem Strom,” Britten’s “Canticle III: Still Falls the Rain,” Strauss’ “Sechs Lieder, Op. 19,” Dvořák’s “Cigánské Melodie,” selected songs by Ives and Fauré, and a selection of Italian duets by various composers.

The final recital will take place on Apr. 4. Renowned pianist Martin Kats will lead a quartet of 2019 San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows, including Mary Evelyn Hangley, mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon, tenor Zhengyi Bai, and bass-baritone Christian Pursell. They will perform selections from Wolf’s “Mörike Lieder,” Barber’s “Hermit Songs,” and selections from Brahms’ “Deutsche Volkslieder.”

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