San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program Announces 2026 Artists

San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program has announced the artist cohort for its 2026 season, selecting 28 participants from more than 1,500 international applicants. The 2026 ensemble includes sopranos Shannon Crowley, Adia Evans, Charlotte Kelso, Abigail Raiford, Jennifer Robinson, Emilie Kealani, and Anna Thompson; mezzo-sopranos Theo Claveles, Katherine Dobbs, Stella FitzGerald, and Ariana Maubach; tenors Chester Seungyup Han, Ryan Bryce Johnson, {…}

Jul 1, 2025

Q & A: Tenor Alek Shrader on Joining the Merola Opera Program’s Staff & His Shift in Career Focus

It’s been a busy summer for tenor Alek Shrader. He’s coming off a run of “Idomeno” as Arbace at the San Francisco Opera. He’s going to direct “Così fan tutte” in San Jose. He has a Manetti-Shrem performance in Napa Valley. And just recently it was announced that he was joining the staff of the Merola Opera Program. Shrader, who {…}

Jun 27, 2025

Q & A: Ronny Michael Greenberg on the Merola Opera Program & Working with Young Artists

Ronny Michael Greenberg is a pianist, producer, and musical visionary who has performed at many of the great stages in the world, including Carnegie Hall and Vienna’s Konzerthaus. He is also the founder and CEO of Taste of Talent, a nonprofit that has redefined cultural programming through innovative, multi-sensory experiences and has produced for Opera Aloha, a Pacific concert tour {…}

Jun 11, 2025

Famed Tenor Alek Shrader Joins Staff of Merola Opera Program

The Merola Opera Program has added tenor Alek Shrader to its team as the Director of Membership & Engagement. Shrader, a performer at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, and Opera Philadelphia, among others, will lead the organization’s membership program, enhance donor engagement and stewardship, and enhance its visibility through storytelling and alumni activation. Shrader {…}

May 22, 2025

Merola Opera Program to Present Grand Finale Concert

The Merola Opera Program is set to present the Merola Grand Finale on August 16, 2025. The concert will feature all of the Merola artists in a varied program of well-known classics and lesser-known gems. Kelly Kuo is set to conduct the evening with San Francisco native Elio Bucky directing the show. The event will also include the San Francisco {…}

May 15, 2025

Merola Opera Program to Present ‘Le Comte Ory’

The Merola Opera program is set to present Rossini’s “Le Comte Ory. The rarely performed work will be directed by Garnett Bruce in his Merola debut, while Pierre Vallet will conduct singers from the Merola Opera Program. “Le Comte Ory” opera, which has been revived in recent years, features a whirlwind of mistaken identities, gender-bending disguises, as well as effervescent {…}

May 7, 2025

Merola Opera Program to Perform ‘It’s Complicated—Love & Opera’

The Merola Opera Program will continue its festival season with the Schwabacher Summer Concert: It’s Complicated—Love & Opera. The evening will feature semi-staged scenes from operatic masterpieces including Donizetti’s “Il Campanello,” “Roberto Devereux,” “Anna Bolena,” and “Don Pasquale,” as well as the love duet from Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.” The concert will showcase the San Francisco Opera Center Orchestra conducted {…}

Apr 11, 2025

Merola Opera Program Reveals 2025 Slate

Merola Opera Program has unveiled its 2025 season. “This season’s programming is crafted to inspire joy, spark curiosity, and celebrate the depth of artistic expression. With vibrant repertoire and a strong focus on holistic training, we’re creating a space where the 2025 Merolini can take bold risks, grow as artists, and build meaningful connections with each other and with our {…}

Apr 4, 2025

Leah Crocetto & Carrie-Ann Matheson to Perform in Schwabacher Recital Series

(Photo credit: Jiyang Chen) The Schwabacher Recital Series, presented by Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Opera Center, concludes its 41st season with a performance by Leah Crocetto and pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson. The third and final concert of the series showcases music by Clara Schumann, Richard Strauss, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Giuseppe Verdi, Stephen Sondheim, and others. Baritone Lester Lynch will join {…}

Mar 12, 2025

Merola Opera Program & San Francisco Opera Center Present Recital from Schwabacher Recital Series

The Schwabacher Recital Series, presented by the Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Opera Center, is set to present its second concert on March 19 in the Barbro Osher Recital Hall at San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Bowes Center. The evening will highlight the artistry of four 2024 Merola Opera Program graduates: tenor Michael John Butler, baritone Olivier Zerouali, and {…}

Jun 14, 2024

Patricia Racette to Direct Merola Opera’s ‘Don Giovanni’

Merola Opera Program will present Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” as part of its Summer Festival season. The opera will be staged by world-renowned soprano Patricia Racette and conducted by Stefano Sarzani will make his Merola debut. The opera will be presented on August 1 and 3 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall. The cast will {…}

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