(Credit: Kristen Loken) The Merola Opera Program has announced its summer festival which is set to take place between June 14-July 31, 2021. The festival will include a BIPOC recital, its traditional Merola Grand Finale, and a digital project. First up will be “What the Heart Desires,” a recital co-curated by tenor Nicholas Phan and mezzo-soprano Ronnita Miller which will {…}
The Merola Opera Program will present its first virtual charity gala, “Un Gala In Maschera”, as a tribute to Merola’s artistic director, Sheri Greenawald, who spent two decades as Director of the San Francisco Opera Center and Artistic Director of the Merola Opera Program. The evening concert, scheduled for April 10, 2021, will feature performances by Merola alumni, including sopranos Leah {…}
In August, the Merola Opera Program named Carrie-Ann Matheson the new Artistic Director succeeding Sheri Greenawald. Her new position will provide artistic and musical leadership for all Opera Center artists and projects, including acting as the primary musical coach for its young artists, overseeing their development, collaborating on recitals, and conducting performances. Matheson began her career at the Metropolitan Opera, {…}
(Credit: Kevin Condon) On September 27, 2020, the Merola Opera Program’s new Virtual Recital Series is set to kick off with a concert starring Lucas and Irina Meachem, titled “I Left My Aria in San Francisco.” A 2003 alumnus of the esteemed opera program, Lucas will perform several musical numbers that have been featured on his appearances in San Francisco. {…}
San Francisco Opera Tad and Dianne Taube General Director Matthew Shilvock has announced the appointment of Carrie-Ann Matheson as Artistic Director of the San Francisco Opera Center (SFOC) and Markus Beam in the newly created role of SFOC General Manager. Matheson and Beam will join the Company in January 2021. Matheson will succeed Sheri Greenawald, whose distinguished tenure as Director {…}
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program has announced that it will be offering online coaching and instruction for the students of the 2020 program, along with a series of public “master chats” with prominent industry professionals. The instructors for this year’s program include Lyric Opera of Chicago vocal coach Alan Darling, international director Chuck Hudson, {…}
The Merola Opera Program has launched a new initiative, called the Merola Artists Emergency Fund, which is intended to provide relief to Merola alumni who have suffered financial hardship as a result of the coronavirus epidemic. The initiative is open to young singers, conductors, and directors who participated during 2015-2019. “So many of our talented Merola participants have suddenly seen {…}
The Merola Opera Program has announced its 2020 program, which is scheduled between July 9 and August 22, 2020. The program, which will feature 29 artists from six countries and across the U.S., will include two concerts and two opera performances. “We are eagerly anticipating another group of outstanding young artists this summer at Merola,” said Jean Kellogg, Executive Director {…}
The San Francisco Opera Center has announced that Sheri Greenawald is set to retire at the close of 2020. She has been the director of the Opera Center since 2002. Prior to that, she had a career as a soprano for over 30 years, singing leading roles with such companies as the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Venice’s La {…}
(Credit: Valentina Sadiul) What makes a master singing teacher? Is it someone who knows the art of singing from both sides of the curtain? Or is it someone who cultivates a singer’s natural gifts, enabling the budding artist to bring out her/his inner voice? Perhaps it is both of these. César Ulloa is Voice Department Chair at the San Francisco {…}
The San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program have announced their 37th annual Schwabacher Recital Series for 2020. The performances, which are scheduled at San Francisco’s Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater, will feature emerging artists from around the globe. The first concert will showcase a set of performers recently seen as part of the Merola Opera Program. Mezzo-soprano {…}