Q & A: Omer Ben Seadia on the Merola Opera Program & Mentoring the Next Generation

Director Omer Ben Seadia has become known for her inventive, thoughtful, and socially conscious productions. The director has led production at some of the leading theaters in the world including the Israeli Opera, Portland Opera, Curtis Institute of Music, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Chautauqua Opera Company, Houston Grand Opera, Calgary Opera, Utah Opera, Cincinnati Opera, The Florentine Opera, Hawaii Opera {…}

Jul 13, 2023

Q & A: Merola Opera Program Leadership on How Cultivating Awareness Makes Britten’s “The Rape of Lucretia” an Urgent Story Visible Today

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 {…}

Jul 22, 2022

Merola Opera Program Concludes Summer Program with Gala Concert

The Merola Opera Program’s Summer Festival ends with the Merola Grand Finale, a concert featuring the 31 young artists of the 2022 program. The program will see the artists performing some of opera’s most thrilling arias and ensembles. Directed by 2022 Merola Stage Director Matthew J. Schulz, this performance will be conducted by Patrick Furrer, a Metropolitan Opera staff member {…}

Jul 19, 2022

Merola Opera Program to Stage ‘Die Zauberflöte’

Merola Opera Program is set to present a fully staged production of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte.” The production will be conducted by Kelly Kuo, Associate Director of American Lyric Theatre and Music Director of the Reno Chamber Orchestra. Director Gina Lapinski directs this production, bringing the work’s colorful characters to life and will feature costumes created by Dame Zandra Rhodes for {…}

Jul 5, 2022

Q & A: Craig Terry on Creating ‘A Celebration of American Song’ at Merola Opera Program

OperaWire had the chance to speak with Grammy-award-winning pianist Craig Terry about his work with the Merola Opera Program. For this season he has curated the opening piece entitled “A Celebration of American Song.” Terry serves as the Music Director at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Artistic Director of its “Beyond the Aria” recital series. He has collaborated on piano {…}

Feb 4, 2022

San Francisco Opera Center & Merola Opera Program Announce 2022 Schwabacher Recital Series

The San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program have announced the Schwabacher Recital Series. Kicking things off will be a showcase featuring mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz and pianist Erica Xiaoyan Guo as they perform works by such composers as Barbara Strozzi, Rossini, Alma Mahler, Lang, Schubert, and Ranchera pieces inspired by Chavela Vargas. They will be joined by guitarist Tatiana {…}

Jun 25, 2021

Merola Opera to Stream ‘Back Home: Through The Stage Door’

San Francisco-based Merola Opera continues its summer season with “Back Home: Through The Stage Door,” a digital production that had been lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This work, which was directed by David Paul, will feature music by Dominick Argento, Vicenzo Bellini, Carlisle Floyd, Francis Poulenc, Anton Webern, Handel, Mozart and others The film will feature all Merola 2021 {…}

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