The Merola Opera Program has announced its 61st season, which will kick off with the Schwabacher Summer Concert on July 5 in San Francisco. There is also expected to be a follow-up showcase on July 7, 2018. The concerts will feature a wide range of scenes from such operas as “Vanessa,” “Il Tabarro,” “Don Giovanni,” and “Les Pêcheurs de Perles.” {…}
The ongoing partnership between the Bay Area’s Classical KDFC and San Francisco Opera will continue on April 1 with a broadcast of Leoš Janáček’s “Jenůfa.” The performance, which was recorded live at the War Memorial Opera House in June 2016, features Finnish soprano Karita Mattila as Kostelnička, Swedish soprano Malin Byström in the title role, American tenor William Burden as {…}
On Sunday, March 4, the Bay Area’s Classical KDFC will broadcast a San Francisco Opera performance from November 2014 of Giacomo Puccini’s “Tosca” The broadcast stars soprano Lianna Haroutounian in the title role, tenor Brian Jagde as Cavaradossi, and bass-baritone Mark Delavan as Scarpia, with maestro Riccardo Frizza leading the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. KDFC radio announcer Dianne Nicolini will {…}
From Feb. 21 through April 4, audiences will have the chance to listen to the next generation of opera stars in a four-part recital series presented by San Francisco Opera and Merola Opera Program. Beginning the 2018 Schwabacher Recital Series are soprano Jana McIntyre and baritone Andrew G. Manea. Accompanied by pianist John Elam, they will be performing Hugo Wolf’s {…}
The San Francisco Opera has announced it will broadcast a historical performance of Strauss’ “Arabella.” The company announced that on Feb. 4 at 8 p.m., the Bay Area’s Classical KDFC will broadcast a 1980 performance of “Arabella” starring soprano Kiri Te Kanawa in the title role, Barbara Daniels as Zdenka, tenor William Lewis as Matteo and baritone Ingvar Wixell as Mandryka, with German conductor Wolfgang Rennert. The performance comes {…}
San Francisco Opera’s General Director Matthew Shilvock presented British artist David Hockney with the Company’s highest honor, the San Francisco Opera Medal. The honor was bestowed on Hockney following the Dec. 3 matinee performance of Puccini’s “Turandot,” which starred Brian Jagde, Nina Stemme, and Leah Crocetto. The director was given the medal in an onstage ceremony amongst the brilliant red {…}
The San Francisco Opera is getting in the holiday spirit with two concerts on the War Memorial Opera House stage at the tailend of its 2017 fall season. The first of these showcases is set for Dec. 1, 2017 when multi-platinum New Zealand trio Sol3 Mio performs alongside the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in a holiday concert, “Christmas with Sol3 Mio.” The {…}
With the holidays coming to the fore, the opera schedule is slowly and surely growing thinner and thinner. Companies are starting to take their breaks to recoup for 2018, meaning that offerings are slimmer for operagoers. But there are performances to be thankful for as a number of companies, big and small, are putting on a show. Here are the {…}
Sheri Greenawald, director of San Francisco Opera Center, announced the eleven recipients of the 2018 Adler Fellowship grant. Choosing promising young talent from the Merola Opera Program, recipients are given advanced training, via individual coaching and professional seminars, and a vast range of performance opportunities. The 2018 group of artists are comprised of eight singers, two pianists, and one director; {…}
To wait for one whole act, plus a quarter of a second, just to glimpse the heroine, let alone hear her, is practically a crime. Especially, with all the talk. From the moment the curtain rises, what do we hear? Turandot, Turandot, Turandot. And so, where is she? On and on, troops of “the people” – boy chorus, various authorities {…}
Talk about a busy weekend. There will be over 70 opera performances around the country this weekend with a wide range of repertoire. North of the border, Pacific Opera Victoria showcases “Rattenbury” on Friday and Sunday and Opéra de Montreal showcases “La Cenerentola.” Teatro Municipal De Santiago presents “Aida” on Friday and Saturday while Atlanta Opera does a showcase of {…}
