The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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Month: August 2011

  • Adler 2012 Speculation

    * Notes * The Adler Fellows for 2012 are likely to be announced next month, so it is time to speculate on which Merolini (pictured left in the 2011 Grand Finale, photograph by Stefan Cohen) will return to San Francisco. Tamara Sanikidze will have completed her two years as an Adler this Fall, so we…

  • Merola Grand Finale 2011

    * Notes * Another Summer of the Merola Opera Program ended with this year's Grand Finale last night at the War Memorial Opera House. Ragnar Conde's staging for the performance was ornate, and the set used was one from Turandot, designed by David Hockney. The costumes were the usual tuxedos and evening gowns, the latter…

  • Brian Jagde Interview

    Tenor Brian Jagde (pictured left as Pinkerton in Virginia Opera's production of Madama Butterfly, photograph by Anne M. Peterson) is currently an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera. He sings Vitellozzo in Lucrezia Borgia and Don José in Carmen for Families at San Francisco Opera during the 2011-2012 season, then heads to Fresno, Bozeman, Munich,…

  • Ensemble Parallèle’s 4 Saints in 3 Acts

    * Notes *Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts (Maya Srinivasan, Eugene Brancoveanu, and Brooke Muñoz pictured right, photograph by Steve DiBartolomeo) opened in a new production from Ensemble Parallèle last night in San Francisco. The performances are a collaboration between Ensemble Parallèle and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, in association with the…

  • Porgy and Bess at Seattle Opera

    * Notes * Porgy and Bess (Mary Elizabeth Williams as Serena and Gordon Hawkins as Porgy pictured left, photograph by Elise Bakketun) had a sixth performance at Seattle Opera on Sunday afternoon. Chris Alexander's production is serviceable, though perhaps blunt. The set, from Michael Scott, is attractive, but does not facilitate scene changes. The music was often…

  • PBO Summer Festivals Tour 2011

    * Notes * Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra left San Francisco today to start a tour of summer festivals. The ensemble plays Händel's Orlando at the Ravinia Festival tomorrow, at Mostly Mozart on Saturday, and at Tanglewood next Tuesday. The semi-staged opera was performed by PBO in the Bay Area last year, with many of the same soloists.…

  • Seattle Opera’s Annual Meeting 2011

    Seattle Opera's Annual Meeting was held today at McCaw Hall. The company announced that it achieved a balanced budget (unaudited) for the 2010-2011 season. The Seattle Opera Artists of the Year awards went to Aleksandra Kurzak for singing the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor last October, and to Zandra Rhodes, Costume Designer for The…

  • Merola Opera Program’s Barber of Seville (Friday)

    * Notes *The Merola Opera Program‘s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Act II, Scene 5 with Renée Rapier, Daniel Curran, Peixin Chen, Mark Diamond, and John Maynard pictured left; photograph by Kristen Loken) returned with a second cast on Friday night. The orchestra, conducted by Mark Morash, sounded more comfortable this time around. Again, this group…

  • Merola Opera Program’s Barber of Seville (Thursday)

    * Notes *The Merola Opera Program‘s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Act II, Scene 11 with Jonathan Michie, Suzanne Rigden, and Heath Huberg pictured left; photograph by Kristen Loken) opened last night at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. Mark Morash held the orchestra together without rushing terribly. The cast was robust, with many pretty voices and…

  • San Francisco Opera and Musicians Union Local 6

    The San Francisco Opera Association and members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 6 have negotiated a new three-year contract agreement effective August 1, 2011. Press Release | San Francisco Opera | Musicians Union Local 6