The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: Merola Opera Program
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* Notes * Merola, San Francisco Opera's training program, kicked off a virtual recital series last Sunday via Zoom with baritone Lucas Meachem (pictured left, photograph by Natasha Sadakin) and his piano accompanist and wife Irina Meachem. They were very charming and it was a stark reminder of just how strange these pandemic times are.…
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The Merola Opera Program announces the cancellation of the 2020 training program and Summer Festival, including all public performances, public master classes, and events scheduled, in accordance with local and global efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is the first time in 63 years that San Francisco Opera's summer training program for singers,…
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SopranosEmily Blair, Hoffman Estates, Illinois Catherine Goode, Friendswood, TexasMagdalena Kuźma, New York, New YorkCeleste Morales, San Antonio, TexasMikayla Sager, Vancouver, BC, CanadaJohanna Will, Dresden, Germany Mezzo-SopranosGabrielle Barkidjija, River Forest, Illinois Gabrielle Beteag, Atlanta, GeorgiaJesse Mashburn, Hartselle, AlabamaNikola Printz, Novato, CaliforniaIsabel Signoret, Miami, Florida TenorsVictor Cardamone, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaGabriel Hernandez, Tampa, FloridaPhilippe L'Esperance, Grafton, Massachusetts WooYoung Yoon,…
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*Notes* Last night's Merola Grand Finale showcased a variety of strong voices from the set of San Francisco Opera's upcoming Billy Budd. The stage direction certainly had a ton of ideas and I especially enjoyed hearing the singers cast in the contemporary opera this summer sing more standard repertoire. Apprentice stage director Greg Eldridge started…
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* Notes * Merola Opera Program's very first commission, If I Were You, premiered last night at Herbst Theatre. Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer's opera certainly shows off the young singers voices but most impressive was Maestra Nicole Paiement at the helm of the orchestra. The focus of Merola's performances is, of course, very much on…
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* Notes * Last night the Merola Opera Program gave its first performance of the year with the Schwabacher Summer Concert at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The singing shows a lot of promise and there were many distinctive voices. The evening started with Act I of La rondine (Chelsea Lehnea, Anna Dugan, Amber R. Monroe,…
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* Notes * The first of two operas from the Merola Opera Program this summer is the rarity Il Re Pastore at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on July 19 and 21. The lighthearted production directed by Tara Faircloth suits the early Mozart very well, as do the young singers (pictured left, photograph by…
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* Notes * The Schwabacher Summer Concert at SFCM on Thursday kicked off the 2018 Merola Opera Program's season. This is when we get to hear the more unusual voices selected for this opera training program, the ones that didn't quite fit into the two operas that will be performed in July and August. The most…
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SopranosKendra Berentsen, Portland, Oregon Cheyanne Coss, Eaton Rapids, MichiganMarlen Nahhas, Houston, TexasBrittany Nickell, Coral Springs, FloridaPatricia Westley, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaMeigui Zhang, Chengdu, China Mezzo-SopranosMegan Grey, Cedar Falls, IowaAnne Maguire, Washougal, WashingtonSimone McIntosh, Vancouver, B.C., CanadaAlexandra Urquiola, Bergenfield, New Jersey TenorsZhengyi Bai, Linyi, Shandong, ChinaChristopher Colmenero, Burlington, VermontAddison Marlor, Salt Lake City, UtahBrian Michael Moore, Cincinnati,…
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* Notes * The second set of opera performances from the Merola Opera Program this year was Rossini's La Cenerentola at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on August 3 and 5. The sugary sweet staging from Chuck Hudson showcased a plethora of fine young singers (pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) supported by conductor…
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