San Francisco Conservatory Così fan tutte
The San Francisco Opera Theater presents Mozart’s Così fan tutte in Cowell Theater, March 29–April 1, under the baton of San Francisco Opera resident conductor Giuseppe Finzi.
Heather Mathews is stage director, Peter Crompton the set designer, and Maggie Whitaker the costume designer.
Student singers are double-cast in the four performances on March 29 and 31, and March 30 and April 1, respectively: Julie Adams and Jessie Neilson (Fiordiligi), Kate Allen and Raquel Fatiuk (Dorabella), Maya Kherani and Sarah Young (Despina), Efrain Solis and Ryan Bradford (Guglielmo), Sergio Gonzalez and Sydney Ragland (Ferrando), and Randall Bunnell and Cole Grissom (Don Alfonso).
Besides the opera itself, consider that past Conservatory productions often served as introductions to young singers who went on to become stars. How great it is to listen to a student performance, perk up your ears, and say, “That young woman, let’s see what her name is — aha!, Elza van den Heever — may yet become a famous singer.” And so it came to pass.
Music in the Schools Benefit
Benjamin Simon and Kris Yenney conduct the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra in an afternoon of music to benefit the Music in the Schools Foundation on March 25 in Costaño Elementary School. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to providing music education classes to preschool and elementary school students in East Palo Alto’s Ravenswood School District.
All five PACO orchestras will perform, along with the Tangela Duo, recent prizewinners. Ensembles from the Willow Oaks Violin Project and the Green Oaks Choir join the event.
Schwabacher Debut Recitals
The 30th Schwabacher Debut Recitals series will present tenor Daniel Curran and bass Adam Lau with pianist Robert Mollicone on April 22; and soprano Nadine Sierra with pianist Tamara Sanikidze on April 29. Recitals are given in Temple Emanu-El’s Martin Meyer Sanctuary.
The series presents recitals by artists who have participated in Merola and Adler programs. They have been endowed in perpetuity by the late James Schwabacher, singer, scholar and teacher, and a cofounder of the Merola Opera Program. Schwabacher Debut Recitals have introduced the artistry of such now-famous singers as Susan Graham, Anna Netrebko, Deborah Voigt, Brian Asawa, and Thomas Hampson.
Brugger Tops Western Region in Met Audition
Merolina Janai Brugger placed first in the Western Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions last week, and she became one of the five finalists winning $15,000 awards on the Met stage at the Grand Finals.
Finalists also received invaluable career exposure: the audience for the auditions included opera executives, artist managers, and music critics; some of the biggest stars in opera received their first major recognition as National Council Winners.
Other regional winners are baritone Anthony Clark Evans, tenor Matthew Grills, mezzo Margaret Mezzacappa, and countertenor Andrey Nemzer.
Many of the world’s foremost singers, among them Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Ben Heppner, Jessye Norman, Samuel Ramey, Frederica von Stade, Deborah Voigt, and Dolora Zajick, have received awards from the National Council. (Graham, Hampson, Voigt, and Zajick also participated in San Francisco Opera Center programs.) Annually, approximately 100 former auditioners appear in Metropolitan Opera productions.