Photos by Kristen Loken
As the public phase of the 2014 Merola Opera Program begins this week, meeting the 29 young artists from 10 countries provided a dazzling diversity.
The event last week at the S.F. Conservatory Concert Hall, introduced the new Merolini as a panel of three program administrators interviewed them.
Board Chair Jayne C. Davis, Executive Director Jean Kellogg, and Board President Donna Blacker kept the event on the light side, and succeeded bringing out personalities and colorful stories — involving pets and sports teams — but also cajoling some relevant information.
Bass-baritone Szymon Wach, from Poland, apparently still jet-lagged, paused when asked about his relationship to music. But then he made a memorable statement about musicians "being like priests," completely devoting themselves to the performance and the audience. He will sing Leporello in the staged performances of Don Giovanni.
Soprano Yujin Kim, from South Korea, but educated at the New England Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music, will sing Zerlina in Don Giovanni. Balancing all the dog talk at the event, Kim spoke passionately about her cat, now too old to travel from Korea.
Tenor Chong Wang, from China, surprised and delighted the audience by saying that his favorite dish is eggs and tomato. He's also interested in photography and basketball, and will participate in the Schwabacher Summer Concert, sing Goro in Madama Butterfly, and Don José in Carmen.
Baritone Edward Nelson, from Santa Clarita, had the harrowing and most valuable experience of assisting choreographer Mark Morris (a genius with a temper) when Morris directed a double bill of Britten's Curlew River and his own dance adaptation of Purcell's 1689 Dido and Aeneas. Nelson will sing the title role of Don Giovanni in the Merola staging.
Bass Scott Russell, from Virginia, has the voice and towering appearance befitting The Commendatore of Don Giovanni, and that's just what he will sing in the program. He switched from pre-med to singing, and his interests include food, craft beer, sports, and — really! — dog psychology. Russell denies that he is a "dog whisperer," but the way he talks about dogs indicates a close connection.
Bass-baritone Rhys Lloyd Talbot, scheduled for singing Masetto in Don Giovanni, minced no words about his long-term ambition: Wotan! Meanwhile, his interests include vinyl records, James Bond, exercise and nutrition, "vintage clothing and ... bartending."
Baritone Thomas Gunther, from Iowa, scheduled to sing Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire entertained the gathering with a demonstration of all three basic styles of Tuvan throat singing — khoomei, kargyraa, and sygyt. There was no audience participation, so I couldn't warn him about overdoing it, which can be hell on vocal cords.