Photo by Kristen Loken
The gathering of Merolini rivals the return of the swallows to Capistrano as a guaranteed annual big event, but with much more singing. On Friday, 29 young artists from six countries were introduced in the revivified Nourse Auditorium — behold the Merola Class of 2013.
Listing 29 mostly unknown names may not be of much interest, except as a point of reference in the future, when you look back to where opera's big stars came from. Take a look at the alumni list, from 1957 through 2010, and you'll see the point (even with the last two years missing, hopefully to be remedied).
So here they are, the current Merolini, including four returning artists, singers ready for an intensive 11-week training program, as well as apprentice coaches and a stage director who will work for 12 weeks:
Sopranos
Photo by Cory Weaver
Linda Barnett, Greeneville, Tenn.
Aviva Fortunata, Calgary, Alberta, Canada [returns from 2012 program]
Alisa Jordheim, Appleton, Wis.
Jacqueline Piccolino, Palatine, Ill. [returns from 2012 program]
Maria Valdes, Atlanta, Ga.
Mezzo-sopranos
Kate Allen, Dublin, Ireland
Rihab Chaieb, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Daryl Freedman, Philadelphia, Pa.
Katie Hannigan, Newburgh, N.Y.
Zanda Svede, Valmiera, Latvia
Tenors
Casey Finnigan, Austin, Texas
Matthew Newlin, Georgetown, Ill.
Pene Pati, Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand
Issachah Savage, Philadelphia, Pa.
Robert Watson, Kansas City, Mo.
Baritones
Chris Carr, Quasqueton, Iowa
Alex Descocio, Wichita, Kan.
Joseph Lattanzi, Mableton, Ga. [returns from 2012 program]
Efrain Solis, Santa Ana, Calif.
Bass-baritones
John Arnold, Cumming, Ga.
Thomas Richards, Burnsville, N.C.
Rhys Talbot, Cedar Falls, Iowa
David Weigel, Asheville, N.C.
Apprentice Coaches
Timothy Cheung, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [returns from 2011 program]
Noah Lindquist, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Sahar Nouri, Tehran, Iran
Michael Shannon, London, Ontario, Canada
Jeremy Weissman, Culver City, Calif.
Apprentice Stage Director
George Cederquist, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Photo by Kristen Loken
Here are a few interesting facts of note:
- Issachah Savage is a jolly giant, with some big roles under his belt already — Rienzi, Radames, Otello, Canio, and Parsifal (!). He is equally interested in technology and cooking, and collects rare opera recordings.
- Were it not for Anna Netrebko (1996, after appearing with the Kirov in the War Memorial), Jacqueline Piccolino would be the only to claim the title: "From mainstage to Merola." She is in the cast of SFO's current production of The Tales of Hoffmann. The Palestine, Ill., native is also starting her Adler Fellow year early, perhaps the first dual title holder in the program's history. Besides her practical interest in learning Italian, her hobbies include aerial yoga (it's a new one for me), Vietnamese and Korean food (well within my experience and interest).
- Pene Pati is an unusually sunny tenor from New Zealand with an unusual name. In the Schwabacher Summer Concert, he will sing arias and duets from Don Carlo, Lucia di Lammermoor, and L'amico Fritz.
- Conductors participating in the program are Mark Morash, Kevin Murphy, Xian Zhang, and John DeMain.
- Master classes, open to program donors, are with Warren Jones, Jane Eaglen, Martin Katz, John DeMain, Neil Shicoff, and S.F. Opera Center Director of Musical Studies Mark Morash (a Merola participant in 1987).
- Guest teachers include Steven Blier, Patrick Carfizzi, Kevin Murphy, and Eric Weimer.
- The summer's major performances are Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, the Schwabacher Summer Concert, and Merola Grand Finale. For dates, venues, and ticket information, see the Merola website.