The Merola Opera Program, the San Francisco Opera Center’s famed summer finishing school for singers, coaches, and stage directors, which is run by Sheri Greenawald, has announced its 58th season.
Twenty-three singers, five apprentice coaches, and one apprentice stage director, nine of whom hail from countries outside the U.S., will participate in the program’s 12-week season, which runs from June 8 to August 22.
Some of these artists will go on to become Adler Fellows, and continue their training while appearing in performances on the main stage. They and other graduates of the program will perhaps join the astounding number of Merola alums whose notable careers in opera and art song received a jump-start from the program. (A complete list of the participants follows at the end of this story.)
This year’s Merola Opera Program Summer Festival alternates concerts with operas deserving far more productions than they usually receive. In order:
July 9: The Schwabacher Summer Concert, directed by Roy Rallo and conducted by Valéry Ryvkin, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
July 11: A free repeat of the Schwabacher Summer Concert in the afternoon at Yerba Buena Gardens.
July 23 and 25: A double bill of Menotti’s The Medium and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi in Cowell Theater at Fort Mason. Mark Morash conducts and Peter Kazaras directs.
August 6 and 8: Donizetti’s Don Pasquale in Cowell Theater at Fort Mason. Warren Jones conducts and Nic Muni directs.
August 22: The Merola Grand Finale in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, conducted by Antony Walker and directed by apprentice stage director Mo Zhou.
Tickets go on sale at the San Francisco Opera box office starting May 4.
Training this year’s 29 Merolini are some of the greatest singers and teachers of our time. Guest teachers Richard Battle, Steven Blier, Deborah Birnbaum, Alan Darling, Peter Grunberg, Robin Guarino, Bruce Lamott, Kevin Murphy, Ann Murray, John Parr, and Cesar Ulloa will find their work enhanced by master classes from soprano Jane Eaglen, bass-baritone James Morris, famed accompanists Martin Katz and Malcolm Martineau, and Pittsburgh Opera Music Director/conductor Antony Walker.
Merola members have the opportunity to observe some of these master classes. In addition, the Merola Student ConneXion will provide up to 40 full memberships to Northern California high school juniors and seniors, plus college undergraduate and graduate students. Student memberships include passes to Merola’s productions, master classes and special events. Applications are available at www.merola.org.
The Merolini of 2015:
Sopranos
Kathryn Bowden, Glastonbury, Connecticut
Cree Carrico, Detroit, Michigan
Amina Edris, Christchurch, New Zealand
Madison Leonard, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Meredith Mecum, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Toni Marie Palmertree, Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
Mezzo-sopranos
Raehann Bryce-Davis, Keene, Texas
Tara Curtis, Kansas City, Missouri
Ashley Dixon, Peachtree City, Georgia
Nicole Woodward, Quincy, Florida
Tenors
Christopher Bozeka, Akron, Ohio
Alasdair Kent, Perth, Australia
Soonchan Kwon, Daejeon, South Korea
Michael Papincak, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Baritones
Alex DeSocio, Wichita, Kansas
Sol Jin, Seoul, South Korea
Kihun Yoon, Seoul, South Korea
Bass-baritones
Zachary Elmassian, East Lansing, Michigan
James Ioelu, Auckland, New Zealand
Austin Siebert, Shelbyville, Indiana
Brad Walker, Lake Zurich, Illinois
Basses
Scott Russell, Roanoke, Virginia
Ming Zhao, Kaifeng, China
Apprentice Coaches
Edoardo Barsotti, Lucca, Tuscany, Italy
Robert Bosworth, Fort Worth, Texas
Aaron Breid, Del Mar, California
Samuel Emanuel, New Rochelle, New York
Kirill Kuzmin, Moscow, Russia
Apprentice Stage Director
Mo Zhou, Nanjing, China
For additional information on the program, visit www.merola.org or call (415) 551-6299.