Now in its 57th year, the Merola Opera Program has produced hundreds of alumni, with scores of world-famous singers among them. As the program grew and inspired similar advanced training projects around the country, it became a rich and complex enterprise requiring some basic pointers about how it works.
Founded by San Francisco Opera's legendary general director, Kurt Herbert Adler, in honor of his predecessor and founder of the company, Gaetano Merola, the program has been a fiscally and administratively independent organization, but works closely, and uses the facilities, of the Opera.
With a $2.8 million projected operating budget for 2014, Merola holds regional auditions, provides two dozen young artists selected with travel expenses, housing, a stipend, individual coaching and training, performance opportunities, and a chance to become members of the important Adler Fellowship, a kind of "graduate course" beyond Merola.
Additionally, there is now Merola's Career Grants, which supports its alumni at the start of their career for five years. The young artists can apply for grants to fund specific role coaching, intensive language lessons, audition travel and preparation, lessons and more.
Within recent months, for example, Ao Li won the Operalia Competition and Nadine Sierra won the Monserrat Caballe International competition in Spain. Both had career grants to participate in the preliminaries of the competition. Leah Crocetto had a career grant for the Belvedere Competition, voice lessons, coachings; David Lomeli voice lessons and Institute of Vocal Arts in Tel Aviv expenses.
The class of 2014 has been selected from among 900 applicants worldwide. Twenty-three singers, five apprentice coaches and one apprentice stage director — coming from 10 countries — will participate in the program from June 2 through Aug. 17.
The main purpose of the program, of course, is to provide advanced training to young artists in every aspect of performance, but for Bay Area opera fans, there are many advantages as well, through two categories of participation.
First, there are public performances, including fully staged operas and recitals, for ticket information see the Merola website. Then, for supporting members of Merola, there is a wide variety of special events, depending on the membership level.
These are the public performances:
* André Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire, at 7:30 p.m. July 10 and 2 p.m. July 12, Everett Auditorium, 450 Church St. A new orchestral reduction by Peter Grunberg; Mark Morash, conductor; Jose Maria Condemi, stage director. In English with English supertitles. Tickets: $15 (for students, available an hour before performance) to $60.
* Schwabacher Summer Concert, 7:30 p.m. July 17, Everett Auditorium; 2 p.m. July 19, free concert at Yerba Buena Gardens (Mission Street between Third and Fourth Streets). Tickets for July 17: $15 (students) to $40.
* Mozart's Don Giovanni, 7:30 p.m. July 31 and 2 p.m. Aug. 2, Everett Auditorium. Martn Katz, conductor; James Darrah, stage director. In Italian with English supertitles. Tickets: $15 (students) to $60.
Photo by Robert Nowell
* Merola Grand Finale, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16, War Memorial Opera House. Ari Peltro, conductor; Merola Program member Omer Ben Seadia, stage director. Tickets: $15 (students) to $45.
Special events, open to members:
* Meet the Merolini, 7 p.m. June 6, S.F. Conservatory of Music.
* Masterclass with Warren Jones, 7 p.m. June 10, Conservatory.
* Masterclass with Jane Eaglen, 7 p.m. June 18, Conservatory.
* Auditions for the General Director, 6:30 p.m. June 22, Opera House.
* Special masterclass with Eric Owens, fund-raiser for Merola, 7 p.m. June 26, Conservatory.
* Day at Merola, 11 a.m.- 6:30 p.m. June 30, in/around Opera House.
* Masterclass with Steve Blier, 7 p.m. July 23, Conservatory.
* Masterclass with Carol Vaness, 7 p.m. Aug. 6, Conservatory.
* Schwabacher Debut Recital auditions, noon to 4 p.m., location to be announced.
Merola faculty also includes Patrick Carfizzi, Eric Weimer, Alessandra Cattani, Deborah Birnbaum, and Chuck Hudson training in voice, foreign languages, operatic repertory, diction, acting, and stage movement.