Due to COVID-19, the annual gathering at Uncle Yu's at the Vineyard in Livermore, California, for the Zheng Cao Merola Endowment Benefit is going to be a livestream virtual event this year. The celebration of Zheng, free to all, is at 6 pm on Zheng's birthday, July 9, 2020 on the Zheng Cao Merola Endowment YouTube Channel. There will be musical performances and remembrances by special guest artists and arts luminaries.
Zheng’s circle of devoted friends and admirers gather each summer with friends, family, colleagues, and fans of Zheng Cao to celebrate her memory with a fund for scholarships for emerging artists in the Merola Opera Program. In 2019, the Zheng Cao Merola Endowment was able to sponsor two Merola singers. We hope to meet or exceed that goal again with your support.
Frederica von Stade is this year's Honorary Chair, and featured artists include mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook ('90), Zheng Cao Merola Scholarship recipient, tenor WooYoung Yoon ('18/'20), Merola alum and former Adler Fellow Ao Li ('10), and cellist Emil Miland, as well as special guest appearances by some of Zheng's nearest and dearest, including Jake Heggie, Amy Tan, and others. Mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi will sing an aria from the new opera, "Zheng" by composer Shinji Eshima and librettist Tony Asaro.
Nicolle Foland, Sara Nealy, and Nick Liang will host this online event. We all will miss seeing each other and sharing memories and love of Zheng in person this summer. We’ll miss our lively auction, and we'll especially miss the delicious wining and dining so graciously prepared for our event each year by Nick Liang and his staff at Uncle Yu's. We hope to see you back there again next summer!