0 Comments You can still get great seats to the fabulous Merola Grand Finale on Saturday, August 20th at 7:30pm. The summer 2011 artists will be appearing on the main stage of the War Memorial Opera House, performing a wide variety of opera scenes. BUY YOUR TICKETS!
2011 Merola Grand Finale Program:
You can still buy tickets to come and see the Schwabacher Summer Concert — directed by Peter Kazaras and conducted by Robert Wood — on Friday, July 22 at 7:30 pm at the Herbst Theatre. Just go to http://sfopera.com/tickets/allproductions.aspx.
Schwabacher Summer Concert 2011 Program:
We are so excited for master teacher Matthew Epstein to take the stage with four of our 2011 Merolini tonight at the Herbst Theatre for the annual Merola Bring-A-Friend master class followed by a sparkling wine reception with huge, yummy cookies (I sampled a toffee one, and it was delish)! Here’s the program for tonight:
Hamburg is official for Merola graduate Thomas Florio (class of 2010)! Florio will enter into a two-year contract with the Internationales Opernstudio from September 2011 to July 2013. Look for his information later this year at http://www.hamburgische-staatsoper.de/de/1_staatsoper/oper/opernstudio/index.php. Of the seven-member ensemble, there was a single opening available. Fortuitously for the talented Florio, that opening was for a baritone or bass-baritone! Hence, Florio will be the only new member for the 2011-2012 season. His upcoming roles assignments will be:
April 2011
Dear City Lights and Bright Stars Guests,
They come from all over the world. Humble backgrounds and privileged homes. Someone heard them sing at some point. Maybe sixth grade choir or a school musical. Somewhere that untrained voice found expression and there was something special—tone, pitch or the ability to beautifully carry a melody. Then the training started and the hours upon hours of scales, reading music, learning languages, and singing over and over and over again. The bestteachers told them that they had to be themselves. On the stage they must be totally authentic—everyone can tell. They must treasure and respect their unique talents and bask in the privilege of bringing joy to thousands of people in the audience. Read more »
A Merola Opera Program event in the winter? Yes! On Tuesday, March 1, Merola is hosting a bring-a-friend special event that takes you behind the scenes of the casting process. You can come if you are a Merola member provided you have a nonmember guest tag along with you (hence the name, bring-a-friend). Haven’t renewed your membership yet? Easy, just go to www.merola.org/join to get back on board for this event (and for a super fun Merola summer coming up soon!)
We are delighted to announce that a brilliant Wotan of our day, Mark Delavan (Merola ’85), will appear at Merola’s Spring Benefit this Saturday, May 15. Mr. Delavan is in San Francisco preparing for his performances in Die Walküre. Previously scheduled to appear at the Spring Benefit, John Relyea (Merola ‘95), with regret, was forced to withdraw due to a temporary health issue; however, he is fully expected to recover in time for his role as Méphistophélès in San Francisco Opera’s production of Faust.
With great pleasure, we confirm that Merola Alums Patricia Racette and Mark Morash will appear as scheduled at our Benefit/Gala on Saturday.
It is probably safe to claim that Merola’s first foray into an off-season bring-a-friend event was a resounding success, as our guests from the San Francisco Opera Center staged an insider’s look at the Merola audition process. A steady stream of people filled Herbst Theatre last night—I set my coat down to save my place in a nearly empty theater and minutes later every seat seemed to be filled, with a buzz beginning to build as well as the sudden and unexpected need for air conditioning. Read more »
SAN FRANCISCO – I met my twin sister in the confessional at the Irish Bank bar yesterday, where she and her Deschutes Brewery of Bend, Oregon, clients were meeting with beer-interested Bay area press. I snuck away from the Opera to be regaled by Larry the Brewmaster with tales of hops, brewery waste processes, Alaskan fishing, and anticipation of a late fall stout. As I slowly slid down the hard wooden bench (packing five or six people in a space originally meant for only a priest and a guilty parishioner isn’t recommended) the question of pairing beers with wild mushrooms came up—this apparently being a peak year for wild mushrooms. I began to wonder about beer pairings with a higher form of culture (and my place of employment). Could beer and opera form a match made in heaven? Read more »
