Some of the alumni don’t appear online – I can only find a fleeting reference. Some are carefully hidden. Often, it feels like a treasure hunt for some magically helpful piece of information. I am an extremely thorough google researcher, and I come across a lot of information – not all of it useful.  Sometimes I will search for someone with every different combination of search words I can think of and I will still find nothing. And sometimes I find really interesting things. Often these really interesting things are not the information I am necessarily looking for (i.e. contact information or an up to date schedule) but I thought that this blog would be a good place to share some of the information I have found that doesn’t fit in our alumni records. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but sometimes I feel as though it is my job to remember these singers. I am charged with the task of looking back at their work and seeing that they did something great.

So today, I’d like to tell you about Merola alum  Leona O. Gordon.

Leona O. Gordon was in Merola in 1955, before it was even officially a program the way it is now. This means Leona O. Gordon is not even listed on our alumni website, but she is in our records. While searching for her, one of the first things that popped up was this amazing video, crediting her as the voice of Tuptim in film version of The King and I:

http://www.rnh.com/videos.html?video=187&gallery=136&gpg=2&vpg=2

As a self-confessed musical theatre nerd, I had always wondered if Rita Morena did her own singing in The King and I, and here at last was the answer – and a Merola connection! Interestingly, according to amazon.com information about the soundtrack, Rita sings “My Lord and Master” (Tuptim’s solo) while Leona Gordon sings Tuptim’s two duets, “We Kiss in a Shadow” and “I Have Dreamed.”  (Perhaps Rita Morena was not a talented enough musician to sing with another person?) In the end “My Lord and Master” and “I Have Dreamed” ended up being cut from the movie, thus ensuring that Leona Gordon was the only one to sing the role in the film.

On a sadder note, it seems that Leona O. Gordon passed away at the age of 49 from cancer (according to a family website that I also came across in my google searching).

So here’s to Leona Gordon. We are all proud to call her a Merola alum! Here are a few amazing vintage ads featuring her that I also found in my extensive searching (if you love that second image, you can buy the original on ebay by clicking on it… you’re welcome):

Rare is the opera that features arias about cell phones or computers (although if one exists, feel free to share it with me in the comments section because I would be very interested in seeing that). Part of the charm of opera is this escape to another time. Opera deals with timeless emotions – emotions that don’t need constant reinterpretation or revision to be relevant today. Opera concerns itself with eternal quests for love or power, no technology required. And opera is not known for being a rapidly changing art form. Even with the surge of new operas being written every day (some of which I have seen and loved), opera lovers keep coming back to the classics. Sometimes the classics have been given a face-lift with new costumes or new sets or a new concept, but the heart of the piece is the same – touching people the same way it has for hundreds of years.

So, basically, opera and technology don’t seem like a perfect fit.

And yet, for being as “in the past” as one might imagine opera to be, it is amazing how important technology is behind the scenes. This includes everything from the facebook page of an Opera company that informs me that tonight is the last night I can see Don Pasquale to the supertitles that help people like me (who are not fluent in any other languages) follow along when the opera is in German. Even the sets are becoming more and more dependent on technology, from the stunning projections that made SFO’s productions of Moby Dick and the Ring Cycle so stunning, to the technology that runs the light-board. In an age where arts organizations never seem have enough money for the lavish sets of the past, technology steps in and helps to create cost-effective visual impact. And now people all over the country and the world can view live HD broadcasts of their favorite operas – technology helping to bring opera to the masses.

I spend my days updating and looking at the Merola facebook page, trying to reach out to our alumni. Every day we let our facebook and twitter followers know where they can see alums onstage – and we connect with our fans and alumni all around the world in an instant. We adore it when opera singers have facebook pages and twitter accounts, so that we can tag them in our own posts and reach out to their fan base. We like to explore the pages of our alums to see what they are up to and share it with our own fan base. We love when opera companies have facebook pages so that we can connect with our colleagues and help promote each other’s shows. We learn about new productions on twitter and read the blogs of our alumni and other companies to see what’s happening right now in the world of opera.

For an art form that has a reputation for being “outdated,” the opera community is surprisingly plugged-in. And I think it’s pretty great that technology is letting a bunch of opera lovers find their way to the Opera House. And it’s crucial. With the current generation (myself included) “plugged-in” 24/7, we need to find ways to keep opera in the social media sphere. Merola is lucky to have passionate tech-savvy alumni who help us stay in the loop, but arts organizations everywhere are stepping up to the keyboard and getting their message out there.

Sure there are some challenges, some compatibility issues (how on Earth do you merge Opera and Pinterest? I’m still not sure) but I’m finding that I’m in favor of all this technology.  I’m in favor of anything that helps get people to the theatre so that they can finally (blissfully) unplug and spend some time watching art happen, right in front of them.

Q: What is the most important thing you recommend doing to prepare for the Merola Opera Program audition process?

A: It’s funny you should ask. I had been a tenor for only six weeks when I auditioned for Merola. I had all new repertoire, and a new technique was budding so I was in a very new place. However, I would say that what I did applies for all singers and for all auditions. I think the best piece of advice I can give anyone is to walk into an audition thinking to oneself, “This is going to be great.  I am going give the best performance I can in this moment and I’m going to have fun.” People put too much pressure on themselves to give the audition panel what they want when, in reality, we never know what they want specifically, and we may never know. So, have your 5 arias ready, and give them a performance like there is an orchestra playing, and let them see why you love to do what you can do.  Be satisfied with the place you are in, always wanting to be better, and then learn from each audition.

Q: You were amazing in Tosca this fall! Congratulations!  You held your own very well with the two other leads who have 20 years more experience than you on the stage. How was it working with them, and what did you learn from them?

A: Thank you very much! I had a blast working with all of my castmates. Pat [Racette], Mark [Delavan], Dale [Travis], Christian [Van Horn] and Joel [Sorenson]‘s experience in the business meant that they all had so much to offer. (Note from Merola: Racette, Delavan and Travis are also Merola alumni). In truth, it is nice to see such artistry unfold and to observe how each of them goes about working in a production. All of the artists, including the ones my own age or younger, were incredibly supportive of the moment I was having in my career. Every night I felt like they were cheering me on, as I cheered them on as well. Pat and Mark really took me under their wings and taught me how to enjoy the moments even more.

Q:  How did the production of Tosca at SFO compare to your success in Tosca at Santa Fe Opera this summer?

A: My experience in Santa Fe was very different than it was in San Francisco. In Santa Fe, I was doing a role for the first time, with a week’s notice, and having had no rehearsals. I was lucky to have the opportunity to step in and give the role a chance to settle. Arriving in San Francisco with that kind of experience really gave me much more confidence and self assuredness that I could sing in a leading role in a house of that stature.

Q: I saw a picture of your dog on Facebook and he’s ADORABLE – would you share another photo?

A: My boy Cav is SO sweet.  My road companion and confidant. He’s a Cavalier King Charles spaniel – Shih Tzu mix, called a Cava-Tzu.

Q: What is the best part of being an opera singer?

A:  HA. I love this question. What is the best part.. hmmm… There are so many great and different parts to being an opera singer. I think getting to be someone else for a few hours every once in a while is a real joy, and I get to do that with the roles I play.

Q: What is the hardest part of being an opera singer?

A: I’d say the hardest part of being an opera singer is the constant travel. While I love seeing many places around the world, it is hard to form a stable personal life. When you are constantly in motion, it’s tough to form strong bonds with people.  Just when you are getting to know them, you’re leaving.

Q: What are some roles you hope to sing someday and/ or currently enjoy performing the most? (Explain).

A: I like that I perform an array of roles.  Whether it’s the romantic hero like Cavaradossi or Rodolfo, or the passionate but crazy Don José, or the cad Pinkerton, or the obsessive lover Werther, all of them offer me something.  I try and find the differences and similarities between them and myself, and dig deep to really be them on stage. I love that.

Q: What is your favorite thing about the San Francisco/the Bay Area?

A: The Bay Area has become my home away from home. Being from NY and loving NYC as much as I do, SF offers me a different type of working experience. I always think of SF as a much more laid back environment, where just as much gets done as in NY, but in a calmer way.

Q: What was the most important thing you got out of your summer at Merola?

A: I learned a lot about myself and others in Merola. In the end, we all get where we are supposed to go.I was lucky enough to become an Adler because of the work I did that summer, something I never expected to happen. It just goes to show you that anything is possible.

Q: Out of all the characters you’ve ever sung, which can you relate to most?

A: I feel a really strong connection to all of my roles. In my life I have been naive at times, I have been the hero, I have been in fights, I have been obsessed, and I have been in love, to some degree or other. Sometimes these roles are just exaggerated versions of myself at a different time in my life.

I think right now I relate the most to Cavaradossi for his ability to be there for those he loves, and his genuine character and his strength in tough moments.

I am really grateful to these characters for showing me different sides of myself, and for helping define more and more who I want to be.  Though they are somewhat fantastical, there is something to be drawn from every experience in life and on the stage.

I admit, I’m partial to these frenzied months. Maybe it’s because my own birthday falls in September, kicking off a whole season of family and food (inextricably linked in my family’s case). Or maybe it’s because I love the cooler temperatures and the holiday lights. Perhaps its the feelings of optimism for the new year that begin to bubble up sometime in December. Or perhaps it’s the spirit of giving and togetherness that slowly builds as the leaves start to change. Whatever the reason, I love it all.

The wonderful thing about Merola (aside from the fantastic Merolini) is that the spirit of giving and togetherness that I love so much about this season seems to be present here year round. The Merola staff is small, but mighty. This is a group of people that cares deeply about Merola’s mission, a group of people who gets genuinely excited when they read great reviews of Merola alums (which happens all the time). A group that discusses the Spring Benefit invitation design in our off-hours and often run into each other at events featuring Merolini, both in San Francisco and beyond. A group that works tirelessly to welcome the exceedingly talented Merolini every summer and a group that continues to support them long after they leave San Francisco. The holidays are a wonderful time to relfect on how lucky I am to work with these fantatstic people and a time to get excited about the year to come.

Whatever your own holiday traditions, I hope that you also have a chance to bask in the feelings of togetherness, warmth and family that permeate this season. The Merola staff (and Board) are so thankful every year for our members, supporters, friends and alumni who make up our extended Merola family.  We look forward to another fantastic year of music!

Hello from Berlin! I am spending this season working and training in Germany with the support of a Fulbright Grant. The core of my grant project here is working as a Regiehospitantin [directing apprentice] at the Komische Oper, Deutsche Oper, Oper Frankfurt, and Oper Stuttgart, where I have the opportunity to work alongside four directors with contrasting aesthetic approaches at four very different opera houses.

My first production, Die Zauberflöte at the Komische Oper, opened this past Sunday. The company was founded in 1947 by the groundbreaking stage director Walter Felsenstein, whose mission was to create productions that were immediate to his contemporary audience: operas were (and are) performed in an intimate setting, in the German language, and with a visual vocabulary that spoke to the contemporary world. The opera house Felsenstein appropriated was originally built to produce operettas (including Lehár’s Die Lustige Witwe, which was featured in last summer’s Grand Finale) and was once one of Berlin’s most celebrated revue halls. Today, the Komische Oper manages the difficult balancing act of sustaining one of the most important artistic traditions in the German opera world and challenging aesthetic traditions – including its own.

For that reason, this production offered an especially interesting introduction to the German system. As I learned from one of the stage technicians, every Intendant has directed a production of Die Zauberflöte during his tenure at the Komische Oper, and each interpretation emblematized that moment in the company’s history and in the evolution of its artistic tradition (my colleague, who has served as a stage technician at the Komische Oper his entire career, has worked on every Intendant’s Zauberflöte).

Australian stage director Barrie Kosky, who was recently appointed Intendant, teamed up with the British animation artists “1927” to create a Zauberflöte in the style of Weimar silent film. To bring into focus a work that is deeply engrained in Berlin’s psyche, the production expresses the characters through archetypes familiar to the Berlin collective unconscious: Monostatos as Nosferatu, Pamina and Tamino as Maria and Freder from Metropolis, etc. To my mind, the production poses some very potent questions about the relationship between the social revolutions that took place in the 1920s and the state of German society today as well as offers a latent critique of how postwar German culture in both the East and West responded to the legacy of the Weimar era.

Performing an opera as a film entailed some formidable challenges for the cast. The set consisted of a white wall two stories high (and, from the top level when singers would look down to see the maestro, three stories from the pit!). When performing on the top level, singers were strapped into harnesses with car seatbelts, buckled into their revolving doors, and swung out to face the audience just before their vocal entrances. The platforms they stood on were semicircles just big enough for their feet. On both levels, the animation required the singers to time all their action with the video, which they usually could not see. In addition to memorizing the video playing behind them, they also worked closely with a choreographer to express their action through the intricate movement vocabulary of German silent film. On the other hand, they were relieved of performing any of the dialogue, as the text was projected behind them with piano underscoring excerpted from Mozart’s sonata repertoire.

My next project is David Alden’s Peter Grimes at the Deutsche Oper, which begins next month. Naturally, I am very grateful for my experience as the Apprentice Stage Director at Merola last summer, which has prepared me well to tackle these four apprenticeships. I’m equally grateful for the very generous network of expats here in Germany, including Merolini Beau Gibson, Thomas Florio and Adam Cioffari, all of whom are having great success here!

Jennifer Williams during her Merola summer.

For me, Brandon Jovanovich’s portrayal of Lohengrin was one of the highlights of the evening and the chorus and the orchestra were also absolutely outstanding. I’ve become so used to musical theatre (where small combos in the pit are the norm) that a live orchestra and a large, full chorus made all the difference in the world. And I absolutely loved in the middle of Act II and the middle of Act III when the trumpets were played from the left and right sides of the house as the set was changing. At first I thought to myself, “Oh, that’s a very nice pre-recorded trumpet sound effect.” And then at some point I realized that this was the opera and that they were real instruments. For a music lover like me, that was as magical as the grandeur of the opera itself.

I’m not exactly a stranger to Wagner. In my musical theatre classes, we studied Wagner because of his popularization of the leitmotif, but I hadn’t had the chance to really listen to Wagner’s operas before. It was exciting to hear the leitmotif at work in an opera – the art form which inspired it. At the end of Act II, things were going well for our protagonists – they seemed happy enough, and, even though I had read the plot synopsis, I had high hopes for a happy ending. But then I heard the menacing presence of leitmotif, a melody I had started noticing when Ortrud took over the storyline at the beginning of Act II. So I looked for her, without even thinking about it, because the music told me to. And then I saw her, ominously perched, overlooking the scene. And I thought to myself, “Yes, that is how a leitmotif works.”

This would not be the Merola blog if I did not mention the lovely performances of the Merolini: Nathaniel Peake (Merola ’08 & ’09), Joo Won Kang (’11) and Ryan Kuster (’10) all did an excellent job in their roles as nobles.  They served an interesting purpose in the story, since they seemed to have the only dissenting opinions in the piece and helped to flesh out the action. They all sang beautifully and conveyed what was happening with great skill.

Perhaps this is not surprising to seasoned opera goers, but it was amazing to me that the people sitting around me were so riveted. I know opera goers are used to long operas, but I was impressed at the stamina of the entire audience. I, for one, love long pieces of art, but I’m always hearing about the ever decreasing attention span of the average person. And yet Wagner had the whole opera house enraptured. The most amazing thing about Lohengrin was that even though, rationally, I knew it was a long evening of opera, it did not feel like it was long at all. Everything felt like it took just the right amount of time. When it was over, I was slightly disappointed as I would happily have stayed longer.

First of all, thank you to everyone who has helped and supported me at Merola. Last summer was one of the best in my life! And Merola continues to inspire me to great things, such as a (drum roll, please) …………..trip to Italia!

When I arrived back to Cincinnati after Merola, I told my coach, Mark Gibson, about the career grants available to me. The first words out of his mouth were, “Go to Italia and get fluent.” He sugguested a small school named Kione in a small town named Lucca. The reasoning in choosing Lucca as opposed to Florence or Roma being that, in a small city, few people speak English and in a big city, many people speak English. Also, Lucca is very famous because Giacomo Puccini was born here. Going to the museum was the first thing I did upon arriving. I saw the room where he was born, the piano on which he composed Turandot and countless other historical scores, pictures and letters. What an amazing experience!

Anyway, the city is a walled city and very small. The people are very kind, but again, very few speak English, including my hosts. BENISSIMO! Mila and Bruno, a married couple, are so kind. When I was chosing my living arrangements, I had no idea how important it would be to stay with a family. It is where I get to practice what I learned that day. I have dinner with them every night, which lasts about three hours, and we talk about what I learned, where I went and what I did. They are so patient and kind and love to help me understand the language better. (It helps that she is a teacher at the local school and knows to speak very slow for me)

I chose the “intensive course” which means I have group lessons for three and a half hours in the morning in a group (which is only one other person) and in the afternoon, I have a private session for two hours. My group instructor is Lorenzo, who is also an agent in Italia so we have a grand time talking music. In the afternoon for my private lessons, Elena is my instructor. There are also field trips set up for us. On my second day, after my classes, an instructor took us on a tour of the city walls by foot. What an amazing sunset we saw! Today, we will go by car outside the city and check out the local sites!

I am having a blast and am so thankful to Merola for making this possible! More updates to follow!

Baci Mille,

Jennifer Cherest

Jennifer Cherest during her Merola summer.

My job was to sit by the door of the open staging rehearsal of La finta giardiniera and to monitor the number of people in the room. The staging rehearsal was fascinating to watch. It felt like sitting in on any blocking rehearsal for a play until the performers opened their mouths! Their beautiful voices took me off guard and I was continuously awed and surprised by their voices.

A scene from "La finta giardiniera"

I was interested in the staging process in which specific musical moments were used to cue the performers. Probably this is not new to anyone in the opera world, but I was very interested to learn how it was done, or at least to watch it happen. Even in musicals, specific musical cues are not usually the impetus for movement or action; musical theatre actors tend to take their cues from the lyrics or the action on stage. But it was clear to me that the music is integral in opera in a way that is completely different than musical theatre. It becomes another character in the scene.

 Although there were some major differences between opera staging and the theatre staging rehearsals I’m used to, it was also fascinating to see the similarities. It was intriguing to see the emphasis on acting and I could really relate to the way that Nic Muni talked to the performers about what was happening with their characters. I know that Merola puts a special emphasis on acting in their program, and it was especially fascinating to see that emphasis at work. So far everything I have seen of opera I find engaging and I am eager to learn more. Perhaps because of my background, I find looking at how it differs from theatre to be especially interesting. And as a history major and a French speaker, it seems like opera will offer me even more chances to combine all of my passions as I continue to delve deeper into the opera world.

 All and all it was a very enlightening day and I was glad to be able to spend my own Day at Merola. And most of all, I am thrilled that I will have even more chances to see behind the scenes at Merola as an intern.

 But seriously, how did this summer pass so quickly? I’ll be the first to say it: it seems like only yesterday that we learned of Joshua’s Lego painting hobby and Aviva’s Lucha Libre craftiness. Now, with 5 masterclasses, two operas, and one awesome scenes concert under their belts, the Merolini have come so far. And I think, in many ways, so have I.

Looking back, there were lessons to be learned in every performance. Warren Jones taught me to strive for excellence even when you are surrounded by average. The Schwabacher Summer Concert taught me that the devil finds work for idle hands and shows up when you least expect him to show up. Postcard taught me that sometimes it’s important just to let the story do what it wants and not to try to force it into a chronology. Steven Blier taught me to find the magic in simplicity. Finta taught me never to travel to Lagonero. And Martin Katz taught me that not every artist needs to be a tortured one: happiness and joy are just as important to the craft as a good work ethic. I can’t ignore the tokens that these gifted artists gave to all of us.   

Still, I find myself with mixed feelings: excited about their enormous accomplishments and my own personal growth this summer and sad about saying goodbye to their presence and gifts. But with the Grand Finale swiftly approaching, I guess I’ll settle for pure excitement.

Warren Jones coaches Chuanyue Wang and Elena Lacheva

 Let’s be honest, the vast majority of opera goers (myself included) attend every opera with the aural expectation of memorable melodies, the mental preparation for a linear plot. It’s not our fault. Starting in the 19^th century, opera houses began taking past Mozart and Handel masterpieces out of the vaults for encore performances. Slowly, audiences began to expect opera revivals rather than premieres, and the output (and acceptance) of new works significantly diminished. As audience members we want to sit back in our chairs and let the musicians and long-dead composers do the work for us. Stuck in the Romantic mold, we grade our experiences using a Romantic Report Card.

The cast of "Postcard from Morocco"

 Postcard gets an F on this “Romantic Report Card”. No sopranos are sacrificed and no tenors sing “seven high C’s!!!!!”. Still, in my opinion, Postcard from Morocco is a masterpiece. Argento demands exceeding mental lucidity and aural flexibility from us as an audience, two switches we rarely turn on for a musical performance. Its themes of anxious consumerism and modern materialism, underscored by its hectic harmonic scheme, are acutely relevant even 40 years after its first performance. It sheds a virgin light on the seedy underbelly of our subconscious, and it makes us feel uncomfortable. Postcard was to the future of opera as Invisible Man was to the future of African American literature. We needed Postcard. How else would we have reached Moby Dick?  

I can’t say that I “got” everything that was going on the first time around, but that’s what second performances are for, right?

Andrew Stenson, Matthew Scollin and Joseph Lattanzi in "Postcard from Morocco"

Postcard from Morocco has performances Thursday July 19 at 8:00 pm and Saturday, July 21 at 2:00 pm at the Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason.  To buy tickets click here.