Photos by Kristen Loken
Merola's exceptional Class of 2013 will "graduate" on Saturday, at the program's Grand Finale concert in the Opera House. John DeMain conducts, Merola apprentice stage director George Cederquist stages the event. Tickets (does anybody remember when the event was free?) are $25 to $45, $15 for students, at the San Francisco Opera box office.
Likely highlights of the extensive program — 16 selections — are:
Lohengrin (Wagner)
"Mein lieber Schwann"
Lohengrin — Issachah Savage**
Billy Budd (Britten)
"Claggart, John Claggart, beware!"
Captain Vere — Robert Watson
Billy Budd — Alex DeSocio*
John Claggart — Thomas Richards
Manon (Massenet)
"Restons ici … Voyons, Manon … J'ai marqueé l’heure du depart"
Manon — Maria Valdes
Des Grieux — Pene Pati
Luisa Miller (Verdi)
"Il padre tou … Tu punisicmi, o signore … A brani, a brani, o perfido"
Luisa — Jacqueline Piccolino*
Wurm — David Weigel
Sapho (Gounod)
"Où suis-je? ... O ma lyre immortelle"
Sapho — Zanda Švede
La belle Hélène (Offenbach)
"C’est le ciel qui m'envoie"
Hélene — Kate Allen
Paris — Matthew Newlin
Die tote Stadt (Korngold)
"Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen"
Fritz — Chris Carr
Candide (Bernstein)
"Make our garden grow"
Candide — Pene Pati
Cunegonde — Maria Valdes
Old Lady — Kate Allen
Governor — Casey Finnigan
Maximillian — Rhys Talbot
Pangloss — David Weigel
Chorus — Tutti Merolini
Soprano Piccolino, who has already been selected as an Adler Fellow, and with a role on the mainstage under her belt, says of the Merola experience:
It's been a whirlwind of things. Being involved with two programs at once while performing Stella in The Tales of Hoffmann, I really learned how to balance my time and stay level-headed. A lot of our time here in San Francisco is occupied every day by rehearsals, coachings, meetings, fittings, and donor events.There is a lot to learn from all, but the main thing to take away is allowing yourself to experience the demands of a future possible career while maintaining a healthy singing technique and lifestyle. We each learn specific concepts and skills in lessons and coachings but all of these skills are what make up the challenging lifestyle, and Merola is exactly that; preparing us for a demanding career — while still trying to have fun, too.