Merola Opera Program
Merola Opera Program is a San Francisco training program for opera singers, coaches, and stage directors.
Merola Opera Program
Merola Opera Program is the San Francisco Opera's training and performance program for promising young artists. Named for San Francisco Opera's first general director, Gaetano Merola, the Merola Opera Program began during the 1954-55 season and established its full training program in 1957.
Merola has served as a proving ground for hundreds of artists, including Brian Asawa, Duane Clenton Carter (baritone), Mark Delavan, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Bryan Hymel, Gary Lakes, Marie-Adele McArthur, Sylvia McNair, Anna Netrebko, Patricia Racette, Kurt Streit, Fernando del valle, Patrick Summers, Ruth Ann Swenson, Jess Thomas, Ricardo Bernal, Carol Vaness, Rolando Villazón, Deborah Voigt, and Dolora Zajick.
The Program annually offers approximately 30 artists the opportunity of studying, coaching, and participating in master classes with established professionals for twelve weeks during the summer. Participants also perform in two complete opera productions with orchestra and the Schwabacher Summer Concert. The program incorporates intensive training in operatic repertory languages, diction, acting and movement and culminates with the Merola Grand Finale, a concert with full orchestra at the War Memorial Opera House. Merola also enables young coaches, accompanists and stage directors of exceptional talent to develop skills through the apprentice coach and stage director programs. The Merola Opera Program is a financially independent organization that operates in collaboration with the San Francisco Opera Center and San Francisco Opera.
The Merola Opera Program is free to its artists and is supported by contributions of individuals and institutions. The program covers the artists' travel, housing, weekly stipends and all training expenses.
History
The program began more than fifty years ago. On August 30, 1953, San Francisco Opera founder and first General Director, Gaetano Merola, died at Stern Grove while conducting a young American singer in "Un bel di" from Madama Butterfly. Maestro Merola wanted to provide young American singers opportunities as little formal training was available in the United States at the time and scant audition opportunities existed on the west coast. This prompted Mrs. Leland Atherton Irish of the Opera Guild of Southern California to ask the new San Francisco Opera General Director, Kurt Herbert Adler, why young western singers had to go to New York to audition.[1]
The Merola Memorial Fund was used to underwrite the San Francisco Opera Debut Auditions, professional auditions for singers from the western United States. The first regional auditions were held in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. Two hundred thirty-seven young singers applied and two hundred twelve were auditioned. Fifteen singers advanced to the semi-finals, on June 2, 1954. The eight finalists went on to the first San Francisco Opera Debut Auditions which took place at KNBC studios on June 13 and were broadest over KNBC.
All historical content excerpted from.[2]
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Coordinates: 37°46′43″N 122°25′16″W / 37.77861°N 122.42111°W