The Opera Tattler

Opera in the Park 2010

* Notes *
San Francisco Opera's 37th Opera in the Park event was Nicola Luisotti's second as music director. The performance is entertaining every year, and this was no exception. The afternoon began with the overture to Le Nozze di Figaro, and gave us a preview of how this will sound when the latest revival opens on Tuesday September 21st. In keeping with this, Michèle Losier sang Cherubino's "Non so più," followed by Luca Pisaroni in "Non più andrai," and Danielle de Niese in "Giunse alfin il momento...Deh, vieni, non tardar." Dolora Zajick sang "La luce langue" from Macbeth stridently and Brian Mulligan sang "Avant de quitter ces lieux" from Faust sweetly. Marco Vratogna sang the Act III aria "Nemico della Patria" from Andrea Chénier, which David Gockley says we will hear soon enough at the War Memorial. "Pourquoi me réveiller" from Werther was sung by Ramón Vargas, and this opera opens for the first time in perhaps 25 years at SF Opera on Wednesday. The first half closed with David Lomelí, Leah Crocetto, Heidi Stober, and Brian Mulligan singing the famous quartet from Rigoletto, "Un di se ben rammentomi...Bella figlia dell'amore."

I had to leave at intermission, but I did hear the rehearsal of this performance earlier in the day. The second half started with the overture to Il barbiere di Siviglia, followed by Lucas Meachem in the famous "Largo al factotum." One does look forward to his Count in Le Nozze di Figaro and his fellow cast members Luca Pisaroni and Danielle de Niese, who sang "Là ci darem la mano." David Lomelí performed "La donna è mobile." Then there was much Puccini with Micaela Carosi singing "Vissi d'Arte," Leah Crocetto and Brian Jadge "Bimba, dagli occhi pieni," and Marcello Giordani in "Nessun Dorma." The performance ended with the usual "Libiamo ne'lieti calici" from La Traviata. I believe the encore must have been "O Sole Mio," sung by David Lomelí, Brian Jadge, Ramón Vargas, and Marcello Giordani.

* Tattling * 
The day started off rather foggy and cold, and the Maestro wore his white sweater instead of having it draped in his normal fashion. The Maestro sang a respectable "Non più andrai," whilst rehearsing the orchestra. The sun did come out, and I was able to convince Axel Feldheim to come to the park and sing the National Anthem with me for the second time in 24 hours.

General Director David Gockley was in his usual spot on stage much of the time and introduced groups of pieces. He inadvertently skipped over the two Mozart pieces after Cherubino's aria, and Luisotti teasingly said that Gockley "didn't know the season."

2011 Adler Fellows

The incoming 2011 Adler Fellows are Nadine Sierra, Daniel Montenegro, Ao Li, Ryan Kuster, and David Hanlon. They join current Adlers Leah Crocetto, Susannah Biller, Sara Gartland, Maya Lahyani, Ryan Belongie, Brian Jadge, and Tamara Sanikidze. Outgoing 2010 Adler Fellows are tenor David Lomelí, baritone Austin Kness, and apprentice coach Allen Perriello.

Press Release [PDF] | Official Site

David Lomelí Interview

Tenor David Lomelí (pictured left) is finishing up as an Adler at San Francisco Opera this Fall by covering the title role of Werther and singing the Messenger in Aida. He sings Edgardo in Pittsburgh Opera's Lucia die Lammermoor this November, Alfredo at Deutsche Oper Berlin in December, Nemorino at New York City Opera in March and April, Macduff in Lille next May, and finishes the season in Santa Fe with La Bohème. The Opera Tattler caught up with Lomelí after singing his last Werther rehearsal.

How is your class at Merola doing?
We all are working, as you know, Renée Tatum is at the Met and Leah Crocetto is here as an Adler. As far as everyone that was in Don Giovanni with me: Austin Kness is also here, Rena Harms sang at Wolftrap this Summer, Amanda Majeski is at Lyric and sings at Santa Fe next year, Carlos Monzón sang at Wolf Trap and Florida Grand Opera, Ben Wager sang at Los Angeles Opera, Adam Cioffari just finished at Houston, and Joélle Harvey was at Glimmerglass.

Tell me about covering a role and what that involves.
Covering a role is bittersweet. The sweet part is that it can be beautiful, you get to work with a professional team, the conductor gives you notes, and the music preparation here is great. You get to learn the role, be in the house, and be ready to go on. You definitely learn a lot. The bitter part is that as a performer, you want to go on. Like for Werther, I've had a month of pretty much singing it every day, because I just performed it in Tel Aviv with Maya Layhani and Austin Kness. Today was my last rehearsal before Ramón Vargas comes, so it will be hard to be back on the bench, not singing. Though I am looking forward to meeting Ramón Vargas and asking him how he preserves his voice. He is so amazing!

Do you generally read the source texts concerning a role? Have you read The Sorrows of Young Werther?
We are basically required to read the source texts for the roles we sing as Adlers. They really make us prepare.

What do think of Herr Werther?
The part is beautiful, a dream tenor role. There are 5 arias, and you get to be a drama queen. There is a huge range of emotions explored: happiness, sadness, insanity, delusion, and then you get to kill yourself and sing about it for 30 more minutes. I really hope to sing it again really soon, but don't have it scheduled in the next 4 years.

So you were the first-prize winner in Plácido Domingo's 2006 Operalia and the first singer ever to win both the opera and zarzuela divisions. Tell me about zarzuela.
Zarzuela is pretty much only championed by Plácido and some companies in Spain. For the baritone you need a big range, for the tenor a beefy middle. The sopranos need to be chirpy and the mezzos need a lot of color. It is a bit like the musical. Everything is rubato. I love singing this music, but not that many conductors have experience with it. If I even become a fourth as famous as Plácido, I would love to do zarzuela. It is the music I have known all my life.

When were you in the Los Angeles Opera's Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program? How did you get in?
I was in the first year of the program, in starting in August of 2006 until May of 2008. My voice teacher, César Ulloa, sent me and Eleazar Rodríguez to audition for Plácido in New York.

How was singing at the Verdi Requiem in LA and Berlin?
I got the LA Phil performance because Villazón canceled Hoffman at the Met, and Calleja canceled on LA Phil to replace him. I was supposed to sing Cantata Criolla as my LA Phil premiere, but instead canceled this to sing the Verdi Requiem. It was the first time I had sung an oratorio since Messiah, which was a long time ago. It was scary, but I know Gustavo Dudamel from when I did a gala concert in my hometown. I have a youtube video of myself singing "Nessun Dorma" with Dudamel conducting the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra! The LA performance prepared me for Berlin, which was a success. That orchestra is incredible. When I heard the bassoon part in rehearsal, I couldn't come in because I was weeping.

What was your first opera?
Mozart's Bastien and Bastienne, though I did sing a Verdi Requiem before that, when I was 19. It was not good.

Favorite opera?
Well, I have done 65 performances of Bohème. I do love Werther. I am pretty weird, I also love Pelléas et Mélisande and Albert Herring.

Dream role?
I hope someday to do all the big Verdi roles, I especially love Ballo en Maschera and Otello. One day I would love to sing Walther in Meistersinger, I love that opera. If I could have Bryn Terfel or James Morris as Hans Sachs, I could just die, the next day, happy.

Who do you look up to?
Plácido. He's so successful, perhaps the best tenor that has ever lived, but he is still so kind and has discovered so many great singers.

Tell me about your stage fight incident in Fanciulla.
In Act I of the final dress rehearsal there is a fight, and I was supposed to be hit on the head with a sugar bottle. Except it wasn't a sugar bottle, I was knocked out for real. I saw stars and woke up 2 bars before I was to enter. I had a huge bump on my head and Matthew Shilvock sent me to the hospital. I had the fastest MRI ever, to make sure I would be okay. Then I rushed back for Act III, because there aren't covers for small roles like Happy!

Did you really have a coaching for Werther in the middle of a performance of Fanciulla? How does that work?
Yes, it was the last time I would be able to work with Allen Perriello before my Werther in Tel Aviv, so I called him and I had a coaching with him for an hour. I owe him a lot, and everyone in the music administration is great.

Sweet or savory?
Both. I love both sweet and sour. Mole for example. Or orange chicken.

Do you have a favorite pastry?
Tres leches. The only place I can get it is actually at Espetus, the Brazilian restaurant close to Zuni Cafe. The different kinds of milk have to be in the right quantities, the cake has to be soaked and soft. I hate it when they put strawberries on tres leches, it is just not the way it is supposed to be.

What is your secret superpower?
I vocalize as a countertenor everyday and it has helped my voice to do so. I have a high G in my head voice and can sing the Queen of the Night with Susanna Biller (not as pretty of course). Obviously my voice up there isn't nearly as pretty as Ryan Belongie's either!

How are you at soccer?
I am a huge fan of soccer, but I am so bad it. I am an FC Barcelona shareholder. (Breaks out his FC Barcelona card, complete with photograph.) It doesn't make Plácido very happy though, since he's a Madrid fan. I studied in Barcelona.

Why is football commentary so much better in Spanish?
Everyone gets a nickname, more poetic phrases are used, and it is much louder.

How similar are the circus and the opera?
They are becoming more and more alike, just as far as entertainment. For example, Cirque de Soleil's O has a theme, but not a story. But Robert LePage's Ka definitely has a story. As far as opera, it is not just park and bark anymore. In this summer's Walküre, from Zambello, everyone had to move, and they did so well.

What's your favorite Beatles song?
That's so hard, I love the Beatles, every song is good. But I would have to say "Eleanor Rigby" is my favorite.

What do you miss most about everyday life back home?
My ladies. My dad travelled a lot in the first years of my life. So I basically grew up surrounded by 13 women: my mom, sister, grandma, aunts, and cousins.

Can you recommend a place to eat relatively close to the opera house?
There is a really good taco truck next to the Best Buy on Van Ness. If you want sour cream and beans, you should go to the Mission, but the best burrito is at this truck.

Adler 2011 Speculation

* Notes *
One imagines the Adler Fellows for 2011 will not be announced until next month, but let us indulge in some rampant speculation about which of the Merolini are coming back to San Francisco next year. Since my opinion does not count for much, these guesses are not based on whom I personally enjoyed most, but on observation of the master classes, key audience members, overall audience reactions, and important reviews.

Allen Perriello will have completed his two years as an Adler with Madama Butterfly, so we will get a new collaborative pianist. As for singers, the outgoing Adlers are probably soprano Leah Crocetto, tenor David Lomelí, and baritone Austin Kness. Pianist Natalia Katukova and tenor Alexander Lewis both start the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program next month. Sopranos Valentina Fleer and Janai Brugger-Orman will be Domingo-Thornton Young Artists.

* Tattler Guesses *
Jenna Douglas
Nadine Sierra
Daniel Montenegro
Ryan Kuster

Merola Grand Finale 2010

* Notes *
This year's Merola Opera Program ended ten weeks of training with a Grand Finale last night at the War Memorial Opera House. Ted Huffman's staging for the performance was not elaborate, using four cypress trees from Act IV of the Le Nozze di Figaro set, designed by Zach Brown. The costumes were what one would expect, tuxedos and evening gowns, for the most part lots of black and turquoise. Dean Williamson kept the San Francisco Opera Orchestra at good volume, we could always hear the singers. There was some squeaking from the woodwinds, and perhaps a lack of clarity in the brass, but nothing terribly embarrassing. Synchronization between the orchestra and singers may have been the most noticeable problem, particularly at the beginning with The Rake's Progress and the chaotic end with Le Nozze di Figaro.

The one Baroque excerpt from Samson sounded surprisingly clean, albeit rather measured. Kevin Ray sang with power here, perhaps with more vibrato than is considered historically informed. Also in English was the scene from Midsummer Night's Dream. Thomas Florio hammed it up as Bottom, Hye Jung Lee sounded sweet as Tytania, and the fairies were perfectly ethereal. Valentina Fleer, Robin Flynn, Abigail Santos Villalobos, and Nadine Sierra entered with some fine tours chaînés déboulés. They also played recorder and percussion impressively.

We heard a good deal of bel canto. Ao Li sang Riccardo from Act I of Puritani with his serious face on, and with a smooth legato. Abigail Santos Villalobos and Eleazar Rodríguez were awfully precious as Marie and Tonio. Santos Villalobos was just so spunky, and Rodríguez charming. Valentina Fleer and Sidney Outlaw were wonderful in their excerpt of Lucia (as Lucia and Enrico, respectively). Renée Rapier was a stately, rich-toned Adalgisa. The only bel canto selection that left me indifferent was the duet between Ben Covey (Malatesta) and Janai Brugger-Orman (Norina). Though they were convincing and funny in this scene from Don Pasquale, I still do not care for this opera, for some reason.

Quite a lot of French repertoire was explored, and it was remarkable how compelling all was. Robin was uttlerly lovely as Mignon. Rebecca Davis sang Thaïs with strength and beauty. Abigail Santos Villalobos offered up a tender, earnest Ophélie and Dan Kempson sang Hamlet prettily. Daniel Montenegro and Nadine Sierra were striking as Roméo and Juliette, their voices blend nicely together, and are well-matched.

* Tattling *
Unfortunately I was unable to get ready in a timely fashion, and did not consider the ridiculous amount of flowers in my possession carefully enough. For the first half of the performance the smell of all the roses in my hair and the various bouquets stuffed under my seat made me feel slightly ill. I am sure the people around me had some unkind thoughts about this too, and justifiably so. I ended up in standing room, wearing stilettos, long suffering companion in tow. The duration of this performance seems uncomfortably long for some, even for those not standing. At least a few audience members started falling asleep almost as soon as the lights went down. There were the usual watch alarms at the hour, and light talking.

After the performance I caught up with many of the Adlers. Tamara Sanikidze is working on Aida and Allen Perriello, on Le Nozze di Figaro. Maya Layhani and David Lomelí have been rehearsing Werther as the covers. Sara Gartland is to sing in Figaro and Butterfly. I also had a chance to talk to David Gockley about the three performances he recently heard in Santa Fe.

Orpheus Luncheon 2010

* Notes * 
Adler Fellows tenor David Lomelí, soprano Sara Gartland, and pianist Allen Perriello performed at San Francisco Opera's Orpheus luncheon yesterday. Lomelí is covering Faust this summer, and he sang "Salut! demeure chaste et pure" very impressively. Gartland followed by singing "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante," Micaëla's aria from Carmen, with strength. Together they sang the Act I duet between Gilda and the Duke from Rigoletto. This was gorgeous. Perriello played beautifully as usual.

* Tattling * 
The rather young audience was silent and attentive. It was well worth the effort to make this event, I was very pleased to have arrived on time, since I was in Houston the night before and had to fly in rather early in the morning.

Leah Crocetto's Schwabacher Debut Recital

* Notes * 
Soprano Leah Crocetto gave her Schwabacher Debut Recital, accompanied by pianist Mark Morash, last Sunday evening. The eclectic program included works from Bellini, Rachmaninoff, Barber, Obradors, Liszt, Gregory Peeples, Gershwin, and Cole Porter. Crocetto sings with an impressive effortlessness. Bellini's Sei Ariette were very beautiful, and Crocetto's phrasing was lovely and fluid. She did sound the slightest bit compressed in the very highest note of Rachmaninoff's "Zdes' khorosho," but given how high it was, this is reasonable. The selections from the Canciones Clásicas Españolas of Obradors were very cute, especially "Chiquitita la novia." Crocetto is flexible, she sounds convincing singing jazz, and she explained she used to sing Gershwin and Cole Porter as much as she could in New York, supplementing her income by working at The Olive Garden. Morash and Crocetto did not seem as together in this repertoire, though otherwise the playing and singing were both strong. The encores were wonderful, the first being a song in Spanish, and the second an aria from La Rondine.

* Tattling * 
There was some minor whispering, but the audience was well-behaved. During the last part of the program, Crocetto tipped Morash, saying he only agreed to do a jazz set under such conditions. Afterward, someone rushed to the stage with a couple of bills in hand as tips.

Most of the other Adler Fellows could not attend this event, as they were performing with the Alonzo King Lines Ballet at Yerba Buena.

The Adler Fellows in The Stronger & The Impresario

* Notes * 
Half a dozen Adler Fellows put on Hugo Weisgall's The Stronger and Mozart's The Impresario at Livermore Valley Opera last Sunday. Pianist Tamara Sanikidze played the astringent music with aplomb, and Leah Crocetto managed to command attention despite how unsympathetic the character of Estelle could be. Maya Lahyani acted the mute role of Lisa convincingly, and without being reduced to a mime.

Allen Periello and Tamara Sanikidze were entirely adorable in their highly choreographed performance of the overture to The Impresario (Der Schauspieldirektor) on piano. This involved both high-fives and switching who played the high notes, all to hilarious effect. Periello played most of the rest of the opera by himself, quite prettily, and Sanikidze joined him again for the finale. The three singers, Austin Kness, Susannah Biller, and Sarah Gartland, took on German, French, and English accents, respectively. It was exceedingly silly and came off well. The singing was fine, though the ladies did get a bit shrill at times, though that fit the dynamic of their rivalry perfectly.

* Tattling * 
The audience was uncommonly attentive, no electronic noise was noted, and no one talked or whispered during the music. There was much laughing during the second opera.

I later heard that they were supposed to have three operas and not just two, the third featuring Ryan Belongie and Maya Lahyani. Curiously enough, Belongie was listed on Livermore Valley Opera's official site as one of the singers in the performance, though he did not appear on stage.

Allen Perriello's Schwabacher Debut Recital

* Notes * 
Pianist Allen Perriello gave his Schwabacher Debut Recital last Sunday evening. The rather daunting program consisted of all 44 songs from Hugo Wolf's Spanisches Liederbuch. The lieder were performed in five groups by soprano Susannah Biller and baritone Austin Kness, who, for the most part, switched off each song one after another. Perriello was quite personable, introducing each of the sections, and explaining that since the songs were not part of a cycle, they were grouped by theme and their order had been determined by the performers rather than Wolf, Geibel, or Hense. Perriello's playing was supportive and he never overwhelmed the singers. The constrasts of mood and volume in the different pieces came through clearly. Biller started off slightly cold but sounded more expressive in "Weint nicht, ihr Äugelein," the sixth song of the evening. The third group of songs may have suited her voice best. She had a few slightly harsh and fragile moments, but certainly shows promise. Austin Kness sounded warm and lovely, he only pushed his voice too much a few times.

* Tattling * 
The audience whispered, but was fairly attentive. Biller lost her hair ornament between the first and second group of songs.

SF Opera Annual Meeting 2010

* Notes *
San Francisco Opera's Annual Meeting for 2010 was held yesterday afternoon, over in Zellerbach Rehearsal Hall A at the Symphony. Board of Directors President George H. Hume, General Director David Gockley, and CFO Michael Simpson gave reports as usual. Again, this year the outlook was on the gloomy side, though the endowment has recovered since last time. On the other hand, 50% of all donations to SF Opera come from just 19 people, a precarious situation to say the least. Full subscriptions continue to decline, there is an accumulated deficit, and many cuts were made. Plans afoot to solve the various problems include recapitalization, reconfiguring of the opera schedule, reducing fixed costs, investment in facilities, and building the endowment.

Gregory Henkel, Director of Artistic Administration at San Francisco Opera, also addressed us. He spoke about the joys and challenges of casting for the company, and about how splendidly the Merolini and Adlers did at the Met auditions.

Five Adlers performed, sopranos Leah Crocetto and Sara Gartland, mezzo soprano Maya Lahyani, countertenor Ryan Belongie, and pianist Tamara Sanikidze. Lahyani sang "Va, laisse couler mes larmes" from Werther with great beauty. Belongie sang Arsamene's aria "Sì, la voglio," from Serse. His transitions between the different parts of his voice were flawless. Gartland's "Deh vieni, non tardar" was very pretty. Crocetto and Lahyani gave a heartrending performance of "Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio."

* Tattling *
I was particularly ill-behaved at this meeting, for one thing, I was at least 5 minutes late, as the BART train ahead of mine was having mechanical issues. Secondly, I answered the survey that we were to fill out in my own deadly earnest yet entirely silly manner. I hope the person who has to read that gets a good laugh. Two cellular phones rang at different points whilst people were speaking.

In other news, we may well have Fleming, Radvanovsky, and Hampson to look forward to in coming seasons.

Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions 2010

The winners this year are sopranos Leah Crocetto, Lori Guilbeau, and Rachel Willis-Sørensen; tenor Nathaniel Peake; and baritone Elliot Madore.

Official Site | Press Release from SF Opera [PDF]

2010 Adler Fellows

The incoming 2010 Adler Fellows are Susannah Biller, Sara Gartland, Maya Lahyani, Ryan Belongie, Brian Jadge, and Tamara Sanikidze. They join current Adlers Leah Crocetto, David Lomelí, Austin Kness, and Allen Perriello. Outgoing 2009 Adler Fellows are sopranos Heidi Melton and Tamara Wapinsky; mezzo-sopranos Daveda Karanas, Daniela Mack, and Renée Tatum; tenors Andrew Bidlack and Alek Shrader; bass Kenneth Kellogg; and Apprentice Coach Dennis Doubin.

Press Release [PDF] | Official Site

Adler 2010 Speculation

The Adler Fellows for 2010 will be announced next week, but it is good fun trying to figure out which of the Merolini are coming back to San Francisco next season. It is quite likely that we won't see any of the Merola apprentice coaches as Adlers, given that both Dennis Doubin and Allen Perriello are in their first year here. As for singers, the probable outgoing Adlers are two sopranos (Heidi Melton, Tamara Wapinsky), two mezzos (Daveda Karanas, Daniela Mack), two tenors (Andrew Bidlack, Alek Shrader), and the sole bass Kenneth Kellogg. My guesses are:

Susannah Biller
Kate Crist
Maya Lahyani
Ryan Belongie
Gregory Carroll
Nathaniel Peake
Benjamin LeClair 

One would love to see countertenor Ryan Belongie and baritone Michael Sumuel as Adlers, but looking at what is coming up and who is leaving, I would be surprised if they were chosen. Suzanne Hendrix would also be great as an Adler, but she's a contralto, though this might work for next year's Die Walküre. In any case, they will need a bass, probably Ben LeClair, as Yohan Yi is a Domingo-Thornton Young Artist at LA Opera and Evan Boyer is a member of the upcoming season of Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Center. Baritone Paul Scholten will be in this latter program as well. Mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani and tenor Alex Mansoori might also be out since they are in the Seattle Opera Young Artists Program.

Merola's Official Site | Upcoming Performances

Merola Grand Finale Reviews: The Opera Tattler | Not For Fun Only | Civic Center | SFCV | San Francisco Chronicle

Così fan tutte: The Opera Tattler | Civic Center | Oboe Insight | Not For Fun Only | SFCV | San Francisco Chronicle

L'amico Fritz: The Opera Tattler | Civic Center | SFist | SFCV | San Francisco Chronicle

Schwabacher Summer Concert: The Opera Tattler | Not For Fun Only | SFist

José Iturbi International Music Competition 2009

Current first year Adler Fellow Leah Crocetto won the vocal portion of the José Iturbi International Music Competition this year. Third year Adler Heidi Melton placed second.

AP Article | José Iturbi International Music Competition

Heidi Melton News

Adler Fellow Heidi Melton will sing in San Francisco Opera's performance of the Verdi Requiem tomorrow. She replaces an ailing Patricia Racette.

San Francisco Opera's Press Releases | Official Site