Meet the Merolini 2012

The 29 incoming Merolini (pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) were interviewed by San Francisco Opera Center Director Sheri Greenawald, Merola Opera Board of Directors Chairman Jayne Davis, and President Donna L. Blacker yesterday evening, in the Green Room of the War Memorial Veterans Building. This year four of the participants are Canadian, two are Chinese, and there is a notable absence of Iowans. We learned that tenor Joshua Baum customizes LEGO minifigures and soprano Aviva Fortunata knits Mexican wrestling mask balaclavas. Tenor AJ Glueckert joked that his dream roles were Papageno and Tosca, the latter because he "likes to throw himself off of things." Apprentice stage director Jennifer Williams was a violist. Chuanyue Wang sang a bit of a Chinese folk song that happens to also be used in Turandot. 18 of the Merolini listed "cooking" as an interest, and tenor Andrew Stenson gave a delightful description of an smoked egg dish with onions and caviar.

Schwabacher Summer Concert
Anna Bolena
Giovanna Seymour: Erin Johnson
Anna Bolena: Melinda Whittington

La jolie fille de Perth
Le Duc de Rothsay: Joshua Baum
Mab: Erin Johnson
Henri Smith: Yi Li
Un ouvrier: Seth Mease Carico
Ralph: Hadleigh Adams
Le majordome: Andrew Kroes
Cathérine Glover: Melinda Whittington

Mefistofele
Faust: Chuanyue Wang
Mefistofele: Andrew Kroes
Margherita: Elizabeth Baldwin

The Rake's Progress
Tom Rakewell: Joshua Baum
Anne Trulove: Elizabeth Baldwin
Nick Shadow: Seth Mease Carico

La finta giardiniera
Podestà: Casey Candebat
Sandrina: Jennifer Cherest
Arminda: Jacqueline Piccolino
Belfiore: Theo Lebow
Ramiro: Sarah Mesko
Serpetta: Rose Sawvel
Nardo: Gordon Bintner

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Postcard from Morocco
Man with a Paint Box: AJ Glueckert
Lady with a Cake Box: Aviva Fortunata
Lady with a Hat Box: Carolyn Sproule
Lady with a Hand Mirror: Suzanne Rigden
Man with Old Luggage: Andrew Stenson
Man with the Shoe Sample Kit: Joseph Lattanzi
Man with a Cornet Case: Matthew Scollin

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This year the Opera Standees Association is sponsoring Andrew Kroes and Chuanyue Wang.