As anticipated at the end of this past May, the Merola Opera Program has announced specifics for the Merola Grand Finale, scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 31, 2021. Merola Stage Director Audrey Chait will present a dazzling array of opera’s most exciting arias and ensembles. The operas from which these excerpts will be extracted will include Carmen, L’elisir d’amore, Don Giovanni, The Rake’s Progress, Semele, Roméo et Juliette, Faust, Pagliacci, Rigoletto, Béatrice et Bénédict, La bohème, Der Rosenkavalier, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Florencia en el Amazonas, and Die Fledermaus.
Traditionally, this production has been staged for performance at the War Memorial Opera House with members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in the pit. This year, however, as we emerge from lockdown conditions, the performance will take place at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell, situated at the end of a generous expanse of grass suitable for picnic baskets and deck chairs near the intersection of John F. Kennedy Drive and the Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. Music will be provided by the Merolini pianists that also double as coaches.
This performance will be open to the general public, and there will be no charge for admission. The entire concert will be recorded on video for subsequent streaming. Donors with Merola Membership status will be able to view the video beginning on Friday, August 20. Streaming to the general public will begin on Friday, September 3. The Merola Web site has created a Donate and Join Web page describing the benefits of Membership.
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