Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in March of 2020, only the first two of the four performances scheduled for the 37th season of the Schwabacher Recital Series was presented by the San Francisco Opera Center and the Merola Opera Program. The following year the Series was also cancelled due to the pandemic. Thus, 2022 will mark the return of the Series for its 38th year of vocal recitals.
The series is named after James Schwabacher, who was a co-founder of the Merola Opera Program; and it provides an opportunity to showcase the talents of the exemplary artists who have participated in the training programs of the Merola Opera Program and/or the San Francisco Opera Center. As in the past, the season will consist of four concerts. These will take place at the middle of March, followed by two at the beginning and end of April, and a final performance at the end of July. Only one program, the second April offering, will feature multiple vocalists. The other programs will be solo recitals. The final performance will take place in the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), preceded by three concerts in the Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater. All performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. Specifics are as follows:
Tuesday, March 15: Mezzo Nikola Printz will perform with two accompanists, one on piano (Erica Xiaoyan Guo) and the other on plucked strings (Tatiana Senderowicz, alternating theorbo and guitar). The program will be presented in three “acts,” each with its own programmatic title:
- La Premiere Femme
- Masc-era
- Neutrois
The composers will range from the seventeenth century (Barbara Strozzi) to the twentieth (Prince).
Wednesday, April 6: Mezzo Ashley Dixon has not yet finalized her program. However, the composers to be featured will be Hector Berlioz, Cécile Chaminade, Alberto Ginastera, Carlos Guastavino, Jesús Guridi, Francis Poulenc, Maurice Ravel, and Joaquín Turina. She will be accompanied at the piano by Kseniia Polstiankina Barrad.
Wednesday, April 27: This will be the program that will be shared by three vocalists: soprano Esther Tonea, baritone Timothy Murray, and bass Stefan Egerstrom. Again, only the composers have been announced: Jean Sibelius, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and Tom Cipullo. The accompanying pianist will be Andrew King.
Thursday, July 28: The final recitalist will be baritone Sidney Outlaw. Again, only composers have been announced: Ricky Ian Gordon, Roberts Owens, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Harry Burleigh. Outlaw will be accompanied at the piano by Warren Jones.
The Taube Atrium Theater is part of the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, which is located in the Veterans Building (on the fourth floor) at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. SFCM is located at 50 Oak Street, a short walk from the Van Ness Muni station. General admission will be $30. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through an event page on the San Francisco Opera Web site. Note that it is possible to select the option of Wheelchair Accessible seats for both performance venues. In addition, subject to availability, student rush tickets will go on sale at 7 p.m. at the reduced rate of $15. There is a limit of two tickets per person, and valid identification must be shown.
Subscriptions for the entire four-recital series are available for $100. However, these are not available online. They may be purchased in person at the San Francisco Opera Box Office, located in the outer lobby of the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue, on the northwest corner of Grove Street. They may also be purchased by calling 415-864-3330.
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