San Francisco Opera's Merolini present Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" August 8 and 9

Caitlin Mathes/Merola Opera Program/San Francisco Opera/Cosi Fan Tutte/Photo: Kristen Loken Anstey

Mezzo Caitlin Mathes sings Despina in Merola's Cosi Fan Tutte

MEROLA OPERA PROGRAM PRESENTS MOZART'S COSI FAN TUTTE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7 AND SUNDAY, AUGUST 9

SAN FRANCISCO—July 17, 2009—The Merola Opera Program presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Così fan tutte on August 7 and August 9 at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center . Tickets are affordably priced ranging from $60, $40 and a special student price of $25. In the leading roles are bass Benjamin LeClair (in his second year at Merola) as Don Alfonso, baritone John Chest as Guglielmo, tenor Alex Mansoori as Ferrando, mezzo-soprano Ellie Jarrett as Dorabella, soprano Lara Ciekiewicz as Fiordiligi and mezzo-soprano Caitlin Mathes as Despina. Conductor Ari Pelto will lead members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in this black box theatre production directed by Robin Guarino.

Così fan tutte, a hilarious comedic opera set in eighteenth-century Naples , illustrates that love and relationships are anything but clear-cut. Cynical Don Alfonso does not believe in fidelity and challenges his two young military friends, Guglielmo and Ferrando, to test the loyalty of their own fiancées, Dorabella and her sister Fiordiligi. The men accept the wager on condition that for twenty-four hours they will do exactly as Don Alfonso instructs. This zany opera exposes human foibles and has been delighting generations of opera enthusiasts since it first debuted in Vienna in 1790.

Mozart and Match.com?

What would Mozart think of internet dating sites such as Match.com? The perfect setting for romantic comedy plus nobody ever dies with Mozart. I've heard mixed reviews about dating sites and I used to work as a videographer for a dating service. Women wanted honesty among other things. Men usually want younger women. So I give major points to any man who will date his own age. Although there's mental and chronological I always say. I notice many seek that sparky thing called chemistry.

Note my fiftieth birthday is coming up in October right before San Francisco Opera brings Oscar Wilde's Salome to the stage. That's with bass baritone Greer Grimsley from New Orleans, who I am flying to Seattle to cover in August as he performs the entire Ring Cycle. Not alone though. Plus Seattle will have a satire of the Ring called Das Barbecue set in Texas with cowboys at a barbecue. I assume the whole thing goes up in flames like Valhalla. Kind of like my love life. Hot hot hot.

Back to Mozart. This production is graciously underwritten by the Frances K. & Charles D. Field Foundation. Supertitles are provided by Il Cenacolo Italian Cultural Club and Robin Guarino is sponsored by Miss Ursula Grunfeld. Ari Pelto is sponsored, in part, by Darla & Richard Bastoni and Bob & Terri Ryan. Così fan tutte is part of the In Performance Series at the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center which is supported by Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Fort Mason Foundation.

Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the two performances of Così fan tutte are scheduled for August 7 (8:00 p.m.) and August 9 (2:00 p.m.) 2009. The Merola Opera Program’s 2009 Summer Season also includes Pietro Mascagni’s L’Amico Fritz at the Cowell Theater (July 24 and 26) and the Merola Grand Finale at the War Memorial Opera House (August 22).

Tickets and Information:

Tickets are affordably priced at $60 and $40, in addition to a student price of $25.* Call the San Francisco Opera Box Office at (415) 864-3330 to purchase tickets Monday 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. or Tuesday-Friday 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The Cowell Theater is located at Fort Mason at the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street . There is no street address. There is low cost parking in front of the theater.

*Student tickets must be purchased in person at the Box Office window, located inside the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Ave. Valid student ID is required.

Casting and production team for Così fan tutte:

Cast:

Ben LeClair/Merola Opera Program/San Francisco Opera/Cosi Fan Tutte/Photo: Kristen Loken Anstey Don Alfonso: Benjamin LeClair

John Chest/Merola Opera Program/San Francisco Opera/Photo: Kristen Loken Anstey Guglielmo: John Chest

Alex Mansoori/Merola Opera Program/San Francisco Opera/Photo: Kristen Loken Anstey Ferrando: Alex Mansoori

Ellie Jarrett/Merola Opera Program/San Francisco Opera/Cosi Fan Tutte/Photo: Kristen Loken Anstey Dorabella: Ellie Jarrett

Lara Ciekiewicz/Merola Opera Program/San Francisco Opera/Cosi Fan Tutte/Photo: Kristen Loken Anstey Fiordiligi: Lara Ciekiewicz

Production Team:

Conductor: Ari Pelto

Director: Robin Guarino

Concept Designer: Erik Flatmo

Costume Designer: Gabriel Berry

Lighting Designer: Mark Gilmore

THE MEROLA OPERA PROGRAM, a 501(c)(3) independent nonprofit organization (Jayne Davis, Chairman and Patrick Wilken, President) which operates in collaboration with San Francisco Opera Center (Sheri Greenawald , Director), and San Francisco Opera (David Gockley , General Director), has nurtured the careers of more than 1,000 up-and-coming singers, accompanists and stage directors since its establishment in 1957. Each year, more than 750 international artists vie for approximately 30 coveted spots in the summer program. Admission is based solely on talent rather than financial ability. There is no charge to the participants. Merola has served as a proving ground for several acclaimed artists including: Sylvia McNair, Anna Netrebko, Patricia Racette, Ruth Ann Swenson, Carol Vaness, Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Dolora Zajick, Brian Asawa, Gary Lakes , Kurt Streit, Jess Thomas, Rolando Villazón, Thomas Hampson, John Relyea and Patrick Summers.

For more information about the Merola Opera Program visit www.merola.org.

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