Spearheadnews: Dolores Park

SpearheadNews.com Super News 2006

Home Casting News Events Rehearsal Schedules Interviews Photos Reviews More Fun Stuff! The Super Handbook San Francisco Opera Links Classifieds Contacts Archives Members Only Spearheadnews.com is not officially affiliated with any performing arts organization. All photographs remain the property of their copyright holders. ©2006 SpearheadNews All Rights Reserved			Dolores Park a Perfect Venue for Outside Opera Charlie Lichtman Picture Gallery Saturday, July 1, 2006 marked the first time that San Francisco Opera had a free concert in Dolores Park, and what a show it was! Starring divas Twyla Robinson, Ruth Ann Swenson, Dolora Zajick, and Rhoslyn Jones, the program featured arias from a variety of composers, with three orchestral works, the Overture from Forza, a Polonaise from Onegin, and the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, as icing on the cake. Donald Runnicles led the San Francisco Opera Orchestra for this concert. David Gockley was the master of ceremonies, looking über-casual in his jeans, work shirt, and iconic baseball cap. He might have looked "blue-collar," but he was all management, reminding the audience that the ticket office was open for business. Ms. Robinson performed standout renditions of the "Song to the Moon" from Rusalka, "Das was sehr gut, Mandryka" from Arabella, and the paper aria "To This We’ve Come" from The Consul by Gian Carlo Menotti. Dolora Zajick wowed the crowd with "Voi lo sapete" from Cavalleria Rusticana and was joined by Rhoslyn Jones for a light-hearted performance of the Veil Song from Don Carlo, after which she sang "O mon Fernand" from La Favorite. Ruth Ann Swenson delivered "Donde lieta usci" from La Bohème in the first part of the show, then ended the afternoon with Harold Arlen’s "Over the Rainbow," which is quickly becoming our cultural anthem. Something new for opera in the park: there were two encores – a mock "competition," a la Three Tenors, of "'Musetta’s Waltz," followed by our regional anthem, "San Francisco," which everyone was encouraged to sing. The audience, which filled the park, had more Supers than a Carmen cattle call. Tom Carlisle braved the morning fog to claim a "Row A" section of the lawn; however, we were everywhere. The stage was intelligently set at the bottom of the hill so the sound traveled upward throughout the park, affording all attendees (even those in the "balcony") a beautiful, articulated sound from the stage. There were several mentions and thanks to our new Super Captain April Busch for coordinating this event. Kudos to you, April – it was a job very well done. We all hope that Opera in Dolores Park will continue to be a cornerstone event during future summers in San Francisco. Picture Gallery And coming up: Opera at Stern Grove, Sun. July 30 at 2 pm San Francisco Opera returns to the Stern Grove Festival with a free performance featuring mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, tenor Lawrence Brownlee and members of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra.