Grande Finale Reviews!

Soprano Suzanne Rigden, 25, who a pitch-perfect friend informs me emitted a perfect high F when she sang Rosina in the first-cast Barbiere, was a bright, fresh, and delicious Blonde in her duet from Mozart’sAbduction From the Seraglio


---http://www.sfcv.org/reviews/merola-opera-program/merolas-grand-promise

....and the belly-shaking comic genius of Suzanne Rigden (Elvira)

Chen and Rigden had a good turn in the Oxmin-Blonde duet from "Abduction from the Seraglio

---http://listserv.bccls.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind1108c&L=OPERA-L&D=0&P=145863&D=1

 "Ich gehe doch rate ich dir" from Entführung, Suzanne Rigden was spunky as Blonde and Peixin Chen a loveable buffoon as Osmin...Suzanne Rigden managed to be a mousy Elvira, never upstaging Renée Rapier's sassy Isabella




---http://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2011/08/merola-grand-finale-2011.html


Suzanne Rigden and Peixin Chen paired for a lively Mozartian banter from the Abduction from the seraglio with the most colorful contrast, her crystalline voice fluttering around his barreling, cavernous tone.


---http://sfist.com/2011/08/22/sfist_reviews_merola_grand_finale.php


The 2nd half opened with bass Peixin Chen & sopranoSuzanne Rigden hamming it up shamelessly in the soprano/bass duel from Entfürung.


---http://nffo.blogspot.com/2011/08/merola-grand-finale-2011.html


Thus, the selection that probably fared better than any of the others involved the synthesis of a solid score by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an appropriately contemporary dramatic perspective in Conde’s staging.  This was the duet “Ich gehe doch rate ich dir” from the second act of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, in which Blonde’s English blood comes to a full boil when Osmin tries to treat her as his slave.  Peixin Chen’s bass voice was as hardy as it had been in his Basilio in thesecond cast of Barbiere, while Suzanne Rigden endowed Blonde with the same rebellious sass that had spiced her Rosina in the first cast.  She then kept that character in high gear in her portrayal of Elvira at the end of the program, in which all of the Merolini performed the first act finale of Rossini’s L'italiana in Algeri.


---http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/merola-grand-finale-2011


Though Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail is an opera I really have no pleasure in hearing, Suzanne Rigden and Pei Xin Chin were both in excellent form for the comedic duet. Rigden has a wonderful stage presence to match her bright, strong voice and Chen's journeyman-like work ethic and booming bass made him an audience favorite.


---http://abeastinajungle.blogspot.com/2011_08_01_archive.html


One more to add of Barber: 


Rigden went on to have an excellent overall night, with not only strong high-notes but a performance that reminded me of Reese Witherspoon's better comedic outings. 


--- http://abeastinajungle.blogspot.com/search/label/Merola

Merola Grand Finale!!

Woohoo!! Another review! What a great summer this has been!! :) I love San Francisco- and will miss it. So today I will run around the city trying to see the rest of the sights. Here is a review to check out:


Thus, the selection that probably fared better than any of the others involved the synthesis of a solid score by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an appropriately contemporary dramatic perspective in Conde’s staging.  This was the duet “Ich gehe doch rate ich dir” from the second act of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, in which Blonde’s English blood comes to a full boil when Osmin tries to treat her as his slave.  Peixin Chen’s bass voice was as hardy as it had been in his Basilio in the second cast of Barbiere, while Suzanne Rigden endowed Blonde with the same rebellious sass that had spiced her Rosina in the first cast.  She then kept that character in high gear in her portrayal of Elvira at the end of the program

Continue reading on Examiner.com Merola Grand Finale 2011 - San Francisco classical music | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/merola-grand-finale-2011#ixzz1VgMeYSp8

Countdown is on...

Well it is my birthday officially and seeing as I sing almost every year on my birthday, why break the tradition?! I really am quite happy to sing on my birthday and especially this year! This year we will be having our dress rehearsal with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra on the mainstage of the War Memorial Building from 6:30-9:30. I believe it is a some-what open dress rehearsal for some donors, and I just can't wait!!

I will write a wrap up post once I am home and let all of the information settle in on how everything was here....but in two words... Merola was mind blowing. I have truly learned more than I could ever imagine here, and I now know so much about my own voice and who I want to be as a performer. I couldn't be happier!

Plus, San Francisco is an amazing city!

Masterclasses and reviews

So last night we had a wonderful masterclass with Warren Jones. I was lucky enough to sing the Queen of the Night for him (second aria) and I learned so many wonderful little tricks. We worked on the forward vowels, the consonnats being crips as well as those nasty triplets! We have had three little mini masterclasses with him and then the one last public one, and I just felt like he had so many new and wonderful things to say. He was able to pinpoint exactly your problem and that one thing fixed any other problems. A great artist right there.


Oh and in other news, I messed up the time of the Grand Finale- it is at 7:30pm on Saturday August 20th. It is going to be a fabulous show! We just finished our Sitzprobe today!

Lastly, I found one more review!!

"Nary a note of ornamentation was missing from Suzanne Ridgen’s rivulets of notes pulsating forward giving wit and intelligence to a lovely Rosina...none holds a candle to Suzanne Ridgen’s lovely Rosina, especially when she’s got forks stuck in her hair to emulate the rays of the Statue of Liberty while holding a candleabra as Liberty’s torch"

http://www.starkinsider.com/2011/08/most-fun-all-summer-merolas-il-barbiere-di-siviglia.html


With the end in sight, I am feeling so blessed to have been here at Merola. I have learned so much and am crossing my fingers for the Adlers... but I shouldn't get too excited because everyone here is fabulous in their own ways! It is very exciting to have met all of these wonderful people and to know that these people will be the stars of tomorrow!! :)

Thank you for everything San Francisco!

Looking forward

Well, Barber is over, but that doesn't mean it is time to slack here at the Merola program!

We have the Merola Grande Finale just around the bend and it is usually is the determing factor for the Adler Fellowships... so it has been getting just slightly more tense around the opera building... Oh, and the fact that they have started rehearsals for Heart of a Solider means there are many wonderful people around, so now is not the time to look too "scruffy".

The Merola Grande Finale is going to be a wonderful show. There are some wonderful excerpts being performed and it will show-case many wonderful people. There are works from Dr Atomik, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, I Puritani, Italian Girl in Algiers.. and the list goes on!

Get your tickets soon! It is going to be an exciting show. It is at the War Memorial Opera House (Mainstage) on August 20th at 8pm.

Suzanne

Barber reviews

This article is so well deserved for Jonathan Michie. Bravo!! San Francisco Chronicle:


As Rosina, soprano Suzanne Rigden revealed a remarkable gift for stratospheric coloratura. She larded her showpiece aria, "Una voce poco fa," with a wealth of impeccable passagework that started high and then just kept going higher, with pointed, note-perfect placement.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/05/DD4G1KJV43.DTL#ixzz1UE3lmXfu
 
 
 
Suzanne Rigden (Rosina) has a dizzying ability to sing high notes, her coloratura technique is impressive.
 
http://www.classissima.com/en/news/384744-merola-opera-program's-barber-of-seville-(thursday)/
 
 
Suzanne Rigden, a soprano Rosina, has a fearsome coloratura. Hearing her pick off all those high notes was like watching a bowler make a strike every time.



http://nffo.blogspot.com/2011/08/merola-opera-barbiere-1st-cast.html



Suzanne Rigden’s Rosina jumped through all of her virtuoso hoops without ever showing a sign of strain



Continue reading on Examiner.com The Merolini romp with Rossini - San Francisco classical music
Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/the-merolini-romp-with-rossini#ixzz1UEBEWiWk




I love this show. I have enjoyed every moment of performing it. :)

Reviews to come...

Here is one review of the Barber of Seville "Red" Cast

http://www.examiner.com/classical-music-in-san-francisco/the-merolini-romp-with-rossini

Barber of Seville

Well the first show is finished!

I am now lying in bed and can't get back to sleep because I am still excited about the show last night! All of my colleagues are great and I am so excited to get to share another evening with them on the stage! It has truly been a pleasure working with them and I really do enjoy every moment. It is nice to know that at the point when you could be most nervous, you relax and enjoy! I suppose that is the reason why we keep doing it! It is so great to realize how in the moment you can be when you are performing. I have been recently reading the book "Talent is Overrated" by Geoff Colvin and can't get out of my mind all of the comments he says about focused purposeful practice. The hard part about that, is that you can never recreate the feeling you have when you are on stage and have an audience. It immediately changes things! So you can never practise how to deal with the nerves of being on stage, so you just have to do it!

Here is an article to read about the Merola program if you are interested!


http://www.sfcv.org/article/me​rola-artists-go-the-distance


Have a wonderful Friday. I am going to try and get back to bed, and enjoy the physical exhaustion I have from last night! Thank you for all of your support!

Suzanne a.k.a. Rosina of liberty!