San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program's Schwabacher Recital Series Continues in April

The 39th season of the Schwabacher Recital Series, presented by San Francisco Opera Center and the Merola Opera Program, continues Wednesday, April 12 with a program by countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson at San Francisco's Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater in the Veterans Building.

The Schwabacher Recital Series presents emerging and esteemed artists from around the globe, performing an eclectic selection of song literature and new works in the intimacy of a recital setting. The final concert of the season, on May 18, will highlight the artistic partnership of mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner and pianist Shawn Chang.

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and Carrie-Ann Matheson

April 12, Taube Atrium Theater

On April 12, the Schwabacher series will feature the varied and remarkable artistry of countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and pianist Carrie-Ann Matheson. About the music in this recital, Nussbaum Cohen said: "We will be presenting a wide-ranging program that showcases many of the styles and eras of music that I most enjoy singing. Though on the opera stage, my voice type means that I'm limited to Baroque and contemporary works, what I love about singing recitals is that they allow me to sing a broader variety of works that showcase an even wider range of my artistic passions. We will be performing songs by Quilter, Florence Price, H. Leslie Adams, Clara Schumann, Jewish hymns by Janowski and Ravel, Duparc, arias by Handel and some "Great American Songbook" style selections."

Acclaimed as a "complete artist" by The New York Times, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen was a winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the 2023 George and Nora London Foundation Competition. He joined the Merola Opera Program in 2016, was an Adler Fellow in 2018 and 2019 and made his Company debut starring as Medoro in Handel's Orlando. Of that performance, the San Francisco Chronicle said, "his tone strong and gleaming, his phrasing endlessly eloquent." His first commercial recording-Kevin Fuch's Poems of Life with the London Symphony Orchestra-won the 2019 Grammy Award in the Best Classical Compendium category. A highly sought-after opera and concert soloist, recent and future engagements include performances with the Bavarian State Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Glyndebourne Festival and the Metropolitan Opera.

San Francisco Opera Center and Merola Opera Program Artistic Director Carrie-Ann Matheson has a multi-faceted international career as a pianist, conductor and educator. Matheson was a tenured member of the Metropolitan Opera's full-time music staff as assistant conductor, prompter and vocal coach before joining the conducting and coaching staff at Opernhaus Zürich in 2014. Especially in demand as a recital pianist, she has collaborated with opera's greatest luminaries, including Rolando Villazón, Jonas Kaufmann, Piotr Beczała, Benjamin Bernheim, Diana Damrau, Thomas Hampson and Joyce DiDonato.

Tickets (general seating) are $30. Tickets can be purchased at the San Francisco Opera Box Office (301 Van Ness Avenue) in person, by phone at (415) 864-3330 and online at sfopera.com/srs.

Please note: Student rush tickets, subject to availability, are available for $15 at each venue 30 minutes prior to each recital. (Limit of two tickets per person; valid ID is required.) Artists, programs, schedules and ticket prices are subject to change.

The Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater is a state-of-the-art performance venue utilizing the Constellation acoustic system from Berkeley-based Meyer Sound. The Taube Atrium Theater is part of San Francisco Opera's Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, located on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.

For the May 18 concert, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's Barbro Osher Recital Hall is located at 200 Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco.

For complete information about the Company's health and safety protocols, visit sfopera.com/safetyfirst.

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