ARIADNE AUF NAXOS to Be Presented by Merola Opera Program in San Francisco

San Francisco's acclaimed Merola Opera Program is continuing its 2026 Summer Festival with the serio-comic Ariadne auf Naxos. Composed by Richard Strauss and conducted by Ann-Katrin Stöcker with stage direction by Omer Ben Seadia (Merola '14), this piece blends mythological tragedy with comic opera.

Framed as a show within a show, the opera takes a seriously delightful look at happiness, despair, and love, showcasing the talented Merola emerging artists. Celebrated for its inventive structure, virtuosic vocal writing, and seamless fusion of contrasting styles, the work holds an important place in the operatic canon as a sophisticated meditation on the relationship between art, emotion, and theatrical form. 

Ariadne auf Naxos will be presented 7 p.m., Thursday, July 30, and 2 p.m., Saturday, August 1, 2026, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, 50 Oak St., San Francisco. Ariadne auf Naxoswill be performed in German with English supertitles.

 Bringing fresh insight and vocal excellence to this powerful work is a cast of rising opera artists from the 2026 Merola Opera Program cohort, each selected from a highly competitive international pool. Ariadne auf Naxos will star 2022 Merola alum soprano Adia Evans in the title role as the passionate and heartbroken Prima Donna/Ariadne, while San Francisco native soprano Emilie Kealani appears as the witty and spirited Zerbinetta, whose playful outlook on love offers a striking contrast to Ariadne's despair. Mezzo-soprano Theo Claveles stars as the idealistic young Composer grappling with artistic compromise, while tenor Matthew Sink appears as both the hotheaded Tenor and Bacchus, the god whose arrival ultimately transforms Ariadne's fate.

The cast of quick-witted commedia dell'arte characters include baritone Paul Jang as Harlequin, tenor Logan Wagner as Scaramuccio, bass John Mburu as Truffaldino, and tenor Cole McIlquham as Brighella. Soprano Jennifer Robinsonappears as Nyade, one of Ariadne's attendants, while mezzo-soprano Katherine Dobbs performs as Dryade, another of her loyal companions, and soprano Abigail Raiford takes on Echo, the elusive voice who reflects and responds to Ariadne's emotional world. Additional casting includes baritone Enes Pektaş as The Music Master, tenor Ryan Bryce Johnson as The Dancing Master and bass Raúl Morales Velazco as The Wigmaker, both members of the household staff in the Prologue's backstage chaos, alongside bass Theo Harrah as a Footman, tenor Charles Styles as an Officer, and 2026 Merola stage director Claire Choquette as The Majordomo, who oversees the estate as the competing artistic worlds are brought into collision.