Photos: LE COMTE ORY At Merola Opera Summer Festival

The Merola Opera Program continues its Summer Festival season with a fully staged production of Rossini’s rarely performed comedic gem, Le Comte Ory. Metropolitan Opera conductor Pierre Vallet makes his Merola debut leading the orchestra, while director Garnett Bruce brings the production to life on stage. See photos from the production.

This delightful comedy bursts with laughter, romance, and mischief as Count Ory stops at nothing—disguising himself in increasingly ridiculous ways—to win the heart of Countess Adèle. However, he’s not the only one scheming for her affection; his clever page is also in love with the Countess and the two of them are hatching a plan of their own. Featuring a whirlwind of mistaken identities, gender-bending disguises, and Rossini’s effervescent melodies, this joyful romp is a celebration of wit, charm, and dazzling vocal acrobatics.

Le Comte Ory, the third production in the Summer Festival will be presented in French with English supertitles 7:30pm, Thursday, July 31 and 2:00pm, Saturday, August 2, 2025, at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, 50 Oak St., San Francisco. For more information or to purchase tickets ($68, $38, $18 (ages 25 and under)), the public may visit merola.org or call the San Francisco Box Office at 415-864-3330. 

Rossini’s Le Comte Ory premiered in 1828 at the Paris Opéra and stands as one of the composer’s final operatic works. A comic opera (opéra comique) in two acts, it was Rossini’s second French-language opera and showcases his signature wit, show-stopping vocal feats, and inventive orchestration. The libretto, by Eugène Scribe and Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson, is based on a medieval tale about a lecherous count who disguises himself to gain access to a convent full of noblewomen. Uniquely, Rossini repurposed music from his earlier sacred opera Il viaggio a Reims, giving Le Comte Ory a brilliant and theatrical score that blends farce with elegant bel canto style. 

Featured in this work are Merola artists tenor Minghao Liu as Comte Ory, soprano Eva Rae Martinez as Comtesse Adèle, mezzo-soprano Meg Brilleslyper as Isolier, bass-baritone Wanchun Liang as Gouverneur, baritone Benjamin Dickerson as Raimbaud, mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach as Ragonde, and soprano Sofia Gotch as Alice. 

The Comtesse’s Ensemble is made up of sopranos Alexa Frankian, Chea Kang, and mezzo-soprano Anna Maria Vacca and the Comte’s Ensemble is composed of baritone Joeavian Rivera, bass John Mburu, and tenors Christopher Oglesby and Jin Yu. 

The creative team assembled to bring Rossini’s piece to life includes Pierre Vallet (Conductor), Garnett Bruce (Director), Liliana Piñeiro (Scenic Designer), Miriam Lewis (Costume Designer), Davida Tkatch (Lighting Designer), and Calli Carvajal (Wig and Makeup Designer). 

Photo Credit: Kristen Loken

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