An Italian Night
Verdi at the Verdi Club
When it comes to passion, intensity, and drama, Italian opera does it best. Join us for An Italian Night, where we'll spend an evening marveling at the potpourri of drama from Verdi's operas. There is no better place to experience the joy of Verdi's music than at the historic Verdi Club. From love at first sight, to dark revenge, this evening will transport you to a world of theatrics through some of the greatest melodies of all time.
Click here to purchase your tickets (includes food and drinks)
Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street, San Francisco
Drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 4 pm, followed by the concert. Desserts are offered after the concert.
Performers
Michelle Cipollone, Soprano
Michelle Cipollone, soprano, originally hails from Oregon. She performed the role of Countess in La Nozze di Figaro, Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), and Mutter (Hänsel und Gretel) with LAH-SOW Opera, and is looking forward to debuting her first Fiordiligi with them this summer. Previous roles include La Ciesca (Gianni Schicchi), Ino (Semele), Kathie (The Student Prince), Maestra della Novizie (Suor Angelica), and Giunone (La Calisto).
Michelle earned her Bachelor’s in Music Education from Pacific Lutheran University in 2012 and graduated with a Master's in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2020. In addition to performing, Michelle has her own studio, teaching voice and piano students through Inspire Music.
Emerson McAlister, Mezzo-soprano
Emerson McAlister (they/them) is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. They recently went through a fach change from soprano to mezzo. A proud, disabled, genderfluid individual's passion for gender (or lack thereof) bleeds into their work.
This past season, Emerson won the Special Encouragement Award for the Western Region of The Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition. In 2022, Emerson also won the VSA Young Artists Prize at The Kennedy Center, where they were honored and performed on the Millennium Stage. Their Jewish identity is also a crucial part of their performance career. Emerson has successfully performed Jake Heggie’s Another Sunrise throughout the Bay Area.
Arie Perry, Tenor
Known for his graceful phrasing and ringing high notes, his solo repertoire has focused on baroque and classical choral works, but also opera, art song, popular, and musical theater repertoire.
Arie is also a physician and the Chief of Neuropathology at UCSF, having moved to the Bay Area with his wife, Andrea, in 2010. Combining his vocal talents and medical expertise, he previously recorded a CD entitled “Neuropathology Songs” to help students remember salient features of common neurological disorders. This novel educational tool has been highlighted in media stories by the St. Louis Post Dispatch, NPR Marketplace, the Singer Network (of Chorus America), and the San Francisco Chronicle, among others.
Don Hoffman, Bass-Baritone
Don Hoffman studied vocal performance in his native New Orleans, where he made his professional operatic debut. He has performed more than 30 roles, including the title roles in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro, Méphistophélès in Gounod's Faust, and Sparafucile in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Banco in his Macbeth.
An advocate of contemporary composers, he sang the music of Christopher Tin at Carnegie Hall and appeared as Freiderich Bhaer in the West Coast premiere of Mark Adamo’s Little Women. He regularly appears with companies around the Bay Area, including West Bay Opera and Pocket Opera.
Dana Marie Chan, Pianist
Dana Marie Chan has performed as a collaborative and solo pianist and trumpeter in recitals, competitions, orchestras, wind, jazz, and new music ensembles in the United States and Asia.
She received her Master’s degree in Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in Collaborative Piano and her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California San Diego with a double major in Music - Piano Performance and International Business.
She is the Operations and Development Assistant at the San Francisco Performances. She teaches piano and performs in the Bay Area as a collaborative pianist.
Annette Schutz, Verdi Club Historian
Annette Schutz took on the role of the club’s historian right before its 100th Anniversary in 2016. This is when the magic of the club’s history truly captured her undivided attention. Through months of interviewing the club's oldest members and uncovering historical data, she helped bring a 100-year timeline of The Verdi Club to life. As owner of ArtHaus Consulting San Francisco, Annette was drawn to curating a collection of historical photographs discovered in the basement and attic of The Verdi Club building at 2424 Mariposa Street in San Francisco.
The photographs were scanned and printed the same size in a sepia color with descriptive historical captions below each image. Today, the historical timeline and photographs can be viewed in the club’s entry, bar, and on the website.
Annette is currently a Verdi Club Board Member and Sunshine Chair, as well as the club’s historian.