This Week in Music: Quality Over Quantity

By Chloe Wintersteen, managing editor

As the summer season draws to a close and we look forward to new beginnings this fall, California music audiences experience a lull in performance offerings. Though the calendar may be a bit thin, this week in music is defined by quality over quantity. In almost every genre, there is at least one exemplary concert sure to entice and inspire.

Aug. 15, War Memorial Opera House

Support our homegrown opera stars at the Merola Grand Finale! After a summer of intensive training, singers of the Merola Opera Program — 28 of them, chosen from more than 1,500 applicants — take the stage at War Memorial Opera House. On one of the most exciting nights of the Bay Area opera year, expect big voices and big ambitions. Merola alumni include Nadine Sierra, Joyce DiDonato, and Anna Netrebko. For opera fans who enjoy discovering rising talent early, this is a natural pick.