Postcard from Juditha Triumphans Stage Director Céline Ricci

In SFGC’s Postcard series, our guest artists, collaborators, and faculty take us behind the scenes and share an intimate look into their thoughts about music, life, and art-making.

This postcard features Céline Ricci, Stage Director of SFGC Presents: Juditha Triumphans.

Céline Ricci is an accomplished Show Director with a history of conceiving, creating, and directing captivating live shows across various mediums, including opera, musicals, fairs, concerts, and public arts initiatives. With more than a decade of experience, she has garnered acclaim for her work with renowned organizations in the San Francisco Bay area.

As the Funder and Executive/Artistic Director of Ars Minerva, a nonprofit dedicated to reviving forgotten music from the 17th and 18th centuries, Céline has curated a unique collection of overlooked musical treasures based on meticulous musicological research. Through her visionary leadership, she has directed and produced multiple staged productions, including "La Cleopatra" (1662), "The Amazons in the Fortunate Isles" (1679), "La Circe" (1665)," "Ifigenia in Aulide" (1738,) "Ermelinda" (1680), "Messalina" (1679), "Astianatte" (1725), and "Olimpia Vendicata" (1682).

Her staged productions have been celebrated in the press:

- San Francisco Classical Voice: "Ars Minerva’s Messalina was steamy, tuneful, and above all imaginative."
- San Francisco Chronicle: "The importance of [Ars Minerva's] ongoing project — sampling and reviving a huge unknown body of artistic work."
- Opera Today: "Great delight."

Currently serving as the Program Director at 836M in San Francisco, Céline spearheads multidisciplinary arts programs, including artist residencies, exhibitions, dance performances, concerts, and talks. Noteworthy achievements include organizing well-attended concerts in Golden Gate Park featuring esteemed acts such as Kronos Quartet and L'impératrice.

Additionally, Céline has made significant contributions as a Project Lead at ACED, managing public arts projects and establishing valuable partnerships with private and public organizations. Notable achievements include overseeing a large-scale mural in Downtown San Francisco and organizing the first Jackson Square Arts Day, a street fair showcasing multiple artists. Her efforts have been recognized with the SF Downtown Partnership Impact Award.

Moreover, Céline had an accomplished opera singing career with extensive experience and recognized talent. She performed in prestigious theaters worldwide, including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, Mariinsky Theater, Opéra Comique, Musikverein, Berlin Staatsoper, Teatro Conlon Buenos Aires, and Sydney Festival. She recorded albums distributed by Harmonia Mundi and Naxos, and she was the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Golden Orpheus and Diamant d'Opéra, among others.

Singer Aura Veruni in Ars Minerva's production of "Olimpia Vendicata" by Domenico Freschi. Costume by Marina Polakoff. Picture by Valentina Sadiul.

Céline Ricci, Stage Director

You are the Founder and Executive Director of Ars Minerva, a performing arts organization whose mission is to engage new audiences for classical music through innovative productions of Baroque operas. What draws you to Baroque opera?
Baroque opera has always been part of my life. I started my career as an opera singer specializing in early and baroque music. I was very fortunate as a singer to be involved in opera revivals in Europe and I have performed and recorded quite a few pieces that were forgotten (like this one, for example). 

I fell in love with the process of bringing forgotten music back to life and decided to create an organization that would focus on that process, and on highlighting past overlooked composers.

How can Baroque opera speak to modern audiences?
I think that the libretti that were written for early music operas are very modern, witty and full of humor. People who come to Ars Minerva’s performances and discover early music for the first time are always surprised it’s not “old and dusty,” but quite the opposite. 

For example, the opera Le Amazzoni nelle Isole Fortunate by Carlo Pallavicino highlights the legendary Amazon warriors and the diversity of their sexual preferences: some of them are gay, other are bisexual or straight. Other operas we have revived also have very modern plots and plot twists.

Performers Jasmine Johnson and Anthony Polakoff in Ars Minerva's Astianatte by Leonardo Vinci. Costumes by Marina Polakoff. Projection by Entropy. Picture by Valentina Sadiul.

Your professional debut as a vocalist was in 2001 in the role of Vagaus in Juditha Triumphans at the Opéra of Montpellier. What is it like to return to this oratorio as stage director? What has changed? What hasn’t?
Yes, and it’s where Valérie Saint Agathe and I met the first time! It was great to sing Vagaus. It was perfect for my voice and it’s a great part to start with. I had so much fun! It was a blessing in my life.

Returning as a stage director is a second blessing. My directing process is very linked to my childhood. I like to become a child again and think of situations as I would with a witty soul. In this production, I wanted to use a magic box as the element that brings the past to present, a box you can also disappear in and be transported to another spacetime as well.

What makes Juditha Triumphans relevant to a group of young singers like the San Francisco Girls Chorus?
Juditha Triumphans was written for an orphanage of girls in Venice, called La Pietà. Vivladi was one of their teachers and wrote several pieces premiered by them. They were part of the best musicians in Europe, since they knew how to play several instruments with excellence and sing as well. I like the idea that the piece can continue to be performed by young girls as it was originally, and not only by adult singers.

What is your approach to stage directing Juditha Triumphans?
As previously mentioned, I approach this piece with the heart of a child, understanding what this piece can mean to a teenager. The story comes from the Bible, the music Vivaldi wrote about it was created in the 18th century, and now a group of talented teenagers are performing this story with all those layers of time and space. I chose to imagine a piece that would reflect all those components and that would be unified by a magic box. The magic box is a tool that signifies childhood and youth which matches the age of our young performers. 

A production like Juditha Triumphans, as SFGC presents it, requires many artists to lend their expertise and talent to the work. What is your approach to collaboration?
Opera is about the gathering of many artistic disciplines, and that’s one of the reasons why I am so fond of it. I am so fortunate to collaborate with such talented artists and production team members: Valérie Saint Agathe, Peter Crompton, Matthew Antaky, Frédéric Boulay, Adam Cockerham, the chorus and the rest of the team!

The audience will be blown away by Peter Crompton's projections! I worked with Peter last year when I directed By Georges for the Lamplighters Music Theater. I felt Peter and I were really on the same page, and I am seeing this happening again with Juditha Triumphans.

What inspires you about working with SFGC?
It is always a pleasure to work with talented Valérie and her great chorus. I applaud her program and artistic direction. The choristers have the opportunity to perform a wide range of music genres, of different times and languages, which is such a privilege.

What advice can you give to our singers that you wish you had received when you were their age? 
Have fun while working hard on your passion! Life is short, and some opportunities never come back. Live in the present.