Media

Producer

Cheryl Blalock is well-known in the Bay Area and in the Opera America community nationally as a strong and innovative leader in the musical arts, as well as a fine singer and musician herself. Cheryl worked with The Lamplighters Music Theatre in San Francisco from 2017 to 2024 as Executive Director, and additionally as Artistic Director from 2020 to 2023.

WELCOME BACK to the PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL

Cheryl demonstrated strong community leadership for mid-sized performing arts groups in San Francisco by initiating the Welcome Back to the Performing Arts Festival, at Yerba Buena Festival Gardens on August 22, 2021.

She hired 8 companies, including 4 opera companies, 1 theater company, 2 dance companies, and 1 choral company to present a 3 hour free concert which became the source of strong relationships between the companies and the public.

BY GEORGES! A DAY in the LIFE of the LEGENDARY CHEVALIER St. GEORGES

• Commissioned, oversaw workshops, and fully produced BY GEORGES! A Day in the Life of the Legendary Chevalier St Georges” 2021-23
• Original one act operetta combined baroque and hip hop musical styles, telling the story of the first known classical composer of African descent
• BIPOC creative team of James Sasser and Vince Burwell, female artistic team of Mary Chun, Conductor, and Céline Ricci, Stage Director
• Deaf Black choreographer Antoine Hunter and mixed-hearing Urban Dance Company

Very well received by audiences and press, alike:

“In addition to its immediate pleasures, “By Georges!” represents the beginning of an answer to a ticklish question: How long can organizations like Lamplighters, built around the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan and their few relevant colleagues (Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár) continue to thrive on the same small body of work?

Cheryl Blalock, the company’s forward-looking interim artistic director, had the right idea, which is to back the creation of new works that can be added to that pool of possibilities. Hopefully “By Georges!” will mark the first step in an even broader expansion.”

Joshua Kosman

SF Chronicle, May 7, 2023

RUDDYGORE, or The Bruja’s Curse

Cheryl continued innovative work with exciting treatments of legacy Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. A prime example was the meticulous production of RUDDYGORE, or The Bruja’s Curse, setting the action in Mexico with a well researched backstory, and including supertitles in BOTH English and Spanish.

Two positive review notes, again from Joshua Kosman, SF Chronicle, February 25, 2024:

“As a final note, it’s worth celebrating Lamplighters’ decision to include supertitles, in both English and Spanish, for the songs and the dialogue alike. The one difficulty about Gilbert and Sullivan’s effervescent musical souffles is the challenge they pose to audiences who want to savor every pun and triple rhyme on the fly. Supertitles make it all superbly accessible”

Joshua Kosman

SF Chronicle, February 25, 2024

Most Recent Collaborations:

UpSpark Productions is a new company composed of the very talented duo of Melissa Kargiannakis and Evan Berndt. I have been consulting and coaching them since late Spring of 2024, facilitating their premier workshop at San Francisco Conservatory of Music in January, 2025 of AI MESSIAH.

Performer

Cheryl Blalock is well-known in the Bay Area and in the Opera America community nationally as a strong and innovative leader in the musical arts, as well as a fine singer and stage director herself.