Ars Minerva

ABOUT US

Ars Minerva is a San Francisco-based, 501(c)(3) performing arts organization founded in 2013 by Céline Ricci. Its mission is to engage new audiences for classical music through innovative productions of Baroque operas.

Ars Minerva is dedicated to reviving forgotten music, collaborating with artists in the San Francisco Bay Area to bring these rare and captivating experiences to the diverse local community.

Since its inception, Ars Minerva has presented the modern world premieres of several long-forgotten Venetian operas in San Francisco:

March 2015: La Cleopatra, composed by Daniele da Castrovillari for the 1662 Venice carnival season.
May 2016: The Amazons in the Fortunate Isles, composed by Carlo Pallavicino in 1679.
September 2017: La Circe, composed by Pietro Andrea Ziani in 1665.
November/December 2018: Ifigenia in Aulide, composed by Giovanni Porta in 1738.
November 2019: Ermelinda, composed by Domenico Freschi in 1680.
November 2021: Messalina, composed by Carlo Pallavicino in 1679.
October 2022: Astianatte, composed by Leonardo Vinci in 1725.
October 2023: Olimpia Vendicata, composed by Domenico Freschi in 1681.

Ars Minerva has also collaborated with various Bay Area organizations, including Humanities West, The Museum of Performance + Design, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, and The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco.

In July 2017, Ars Minerva performed at the historic Lick Observatory as part of their Music of the Spheres concert series.

Additionally, Ars Minerva created "Baroque for Kids," an outreach program for high school students in collaboration with the Italian class at the Ruth Asawa School for the Arts.

CÉLINE RICCI - Founder / Executive Artistic Director

Céline is Ars Minerva's Founder / Executive Artistic Director. She stage directed Ars Minerva's productions La Cleopatra, The Amazons in the Fortunate Isles, La Circe and Ifigenia in Aulide, Ermelinda and Messalina.

Her recent staging of Carlo Pallavicino's Ermelinda garnered great critical praise: “Messalina was steamy, tuneful, and above all imaginative" San Francisco Classical Voice.

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. She recently directed Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans for the San Francisco Girls Chorus and By Georges! for The Lamplighters, gaining critical acclaim.

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.

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.