An AVA caravan journeyed to the Big Apple on Sunday, November 22 to hear tenor Stephen Costello sing at Avery Fisher Hall. He is the 2009 winner of the Richard Tucker Award from the Richard Tucker Foundation and that evening was their concert and black-tie gala.
He was in amazing operatic company, including AVA alum James Morris. The New York Times mentioned that his singing of Ella mi fu rapita! from Verdi’s Rigoletto had “elegant tone and ardent feeling.” He was joined later in the program by soprano Anna Netrebko for the Act II finale of La traviata. Look for the combination of Netrenko and Costello in future opera productions – but I can’t let that cat out of the bag yet.
Along with the AVA bus of twenty-eight opera lovers, many AVA’ers went on their own, including Steven LaBrie, Corrine Winters, alums Ailyn Perez, Bryan Hymel, Joyce El-Khoury, Luis Ledesma, and AVA staff members Danielle Orlando and Denise Stuart.
There was a very quick meet-and-greet following the concert before Mr. Costello headed off to the black-tie gala. Sam Ramey somehow found himself in a photo with James Morris and Stephen Costello and has heard to exclaim “What! Two more singers from AVA!” Watch out, Mr. Ramey, we’re all over the place!
You can hear Mr. Costello in the Chicago Lyric Opera’s new production of The Merry Widow from December 5 to January 16.
Photo #1 - Maria Forte, JoAnne DiSanto, Stephen Costello, Matthew Drodz
Photo #2 - Sam Ramey, Stephen Costello, James Morris Photo #3 - Stephen Costello, Randy Apgar, Allen Black
Photo #4 - laren Pitcairn, Stephen Costello, Peggy and Bob Lyon
Photo #5 - AVA bus travellers
*Many thanks to Toni Forte for the pictures!
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