AVA Opera Blog

An Inside Look at AVA's 2017/2018 Opera Season

Welcome to the start of the Academy of Vocal Arts' 2017/2018 Opera season! To kick off this season, let's peel back the curtain and take an inside look at the stories that we can expect to see on the AVA stage in the coming months...

First up, Il trovatore! 

 

Gypsies, mysterious troubadours and hidden identities are just a few of the treats that this Verdi work offers up. Count di Luna is infatuated with the beautiful Leonora, who does not return his affections. Instead, she falls in love with the Count's rival, a troubadour who serenades Leonora and keeps his identity a secret. This rivalry sets in place a plot full of murder, mystery, and of course, tragic love. 

Angela Meade performed Leonora at the Metropolitan Opera in February 2016. Luis Ledesma sang the role of Count di Luna at Teatro de Bellas Artes in 2013. Indra Thomas as Leonora with the Arizona Opera and Austin Lyric Opera.

This production of Il trovatore will be conducted by Maestro Christofer Macatsoris and staged by Michael Scarola, who previously staged an AVA production of Anna Bolena.

Now that you are sufficiently enticed, come check out Il trovatore, opening on November 4th and running through the 28th! Performances in Center City, Buck's County (November 21 at Central Bucks South High School), and Haverford (November 28 at the Haverford School's Centennial Hall). 

 

Next up is the Wagner's iconic Das Rheingold! 

Since it's 1869 premiere, Wagner's Ring Cycle has been widely acknowledged as one of the greatest operatic works every composed. Join the crowd of Wagner enthusiasts that will descend upon the Helen Corning Warden Theatre in January 2018 to see this masterpiece! 

A story of gods, dwarfs, and Rhine maidens, Das Rheingold is a cautionary tale about the price of too much power. Rumored to have influenced J.R.R Tolkien's massive franchise The Lord of the Rings, Wagner's opera paints a picture of a dwarf named Alberich, who manages to come into possession of the Rhine gold, a ring that enables it's bearer to rule the world, but at a terrible cost. 

Many AVA Alumni have performed Das Rheingold over years, such as:

Nicole Piccolomini has performed the roles of Flosshilde, and Erda at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Oper Leipzig, respectively. Michael Fabiano has performed the role of Froh. 

Luke Housner will accompany the Resident Artists on piano.

 

Opening in February 2018 is Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss! 

This Strauss favorite tells the story of two troupes of musicians who arrive at a dinner party to be told that they must perform each of their acts simultaneously. The result is a colorful and mystical tale of Ariadne and how she meets and falls in love with the god Bacchus. 

Conductor David Aronson will be making his Philadelphia debut conducting the AVA Opera Orchestra in February and March of 2018! The last AVA Performance of Ariadne auf Naxos was during the 1992-1993 season, however many AVA Alumni have performed these roles throughout the years! Joyce DiDonato sang the role of Composer at the Metropolitan Opera in 2011. Richard Troxell performed as the Wig Master/Brighella. Daniel Mobbs has performed the role of Harlequin.

Prepare your wine glasses for the arrival of Ariadne auf Naxos in February 2018!

 

Closing out our AVA season will be Verdi's La traviata! 

Running from April 21-May 1, 2018, La traviata has endured the years as an opera classic. Plagued by sickness, Violetta finds love in Alfredo, but before long they are torn apart by betrayal. A "fallen woman", she is forced to abandon her lover, until the truth comes out and they are reunited, if only for a moment. 

This season Jeffrey Marc Buchman will return as stage director with Maestro Christofer Macatsoris leading the AVA Opera Orchestra. You may remember Mr. Buchman from his direction of recent AVA productions such as Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflöte. 

AVA Alumni are no stranger to these roles...

Stephen Costello and Michael Fabiano have sung Alfredo in productions at the Metropolitan opera. 

Daniel Mobbs sang the role of Baron Doupol in the 2015 Opera Philadelphia production, with current AVA Resident Artist Roy Hage.

Eric Dubin sang Il barone Doupohol in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's 2010 production.

 

AVA's season also includes annual favorites, such as the Giargiari Bel Canto competition, Russian Romances and Jubilate! 

There you have it, folks! AVA has a wonderful season lined up, so if you haven't already subscribed, what are you waiting for? Subscriptions are available now, and single tickets will be on sale starting Tuesday, September 5th! We look forward to seeing you at the opera! 

 

About the author: Caitlin McCarthy is the Administrative Associate at the Academy of Vocal Arts.  

Meet AVA's New Resident Artists!

Hello! Bonjour! Hola! Cześć!

AVA is very excited to welcome our seven new Resident Artists! These singers are coming to us from near and far, from the good old U.S of A to Québec, Mexico, Poland, and New Zealand. We know everyone is waiting anxiously to witness these new talents firsthand, so let's start some introductions! 

 

First up we have Alexandra Razskazoff, coming to AVA from New Brighton, Minnesota. Alexandra is a soprano who holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance from Peabody Conservatory and a M.M. in Vocal Performance from The Juilliard School. 

Previous roles include Musetta, La bohème; Miss Alden, Dinner at Eight, Britomarte, L'arbore di Diana, Wellgunde, Das Rheingold, all with Minnesota Opera; First Lady, Die Zauberflöte, Music Academy of the West and Juilliard Opera Theater; Contessa Almaviva, Le nozze di Figaro, Juilliard Opera Theater; Suor Angelica, Suor Angelica, The Amalfi Coast Summer Music Festival; Blanche de la Force, Dialogues des Carmélites, Donna Elvira, Don Giovanni, Abigail Williams, The Crucible, and L’Écureuil, L'enfant et les sortilèges, all with Peabody Conservatory Opera Theater.

Alexandra has also competed in competitions, taking 3rd Place in HGO's Eleanor McCollum Competition (2016), and 1st Place in Sylvia Green Voice Competition (2014)! 

We are thrilled to have Alexandra joining the soprano forces here at AVA, and can't wait for all of you to meet her! 

Next we have Gabriela Flores, mezzo-soprano, joining us from Mexico! Gabriela has performed many times with the Ópera de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, including roles such as Alisa, Lucia di Lammermoor; Maddalena, Il viaggio a Reims, and Gianetta, L'elisir d'amore.

Also coming to us from Mexico, meet Daniel Gallegos! Daniel is a baritone who hails from Chihuahua, Mexico, where he studied at the Conservatorio de Música de Chihuahua, Taller de Ópera de Sinaloa and Sociedad Internacional de Valores al Arte Mexicano. 

Previous roles for Daniel include Mr. Nohlan, The Medium; Baron Douphol, La traviata; Betto, Gianni Schicchi; and Papageno, Die Zauberflöte. 

¡Bienvenido Gabriela y Daniel! 

 

Meet Brent Michael Smith, bass, who is from Owosso, Michigan! Brent holds a B.M. from Hope College, and a M.M. from University of Northern Iowa. Brent has performed many roles in his career, including The Commentator, Scalia/Ginsburg, Ariodate, Serse, both at The Glimmerglass Festival; Ashby, La fanciulla del West, Friedrich Bhaer, Little Women, and Colline, La bohème, all with Michigan Opera Theatre; Dr. Grenvil, La traviata with Owensboro Symphony (KY) and Lafayette Symphony (IN); Harry Hopkins, A Woman in Morocco with Kentucky Opera. Coming up he will perform the God of Evil/Procrustes, Hercules vs Vampires with Arizona Opera. He also earned First Place in the Opera Grand Rapids Competition (2012).

 

Hailing from Pultusk, Poland, let's meet Lukasz Zientarski! A baritone who studied at The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Lukasz has perfomed as Don Magnifico, La Cenerentola at the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar. He has also competed and received First Degree Laureate in Salut International Performing Arts Web Competition, and Second Prize at III National Vocal Competition in Drezdenko. 

Witamy, Lukasz! 

Oliver Sewell is a tenor from Christchurch, New Zealand. He holds a B.M. from the University of Canterbury, and an M.M. from Manhattan School of Music. Oliver is no stranger to competitions; he is the Gerda Lissner Grant Award Winner (2017), Stan Sesser Career Award Winner (2016), Alan M. and Joan Taub Vocal Competition Finalist (2016), Lexus Song Quest Finalist (2015), and Kiri Te Kanawa Grant Recipient. 

Previous roles for Oliver include Ramiro, La Cenerentola, ARE Opera; Gastone, La traviata, New Jersey Festival Orchestra; Benoit, Le Roi l'a Dit, Danceny, The Dangerous Liaisons, Tamino, Die Zauberflöte, all with Manhattan School of Music Opera Studio; Ernesto, and Don Pasquale, Crested Butte Music Festival.

 

And last, but certainly not least, meet Pascale Spinney! A mezzo-soprano, Pascale is originally from Montréal, Québec, and has a B.M. and M.M. both from McGill University in Montreal. 

Previous roles for Pascale include Ruggiero (cover), Alcina, Santa Fe Opera; Cherubino, Le nozze di Figaro, Vancouver Opera; Hansel, Hansel and Gretel, Vancouver Opera; Clairon (cover), Cappriccio, Santa Fe Opera. She has participated in competitions such as the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions where she was a National Semi-Finalist (2017), the Mrs. Edgar Tobin National Award (2017), and the Vancouver Opera Foundation Kurt Sickert Scholarship (2016).

Bienvenue à l'Académie Pascale! 

 

There you have it folks, the new faces of AVA! Want to meet them in person? Join us at the New Artist Recitals on September 19th, and 21st to welcome them!

 

 

 About the author: Caitlin McCarthy is the Administrative Associate at the Academy of Vocal Arts.  

Where in the world are the AVA Resident Artists?

It's summer, so you know what that means - time to travel! This summer, AVA's Resident Artists and recent graduates are spread out across the globe performing new and classic works, and everything in between. Let's take a trip and check in on them, shall we? 

Before we leave, let's check in on a few of our artists who are staying close to home this summer. Marco Cammarota will be performing as the tenor soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts on July 25th, 2017! Information and tickets for this event can be found here.

 

 

Alexandra Nowakowski performed on June 4th with the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra at Verizon Hall. Here is a review of her performance! 

 

 

Just 147 miles away from the Academy of Vocal Arts, you will find tenors Jonas Hacker, Mackenzie Gotcher, and Alasdair Kent with bass Anthony Schneider as 2017 Filene Young Artists at Wolf Trap Opera. Here are a few things they will be working on:

Jonas Hacker recently performed as Roderick in The Fall of the House of Usher, and will next be seen as Young Man in Bastianello. You can read more about the upcoming performance here.

Mackenzie Gotcher and Anthony Schneider were just seen on stage as Mario Cavaradossi and Sacristan, respectively, in Puccini's Tosca. Here is a review of that performance.

Alasdair Kent and Anthony Schneider shared the Wolf Trap stage in Gioachino Rossini's The Touchstone, with Anthony singing Fabrizio and Alasdair singing Giocondo. You can check out a review of the performance here!

 

Speaking of world travelers, bass-baritone André Courville has been especially the globe-trotter this summer! André performed with Opera Lafayette in Washington D.C. and New York City, singing Don Alvar in les Indes Galantes. Here is a review of that performance. André has also performed internationally, most recently as Figaro in Le Nozze de Figaro at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe in Germany, and will next be jetting off to compete in Placido Domingo's Operalia, the world opera competition held in Astana, Kazakhstan from July 24-29th! Toi, toi, toi André! 

 

JoAna Rusche performed at Caramoor this summer as a Bel Canto Young Artist, and Piotr Buszewski sang Ernesto in Don Pasquale at Brevard Music Center!

 

 

Are you ready for some sun? Let's head down to Miami, where tenor Roy Hage just wrapped up singing the title role in Les Contes d'Hoffmann at the Miami Music Festival on June 29th and July 1st! Check out review of that performance here.This fall he returns home to perform as the Guest Tenor in "Our Three Tenors" Concert with the Ocean City Pops on September 3rd. We hope you saved some time to hit the beach this summer Roy! 

 

 

Buckle your seat belts and prepare for take-off folks, we're heading out to west to visit not one, not two, but FIVE AVA Resident Artists and recent grads! Let's see what they're up to! 

Performing as 2017 Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Singers are Meryl Dominguez, Nathan Milholin, Christopher Kenney, and Jorge Espino. You can find them singing on the following dates:

Thursday, July 6, 6:15 PM, Four Seasons Rancho Encantado
Tuesday, July 18, 7:00 PM, Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi
Thursday, July 20, 6:15 PM, Four Seasons Rancho Encantado
Wednesday, July 26, 6:30 PM, Santa Fe Plaza Bandstandartic
Sunday, July 30, 3:00 PM, Apprentice Concert at First Unitarian Church, Albuquerque

 

In addition to these four, you can find 2017 graduate baritone Jared Bybee hard at work covering the role of Steve Jobs in Santa Fe Opera's The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Click here to read more about this upcoming performance! 

 

While we're out west, let's drop in on Mezzo-Soprano Hannah Ludwig, who is spending the summer at Aspen Music Festival singing the role of Sesto in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. Tickets for those performances can be found here. 

 

We're not ready to come back home yet! First, a stop to see what bass-baritone Daniel Noyola is up to! Spending his summer in San Francisco, Daniel is a 2017 Artist at the Merola Opera Program. You can read about upcoming performances here!

 

Before we wrap up our virtual vacation, we must head to Des Moines, Iowa, where soprano Vanessa Vasquez made her debut this summer as Liù in Turandot! Check out a review of the performance here.

 

Our last AVA Resident Artist to visit is tenor John Matthew Myers, who just wrapped up a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at Berkshire Choral International. 

Congratulations to all of our talented Resident Artists and alumni! Stay tuned for news about the incoming class of AVA Resident Artists! 

 

It is never our intention to omit any AVA alumni or Resident Artists. If you notice any discrepancies, please contact [email protected].

About the author: Caitlin McCarthy is the Administrative Associate at the Academy of Vocal Arts.  

 

Follow AVA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

 

AVAbout the Opera - La bohème

“La più divina delle poesie è quella, amico, che c'insegna amare!”
(“The highest purpose of poetry is to teach us to love!”)
- La bohème, Giacomo Puccini

What is La bohème?

An opera in four acts composed by Giacomo Puccini. The opera premiered on February 1, 1896 in Turin, Italy. It is one of the most frequently performed and widely loved operas in the world.

AVA's first production of La bohème was in the 1962-63 season and it has been performed here nine times including roughly every five years since 1990. See below for information on some past AVA productions and some recent appearances by AVA alumni on stages around the world.

Meaning:

“La bohème” translates to “the bohemian.” Derived from the French, “bohemian” is referred to as a gypsy or someone socially unconventional who is often involved in the arts.

Composer:

Giacomo Puccini (full name: Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini). 

Composer Background:

Puccini (1858-1924) was an Italian composer whose work contributed largely to the traditional late-19^th-century romantic Italian opera. He has penned other important works such as Madama Butterfly (dramatic), Tosca (melodramatic), Gianni Schicchi (comedic) and Turandot (a queen who kills men for sport).

Opera Background:

The opera is based on the novel, La Vie de Bohème (Scenes of the bohemian) by Henri Murger written in 1851. The piece is a collection of interwoven stories that romanticize the bohemian life. Puccini wrote the music and the libretto, or lyrics, were written by Luigi Illica and Guiseppe Giacosa.

Setting:

The Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1840s. Sometimes a garret (top-floor, attic room) as well.

Characters:

Rodolfo, a poet

Mimì, a seamstress

Musetta, a singer

Marcello, a painter

Schaundard, a musician

Colline, a philosopher

Benoît, their landlord

Alcindoro, a state councillor

Parpignol, a toy vender

A customs Sergeant

Plot points:

1. Four bohemians live on insufficient costs but still manage to live life according to the bohemian 
truths: freedom, beauty, truth and love.

2. Rodolfo encounters Mimì and true love ensues (at first candlelight).

3. Mimì coughs violently (foreshadowing!).

4. Marcello and Musetta continue their on-again off-again romance, making them both crazy mad but eventually fall into each other’s arms.

5. It snows.

6. Rodolfo and Mimi part, his jealousy masking concern for her illness.

7. Spoiler Alert! Rodolfo and Mimì get back together in time for her to die peacefully in his arms.

Famous Hits from the Opera (click for YouTube videos):

“Che gelida manina” (“Your little hand is cold”) – Rodolfo’s tender aria upon meeting Mimì for the first time.

“Quando me’n vo” (also known as Musetta’s Waltz in Act II) – Musetta taunts a former lover flirtatiously.

“Donde lieta uscite” – Mimì’s final aria in which she reveals to Rodolfo that she is dying.

AVA and La bohème:

2005: Stephen Costello (’07) and Ailyn Pérez (’06) performed the roles of the two star-crossed lovers,Mimì and Rodolfo on stage at AVA. Seven years later, they reprised their roles for LA Opera. 

2010: Zach Borichevsky (’12) and Jan Cornelius (’11) sang the roles on AVA's Helen Corning Warden Theater stage. This past season, Mr. Borichevsky performed the role with the Finnish National Opera and Ms. Cornelius sang Musetta with Opera Birmingham (AL). Both Maria Aleida (’12) and Corinne Schaefer portrayed the role of Musetta while Steven LaBrie (’13) sang Marcello.

Mr. LaBrie will be performing the role of Schaunard in The Dallas Opera’s production of La bohème in late March 2015. Schaunard was sung by Norman Garrett and Ryan Kuster (’11). Colline was performed by both Scott Conner (’12) and Nicholas Masters (’11). Zachary Nelson (’13) sung the roles of Benoit/ Alcindoro and Viktor Antipenko (’12) portrayed the role of Parpignol.

Bryan Hymel (’08) and Michael Fabiano (’09) sang Rodolfo in the Zeffirelli production of La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera.

Last November, Eglise Guttierrez ('04), Burak Bilgili ('04), and current fourth-year Resident Artist William Davenport were featured in La bohème with Opera Naples (Florida).

Also last seasons, Corinne Winters ('11), Musa Ngqungwana ('14), Steven LaBrie ('13),and Christian Bowers ('13) sang La bohème with Washington National Opera.

Modern-day adaptations:

Moulin Rouge! directed by Baz Luhrmann, 2001

RENT! Jonathan Larson, 1996

La bohème on Broadway directed by Baz Luhrmann, 2002 featuring AVA alumni James Valenti, Jesus Garcia and Rebecca Garcia.

Breathe – Umphefumlo directed by Dornford-May and Pauline Malefane. This contemporary version of Puccini’s opera is set in South Africa. The score of the film will be played by an orchestra of marimbas and steel pans.

 

Samantha van Adelsberg is a Los Angeles native working in AVA's marketing department and managing the AVA Young Professionals group. Samantha holds two degrees from Binghamton University in English and Vocal Performance and is an active rock vocalist in the Philadelphia music scene.

 

Pass the cranberry...

It might be a little early for an American Thanksgiving, but who cares!

Started as a tradition while a Resident Artist at AVA, Angela Meade had thrown a Thanksgiving dinner at her abode for all her friends at AVA. We missed it last year while she was living in New York City, but since she has moved back to Philadelphia with her friend John Myers we all get to do Thanksgiving together again!

Angela is no slouch when it comes to cooking, she’s adventurous and also has a way with baking. If you ever had one of her Mystery Bars for dessert, you know what I mean. She had some help in the kitchen with post-cook preparations from alumus Luis Ledesma and AVA staffer José Meléndez.

This was a fun gathering of Resident Artists, music and admin staff, alumni and AVA lovers. Miss Meade did most of the cooking but everyone came bearing gifts from wine and pottery to bacon bourbon chocolate chip cookies. I was lucky to snag a bit of Angela's seven-pound-mac-and-cheese to take home with me, along with two mystery bars. The rest of the desserts were ‘donated’ to AVA on Monday (and, yes, they were all gone by the end of the day.)

 I asked Angela how the heck did she have time to do all of this and get ready for a sold out concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on November 10th, as well as singing a new role in Beatrice di Tenda by Bellini with The Collegiate Chorale at in New York City on December 5th …and she just giggled.

Spills happen, and this time we had a diva here to help clean up. Recent grad Michelle Johnson had no problems offering her services in helping out after a great meal.

When giving my thanks on this holiday, I am so grateful to have such wonderful friends from the AVA family in Philadelphia!

 
     

Milestones that make you feel good...

Once you enter the doors of AVA as a resident artist you become a member of our large, musical family. As in most families great milestones do happen, and here are a few that make us proud.

On Memorial Day weekend the nuptials of Michelle Johnson to Brian K. Major was the biggest event in Houston, well at least for AVA! Michelle and Brian met each other while students at Boston University Opera Institute and have been together ever since. The wedding brought in people all over the US, including many of the AVA family. Alum Cynthia Cook was a bridesmaid, Val Starr, our Dean of Students and her husband Dennis were at the wedding. Her gift to the bride was her bridal veil. Others from AVA who attended included board member Randy Apgar and his partner Allen Black, resident artist Zach Nelson, alum Nicholas Masters, and AVA patron Sheila Kessler.

In Philadelphia last week, there was a new addition to the AVA family. Baritone Jason Switzer (AVA 05) and his lovely wife, Lettie, gave birth to their first child, Lealah.  Jason writes on Facebook, “I welcomed the newest addition to the Switzer family on June 4th. She's gorgeous like her mother.” Only question left – is she a soprano or a mezzo-soprano?

Summer is the time for weddings, and on July 28th AVA alumna Jessica Julin (AVA 09) will marry her beloved Victor White in Maryland. After graduation from AVA, Jessica and Victor moved to Annapolis where they reside. I’m sure there will be an AVA presence there, so as they say, more to come. Jessica has just signed with Fletcher Artist Management, so look for lots of singing in her future.

One milestone which has a national tie to it is the one the one that bass Burak Bilgili (AVA04) received from his home country of Turkey. This year Burak received The Turkish Male Opera Singer of the Year Award from the Donizetti Classical Music Awards in Istanbul. Unfortunately he was not able to attend the awards ceremony since he was in the middle of the run of Nabucco for the Washington National Opera.

 

Where there is one, you will find many...

With the summer opera festivals upon us, many of you want more "bang for the buck", meaning the possibility of seeing more than one AVA alum or resident artist in the same location.

Here’s a quick rundown on where you’ll find a crop of AVA’ers!

For more information go to the AVA website and see the great date-by-date listings which
Amanda DeMarco put togther for you.

Des Moines Metro Opera
Can’t miss Eugene Onegin with Jan Cornelius, Cody Austin and Jane Shaulis
Stay the weekend and hear Zulimar López-Hernández as Zerlina in Don Giovanni,
and Joyce El-Khoury and John Viscardi in La Rondine.

Cincinnati Opera
For two nights only, La traviata with Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello

Wolf Trap Opera , Vienna, VA
Don Giovanni with Olivia Vote as Donna Elvira, and Ryan Kuster sharing the roles of Don Giovanni and Leporello (depending on what day you see the production).
Also there is soprano Corinne Winters, fresh from St. Louis Opera, to sing Anne Trulove in The Rake's Progress.

Opera Company of Middlebury, VT
AVA alums Colleen Daly and Branch Fields will sing in the rarely hear Thäis.

Glimmerglass Festival, Cooperstown, NY
Can’t miss Michelle Johnson making her debut as Aida, along with AVA alum Noah Stewart as Radames. Chrystal E. Williams will also be singing in Lost in the Stars.

Santa Fe Opera, New Mexico
A slew of AVA’ers will be in New Mexico for the season. Soprano Sydney Mancasola, mezzo Cynthia Cook, tenor Zach Borichevsky (singing the role of Matteoin Arabella), baritones Christian Bowers, Zachary Nelson,  and bass-baritone Christopher Remmel,  – now that’s a full house!

Caramoor Music Festival, New York
For one night only Eglise Gutiérrez and Burak Bilgili in I Capuleti i Montecchi.

Opera at Florham will have both soprano Chloé Moore and tenor Luigi Boccia singing the lovers in their production of L'elisir d'amore.

Angela Meade is doing triple duty with triple the alums!
Astoria Festival, Portland, OR with Ruth Ann Swenson in a concert version of Norma.
Blossom Summer Festival, Cleveland, OH with Michael Fabiano in concert.
Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga Springs, New York with Bryan Hymel in concert.

Want to stay close to Philadelphia and South Jersey?
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Mann Center with
Othalie Graham, Margaret Mezzacappa, Zach Borichevsky and Luis Ledesma.
Also hear Margaret as Azucena in Il Travatore at Opera New Jersey.

Get ready to travel!

And I was there... (part two)

Along with attending the Zachary Competition in Los Angeles, I was lucky enough to see several other AVA alums. I spent Friday evening with Kimberly Henshaw (AVA 06) and got to explore some of downtown LA with her close to the Disney Concert Hall. (pictured me and Kimberly Henshaw)

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I was able to see Alex Lawrence (AVA 11) and his beautiful fiancée Carin Gilfry, who were both covering roles in LA Philharmonic’s production of Don Giovanni. (pictured - Carin Gilfry and Alex Lawrence)

Sunday night included dinner with Ailyn Pérez, Stephen Costello, Bill Schuman, Thor Eckert and others, after the matinée performance of La bohème at LA Opera (which was sold out and also nationally broadcast).  Joining us at dinner, to my surprise, was American opera composer Jake Heggie. He has created many operatic roles for AVA alums including Joyce DiDonato and John Packard in Dead Man Walking, and Stephen Costello in his recently performed Moby Dick.

On my last night in Los Angeles, I was honored to give a lecture/video presentation to the Friends of Operetta in the Santa Monica area. Operetta has been my love for the past decade, and I have used many AVA singers in my concerts. I was happy to have the ability to show video clips of such AVA singers as Angela Meade, Bryan Hymel, Steven LaBrie, Ariya Sawdivong, Markus Beam, Evelyn Pollock, Eric Dubin and Kimberly Henshaw.

Was it a great trip?You bet!
Would I go back? Sure, only if I don’t have to drive the 405 Freeway!

And I was there... (part one)

As you know from the previous blog, I was planning to go to Los Angeles to attend many AVA related events in May. It was a busy week and most enjoyable seeing the resident artists and alums doing what they do best – sing!

Most of my time was spent with the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition events. Starting on Thursday evening, I was honored to be the host of a reception for stage director Tito Capobianco, who spoke and worked with the ten finalists from the competition. The insight he gave was invaluable to the young singers. He also worked with four of them on their arias with action tips, including AVA baritone Wes Mason. (pictured left to right - Viktor Antipenko, Tito Capobianco, Olivia Moore, Wes Mason, Chloe Moore, Scott Conner, Mackie MacLean, Nedra Zachery, Peter Huber)

Saturday was the actual competition. I had great company in the audience, including AVA Board Chairman, Mackie MacLean, AVA faculty members Bill Schuman and Thor Eckert, and AVA alums Ailyn Pérez, Stephen Costello and Alex Lawrence. All the singers did a wonderful job and AVA singers took the top prizes of first (Scott Conner, bass), second (Olivia Vote, mezzo-soprano), and third (Chloé Moore, soprano). (pictured left to right - Alex Lawrence, Scott Conner, Olivia Vote, Chloe Moore)

I attended the Judges Dinner that evening as Nedra Zahary’s guest. She is the founder  of this forty year old vocal competition. I had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people during the event who knew of the work AVA has been doing. In the program for the competition was a list of the past winners, and I counted twenty-four of them from AVA. (pictured - Me and Nedra Zachary)

The rest of the trip was filled with musical and AVA related adventures, but that’s for another blog!

The flowers that bloom in the spring...

Are not normally blooming indoors, unless you're at the most beautiful spot in the Philadelphia area, Longwood Gardens in Chester County. That’s where AVA held its gala, Viva la Voce! this year.

The famous Dupont Estate is now home to one of the most famous Botanical Gardens in the USA and  it happens to be in our back yard. This event is the culmination of months of planning and with the help of so many people, it was a fabulous evening.

A key part of the evening is, of course, music - and this year two spectacular alums came back to serenade the guests. Soprano Angela Meade and tenor Bryan Hymel graciously offered their voices and personalities to this event. Angela was just finishing up her performances at the Metropolitan Opera, and Bryan just ended a run of Rusalka at the Royal Opera House in London, and had a brief time before beginning rehearsals for Faust for Baltimore Lyric Opera.

It’s always a thrill for me to see the alums back on, as I say ‘home turf’. Bryan had not been back to Philly in a few years, and brought with him his most beautiful and talented wife, Irini. (Through Facebook I found out that Irini made her Royal Opera debut this season as well). It was old home week with vocal coaches Danielle Orlando, Richard Raub, David Lofton and Laurent Philippe accompanying the artists during the concert. Many of the resident artists serenaded during the dinner.

The dinner was awash in green with live flowers at the height of their beauty. During the event AVA  paid tribute to Jeannine Cowles (AVA ’50) who recently endowed the Music Director Chair in honor of Maestro Macatsoris, and to the Davis family in honor of Sally Paxson Davis, our past president and grand-daughter of the founder of AVA, Helen Corning Warden. (photo of Jeannine Cowles, seated and Maestro Macatsoris, standing)

I was lucky enough to help with both the silent and live auctions with the help of Lindsey Crane. Our live auctioneer, for the third time was TV star of Antiques Roadshow, Alasdair Nichol.