Smiley LIVE! Presents: Vineyard Touring Opera Company
Tuesday, January 9, 7:30 PM
The Contemporary Club
This free public event is part of the Smiley LIVE! concert series. It’s family-friendly, with a Q&A segment where young and old alike can ask the performers questions about their music, their performance, and anything else they may be curious about.
Vineyard Touring Opera Co. is a non-profit, charitable 501(c)3 corporation established to promote the unique art of the opera and provide opportunities for talented singers, from professionals expanding their repertoire by trying out new roles, to serious amateurs seeking performance opportunities, to young and aspiring talent. It is dedicated to engaging new audiences of live opera with fully staged performances, recitals, lectures, and demonstrations.
Music includes:
“Porgi, amor” from The Marriage of Figaro composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
performed by Christa Stevens
“Fin ch’han del vino” from Don Giovanni composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
performed by Aliseo Zari
“Belle nuit, ô nuit d’amour” from Tales of Hoffman composed by Jacuqes Offenbach
performed by Christa Stevens and Sherry Kaplan
“Nedda! Silvio equestera” from Pagliacci composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo
performed by Christa Stevens and Aliseo Zari
“Vesti le Giubba” from Pagliacci composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo
performed by Marco Lozano
“O soave sia il vento” from Cosi fan tutte composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
performed by Christa Stevens, Sherry Kaplan & Aliseo Zari
“È amore un ladroncello” from Cosi fan Tutte composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
performed by Sherry Kaplan
“O Mimi tu piu’ non torni” from La Boheme composed by Giacomo Puccini
performed by Marco Lozano and Aliseo Zari
“Nessun dorma” from Turandot composed by Giacomo Puccini
performed by Marco Lozano
Finale from Act I of Cosi fan Tutte composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
performed by Christa Stevens, Sherry Kaplan, Marco Lozano, Aliseo Zari
Accompanist Lara Urrutia
About the Performers:
Christa Stevens (lyric soprano), has been noted as possessing “a remarkably clear soprano voice with excellent control…” – Nancy Davidian for Singerpreneur and is increasingly in demand as an international artist. She is regularly featured as a soloist for oratorios, cantatas, concerts, and operas with numerous notable organizations. Additionally, she performs with Marco & Marie, a popular duo with tenor Marco Antonio Lozano. She is the Vize Obfrau of the Opera on Tap Vienna Chapter and Verein.
Sherry Kaplan, mezzo, graduated from Towson State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music. Some of her fondest musical memories are singing at Carnegie Hall, at a Presidential Inauguration and at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She has performed in “Cosi fan Tutti”, “Cavalleria Rusticana”, “Tosca”, “Orpheus ed Eurydice”, “Amahl and the Night Visitors”, “The Mikado”, “H.M.S. Pinafore”, “Suor Angelica”, “Die Fledermaus”, Gianni Schicchi, “Aida”, Golondrina”, “Otello”, “Hansel and Gretel” and “Faust”. Currently she sings with NOVA Vocal Ensemble, the Long Beach Camerata, and at Whittier First United Methodist Church.
Marco Antonio Lozano (Tenor): Marco Antonio Lozano is a tenor of international renown. He has performed extensively in Germany and Austria and has shared the stage with the late Grace Bumbry. Mr. Lozano was a recital curator and performed for Gore Vidal. He holds a Master of Music degree from USC.
Aliseo Zari (Baritone): Eliseo Zari, has performed in numerous venues in Southern Cal, New York, across the United States and abroad in Europe. He has been hailed by the Glendale News Press as “a brilliant song interpreter – world class clarity who has the brass and the goods to excite exceedingly.” Past lead roles include Puccini’s La Boheme and Turandot, Macagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana, L’elisir d’amore; Verdi operas Rigoletto, Un ballo en Maschera, La Traviata, and Aida to name a few.
Lara Urrutia (pianist): Debuting as soloist with orchestra at the age of eleven, Lara has appeared over a dozen times with symphony orchestras in the Los Angeles region. Dr. Urrutia graduated with honors from USC’s Thornton School of Music with a degree in Keyboard Collaborative Arts, an academic field in Music Teaching and Learning, and minor fields both in Early Music and Arts Leadership. She cur-rently heads the collaborative piano department at the University of Redlands Conservatory of Music where she has served on the piano faculty since 2007.
https://www.vtopera.org/