An Afternoon of Opera
Rockland Center for the Arts (RoCA) joins with The Giulio Gari Foundation to present An Afternoon of Opera, featuring extraordinary voices and an elegant reception. The event will take place at the Morales Estate, home of Leslie Morales, in Palisades, NY on Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 4pm to 7pm. The reception will feature fine wine and delicious fare courtesy of Grandaisy Bakery, Manhattan’s premiere artisan bakeshop.
The performers represent the future of classical vocal artistry. An Afternoon of Opera features rising stars of the opera world, whose voices project energy and beauty. Those fortunate enough to attend will surely leave with breath-taking memories. Performers include Luigi Boccia, a tenor appearing at the Tampa Opera, Jessica Rose Cambio, a soprano and resident at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, Marianne Cope, a soprano appearing with the Dallas Symphony and Donovan Singletary, a baritone appearing at the Met Opera Young Artists Program. They will be accompanied by pianist Abdiel Vasquez.
The Mistress of Ceremonies is Korliss Uecker, a frequent presence at the Metropolitan Opera and an internationally renowned soprano. Musicologist and Rockland Opera Society President, Dr. Irwin C. Elkins, will share his memories of Giulio Gari. Stephen De Maio, Artistic Director of The Giulio Gari Foundation and President of The Gerd Lisser Foundation for singers, will be introducing the performers.
The Giulio Gari Foundation is built on the legacy of Giulio Gari, leading tenor of the Metropolitan Opera. Throughout his illustrious career Giulio always encouraged young opera artists. The Foundation is dedicated to mentoring and promoting opera singers (ages 21 to 35) as they launch their careers. It awards grants to young classical singers and introduces audiences to the rising stars of the Opera World.
Rockland Center for the Arts was founded in 1947 by a distinguished group of artists including Maxwell Anderson, Helen Hayes, Lotte Lenya & Kurt Weill. It is recognized for its cutting edge fine arts exhibitions and performances as well as its School for the Arts, Summer Arts Day Camp and Youth Arts-in-Education Program. RoCA is the heart of the Arts in Rockland County.
An Afternoon of Opera is a wonderful joint venture for two organizations dedicated to nurturing future artists.
Tickets are $75. All proceeds benefit Rockland Center for the Arts and The Giulio Gari Foundation. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
For more information or to make reservations please call RoCA (845) 358-0877.
Performers’ Bios
Donovan Singletary, Bass-Baritone, is in his second year with the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut as the 2nd Nazarene in Salome in the fall of 2008. He also made his Carnegie Hall debut in the fall of 2008 singing Mark Hayes’ Te Deum. Mr. Singletary is a Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals Winner. During the summer of 2009, he will sing the title role of Don Giovanni in Aspen, Colorado.
Jessica Rose Cambio, Lyric Soprano, made her professional debut singing Mimi in scenes from Puccini’s La Boheme with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She recently sang the title role in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. In Fall 2008, she began her residency at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, PA, where she will reprise the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor later this season. Most recently, she was selected as a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She will make her European debut as Mimi in La Boheme in Italy 2009.
Luigi Boccia, Tenor, spent most of his earlier life in Italy. He studied musicology at the University of Pavia with renowned tenor, Gianni Raimondi, a star of La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera. In the United States he has appeared in Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia. He has received an award from the Giulio Gari Foundation and a First Prize from the 2008 Gerda Lissner Foundation competitions.
Marianne Cope, Soprano, has been appearing in recent seasons to great critical acclaim and audience appeal alike. Her most recent highlight was winning the first prize in the 2007 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition. The Palm Beach Daily News described her as “a show stopper…sumptuous tone and beautiful pianissimo…exquisite control and extremely impressive vocalism.” Marianne has sung the Dallas Symphony and was soprano soloist for the world premiere of the John F. Kennedy Requiem at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Cope earned the Bachelor of Music degree from Indian University and her Master of Music degree from University of North Texas.