PERFORMANCE

Merkin Hall
New York Festival of Song: Brava Italia

Chelsea Morris, soprano
Julia Dawson, mezzo-soprano
Alec Carlson, tenor
Shea Owens, baritone
Steven Blier, Michael Barrett and Christopher Reynolds, piano

"Five young artists will take the audience on an exploration of Italian song, from the lyricism of the Romantic era into the sophisticated tone poems of the verismo era, paired with a wide array of music by Italian-Americans. The program includes songs, arias and ensemble pieces by Giuseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini, Ildebrando Pizzetti, Ferruccio Busoni, Alfredo Catalani, John Musto, John Corigliano, Dominick Argento and Harry Warren (the composer of 42nd Street, born Salvatore Guaragna)."

Hearing the way these singers use the human voice is amazing.  Last Thursday evening we went to a small recital of members of our choir at Marble Collegiate.  Our choir is filled with wonderful, performing, traveling singers.  They are all really good.  One mezzo soprano sang in about 5 styles with 5 different voices.  She sang as a pop singer, a Blue Grass singer,  a few other styles, and as an opera singer.  It is amazing the power that is produced when these trained singers kick it into their opera voice.  There is nothing else like it.

It was a full evening of Bel Canto singing.  It was pretty, beautiful, and fun.

The Merkin Hall is a small venue and the acoustics are good.

Interestingly, three of the four singers trained in Houston, Texas at Rice University.