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Date: September 20, 2002
Rochester Opera Factory Presents Cavalleria Rusticana In Full Production
Rochester, NY —
Following on the success of the sold-out performances of The Mikado in June, Rochester Opera Factory is preparing to present Pietro Mascagni’s one-act opera of illicit love, lust, and revenge, Cavalleria Rusticana, this November. Guest Artistic Director/Conductor Gerard Floriano has planned the one-act opera as a two-act presentation, with the first act dedicated to telling the story and describing and demonstrating the musical development of the opera. It will be sung in Italian with supertitles.
“Adding supertitles is a work-in-progress,” explained ROF President and Executive Director Kristen Kessler. “It is just one of the initiatives we are planning as we move from concert presentations to offering full-scale opera productions with sets, lighting, costumes and orchestral accompaniment.” Historically, the addition of supertitles has changed the way people view and enjoy opera, bringing a greater understanding and appreciation to larger audiences. Their addition is another step in the continuation of ROF’s mission to help more people understand and love opera.
The production is directed by Jack Langerak, Director of Young Audiences of Rochester, and frequent stage director locally. The Guest Coach/Accompanist for ROF for this production is Don Kot, well known to Rochester audiences through his recent work at GEVA as Music Director for the recent hit production of Convenience.
Cavalleria Rusticana performances are scheduled for Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23 at 8 P.M. at the University of Rochester’s River Road Auditorium. The River Road Auditorium (formerly St. Agnes High School) is located at 290 East River Road, near Kendrick Road. General Admission tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door; student tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door. You may call the ROF office at 585-473-6567 or view the website at www.operafactory.org for more information.
The Rochester Opera Factory 2002-2003 season includes also:
Sunday, September 29: Greater Rochester Choral Consortium Prism Concert **FREE ADMISSION**
ROF will perform “Regina Coeli” from our fall production, Cavalleria Rusticana, in this 1-hour concert of twelve of Rochester’s choral groups at 4 PM in the Eastman Theatre.
Sunday, October 27: ROF Master Class Series – Master Class with Steven Daigle **FREE ADMISSION**
Featuring members of ROF in ensembles, Steve Daigle will coach and advise on stage presentation and interpreting opera into appropriate actions and body motions, at 6:30 PM at First Baptist Church of Rochester.
Sunday, January 19: Ensemble Performance **FREE ADMISSION**
ROF Recital Series, featuring members of ROF in ensembles from operas’ greatest moments at 3 PM at First Baptist Church of Rochester.
Saturday, March 1: Benefit Recital
Rochester Opera Factory Benefit Performance
Features Local Professional Musicians
Rochester, NY—
Four luminaries from the local music scene will star at the third annual Rochester Opera Factory benefit performance, “An Evening of Elegant Opera,” to be held on Saturday, March 1 at 7 PM in the music room of the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Ave.
Allyn Van Dusen, mezzo-soprano, Linda Nourie Foster, soprano, and Mario Martinez, baritone, will sing, accompanied by Cary Ratcliff at the piano. Mr. Ratcliff, a musician and composer, also is the Guest Artistic Director and Conductor for the ROF spring production entitled “Opera 101: Making a Scene” on May 16 and 18.
There will be a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception following the performances. Constellation Brands and Expressions Florist are reception sponsors.
The benefit will celebrate the successes enjoyed by the Rochester Opera Factory ensemble in 2002, which included full productions of Mikado and Cavalleria Rusticana. The latter was performed with a full orchestra, complete set, and supertitles created by ROF members. ROF was able to secure a backdrop which was hand painted in Milan and created especially for the opera.
Proceeds from their performances on March 1 will benefit Rochester Opera Factory, a not for profit organization with a mission to entertain and provide performance education to its audiences.
Tickets for the benefit are $50 per person, $90 per couple. There is a limit of 100 tickets available. For an additional donation of $50, patrons will receive one copy of each of the full-color, 8.5 inch X 11 inch posters created for ROF’s two 2002 performances; The Mikado and Cavalleria Rusticana. For information, please call the ROF Office at 585-473-6567 or the ROF website at www.operafactory.org.
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Biographies and photos attached, 8X10 glossy original photos available upon request.
Allyn Van Dusen
Mezzo-Soprano
Allyn Van Dusen, mezzo soprano, is a versatile singer-actor who performs frequently in the Rochester area, having appeared to critical acclaim on many stages in opera and music theatre, numerous song recitals, and orchestral and chamber music concerts, displaying a broad repertoire of great vocal music. She has been a featured soloist on distinguished concert series presented by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rochester Oratorio Society, Opera Rochester, Madrigalia, the Eastman School of Music, Hochstein Music School, Fortissimo!, Strong Museum, the Memorial Art Gallery, the Society for Chamber Music of Rochester, Penfield Symphony, Finger Lakes Symphony, Equinox Symphony, and many others. She earned a Master’s in voice with Performer’s Certificate at the Eastman School of Music, in the studio of renowned performer and teacher, Jan DeGaetani. Allyn has been on the voice faculty at Hochstein since 1992, and is a founding member of the Rochester Vocal Arts Collaborative. As a church soloist for over 25 years, she has an extensive sacred song repertoire, and has released two CDs on the SongBurst record label (www.songburst.net). She recently won the Audience Prize in the first ever global internet-based art song competition, CyberSing 2002, accompanied by Cary Ratcliff.
Linda Nourie Foster
Soprano
Linda Nourie Foster, soprano, has performed with San Francisco Opera, Geva Theatre Center, Berkeley Contemporary Opera, Opera Rochester, Hesperian Ensemble, Genesee Valley Orchestra & Chorus, Irondequoit Chorale, Downstairs Cabaret, and the Jewish Community Center. Her stage roles include Sally Bowles (Cabaret), Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady), Anna (The King & I), Ann Trulove (Rake’s Progress), and Cunegonde (Candide) among others. She has given song recitals on Live from Hochstein, Hochstein Spotlight on Faculty, Strong Museum’s Making American Music series, Nazareth College, and numerous performances of classic American songs throughout the Northeast. Formerly on the Hochstein voice faculty, she now maintains a large private studio, and is a founding member of the Rochester Vocal Arts Collaborative. A voice performance major at UCLA/SFSU, Linda studied further with San Francisco Opera, Ruth Falcon of Mannes School of Music and Dale Moore of the Eastman School.
Mario Martinez
Baritone
Baritone Mario Martinez made his United States operatic debut in 1998 with the Rochester Philharmonic production of Beethoven’s Fidelio, in the role of Don Pizarro, and has sung many other operatic roles. During his professional career, Mr. Martinez has appeared with the Charleston Symphony, the Fredonia Chamber Players, the National Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras of Santo Domingo, the New Eastman Symphony, the Eastman Philharmonia, Opera Rochester, the Orchard Park Chorale and Symphony, Buffalo Opera Theater, Opera de las Americas and Compania Lirica Dominicana. He has sung under Robert Shaw, Raffaele Ponti, David Effron, and Robert Bernhardt, among many others. Mr. Martinez’s performances of the character Bohechio in the world premier production of the opera 1492 by Antonio Braga were recorded and released under the label Bon Giovanni International in 1992. That same year, he was nominated for the prestigious “Cassandra Awards” as Best Classical Singer. In 1995 he was the winner of the “Young Communicator of the Year 1995 Award” as Best Classical Singer, given by the Catholic Association of Communicators and Journalists in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Besides performing professionally, Mr. Martinez teaches voice and serves as Head of the Voice Area and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at Nazareth College of Rochester and a Visiting Professor of Voice at SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia, NY, for this fall 2002. He is also Music Director and Coordinator of the Summer School of the Arts Musical Theater Program at Nazareth College. He has previously taught at SUNY Fredonia and the Eastman School of Music Community Education Division.
Cary Ratcliff
Composer/Conductor/Pianist
Cary Ratcliff, a native of California, has been a composer, conductor and pianist in Rochester for many years. He has served several seasons on the Eastman School of Music Collegiate Faculty in both the Conducting and Composition Departments, conducting dozens of programs with the Musica Nova Ensemble and Graduate Chamber orchestra. He has served as Chorus Master for several Opera Theatre of Rochester productions, and has directed church choral programs most of his adult life; he is currently Music Director at Pittsford 1st Presbyterian Church. He studied conducting at the Eastman School of Music with David Effron, where he also accompanied in the voice studio of Jan DeGaetani, and earned a Doctorate in Composition. He has played Orchestral Keyboards with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra since the 70s. Cary is a composer of numerous vocal works: arts songs, choral works, opera and oratorio, as well as instrumental works, including sound tracks for the National Air and Space Museum and other planetariums, including the Strasenburgh Planetarium of the Rochester Museum and Science Center. His opera Ellis Island has been described as “a major one act opera”-(Leonard Treash, Director Eastman Opera,) and “very musical, vital, and vocally intelligent”-(Donald Jenkins, Director Colorado Opera Festival.) Cary was recently heard interviewed on WXXI’s FM radio series on local composers.
Sunday, April 6: ROF Master Class Series – Master Class with Damita Peace**FREE ADMISSION**
Featuring members of ROF, Damita Peace will coach stage makeup, at 6:30 PM at First Baptist Church of Rochester.
Friday & Saturday, May 16 & 17: “Making a Scene”
Continuing ROF’s plan to help more people understand and appreciate opera, ROF will present progressive scenes from the operas L’elisir d’amore by Donizetti (Setting the Stage,) Gianni Schicchi by Puccini (Involving the Players,) L’italiana in Algeri by Rossini (The Plot Thickens,) Un ballo in maschera by Verdi (The Good Death,) and Guillaume Tell by Rossini (Wrapping up the Details.) In this invention of Guest Artistic Director/Conductor and local composer Cary Ratcliff, the musical form of opera is exposed in a unique and creative way. A performance not to be missed! Further details are TBA.
Sunday, June 8: Ensemble Performance **FREE ADMISSION**
ROF Recital Series, featuring members of ROF in ensembles from operas’ greatest moments at 3 PM at First Baptist Church of Rochester.
Date: July 19, 2002
Rochester Opera Factory Announces Auditions For Cavalleria Rusticana
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory announces AUDITIONS for their fall production of Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni. The auditions will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2002 from 10 AM to 12 noon, at First Baptist Church, 175 Allens Creek Road (at the corner of Clover Street) in Rochester. Auditions are being held for all roles in the opera and for new additions to the chorus. Call Kristen Kessler at 473-6567 for audition appointment and more information. Be prepared to perform a solo, and bring an extra copy of music for the accompanist.
ROF will be performing a full production of Cavalleria Rusticana, in Italian, on November 22 & 23 at the Cutler Union Ballroom of the Memorial Art Gallery, under the Artistic Direction of Gerard Floriano. Stage Director for this production is Jack Langerak, and Coach/Accompanist is Don Kot.
Rochester Opera Factory is not your run-of-the-mill opera company. Starting its fourth season, the not-for-profit organization has quickly become a premier choral group in the Rochester area. Productions are 100% local; all singers in operas and ensembles are volunteer musicians from the Rochester community.
This June, ROF performed its first fully staged production, The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan, including costumes, sets, and orchestra, to a sold out crowd at the Memorial Art Gallery Auditorium. Before that production, ROF had presented only concert versions of operas and opera choruses and ensembles. ROF seeks to provide opportunities for the Rochester community to understand and appreciate opera more fully by making the art form accessible, understandable, and fun.
Additional details can be found on the web at www.operafactory.org.
Date: June 10, 2002
Rochester Opera Factory Ends Season
With Free Concert
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory will be closing out their third season with a free performance of opera ensembles at Gates Presbyterian Church, 1049 Wegman Road, on Thursday, June 20, at 8 PM. Donations will be accepted to benefit ROF’s educational mission. Music will include selections from Der Rosencavalier by Richard Strauss, Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni by W.A. Mozart, La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi, and Lakmé by Léo Delibes, among others. Joanna Hughes will accompany the singers in performance.
Rochester Opera Factory had a spectacular success with two nearly sold-out and very enthusiastic crowds at Gilbert and Sullivan’s favorite, The Mikado, this past weekend in the Memorial Art Gallery Auditorium. The 30-member chorus was conducted by Dean Ekberg this spring and directed by Thomas Bohrer in the recent full production, ROF’s first.
Mr. Ekberg, who appears frequently in area venues as guest conductor for local music theater productions, teaches choral and vocal music in the Gates Chili Central School District and is the Director of Music at Gates Presbyterian Church. He has coached the ROF singers for this performance.
For more information and tickets, visit ROF’s website, www.operafactory.org or call 716-473-6567.
Date: May 8, 2002
Rochester Opera Factory presents
The Mikado
In an All-New Production
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory will present the Gilbert and Sullivan favorite, The Mikado, fully staged and in costume, at 8 P.M. on Friday, June 7, and Saturday, June 8, in the Memorial Art Gallery Auditorium.
The 30-member chorus is being conducted by Dean Ekberg and directed by Thomas Bohrer. The performances of The Mikado will be accompanied on piano by Joanna Hughes and a small orchestra of local musicians. This will be the group’s first fully staged production, complete with costumes and minimal sets.
This performance is funded in part by a grant from the New York State Legislature, New York State Council on the Arts, and Arts & Cultural Council for Greater Rochester. Additional funding is being provided by a grant from the Rochester Area Community Foundation.
Mr. Ekberg, who appears frequently in area venues as guest conductor for local music theater productions, teaches choral and vocal music in the Gates Chili Central School District and is the Director of Music at Gates Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Bohrer, a Gilbert and Sullivan fan from early childhood, has been active for more than 40 years in theater in the Rochester area as an actor, designer and director with community, professional and educational groups.
Tickets are $10 in advance from ROF (473-6567,) $12 at the door and $5 for students. For more information and tickets, visit ROF’s website, www.operafactory.org or call 716-473-6567.
Rochester Opera Factory will conclude their third season with a free performance of ensembles from opera’s greatest moments on at 8 PM on Thursday, June 20, at Gates Presbyterian Church, 1049 Wegman Road. (Donations will be accepted to continue ROF’s educational mission.)
Date: April 3, 2002
Rochester Opera Factory Hires Three Guest Conductors
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory has hired three prominent local musicians as Guest Artistic Directors/Conductors for the remainder of 2002 and for spring 2003. Dean Ekberg, Gerard Floriano and Cary Ratcliff will each direct the 40-member chorus in the “Story in Song” format that features highlights from well-known operetta and opera favorites.
Dean Ekberg has chosen The Mikado for the ROF spring 2002 production with performances on Friday, June 7 at St. Steven’s Episcopal Church, 350 Chili Ave., and on Saturday, June 8, in the Memorial Art Gallery Auditorium. Both performances are at 8 P.M.
Mr. Ekberg teaches choral and vocal music in the Gates Chili Central School District and is the Director of Music at Gates Presbyterian Church. He appears frequently as guest conductor for All County Choruses and for local musical theater productions. He was the 2001 recipient of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Musicians’ Award for Outstanding Music Educators: Choral Music.
Gerard Floriano, director of choral activities and assistant professor of Music at the State University of New York College of Arts and Science at Geneseo, will direct the fall 2002 performances of ROF in “Cavalleria Rusticana.”
Mr. Floriano also serves as the music director of the Greater Buffalo Youth Orchestra and as the summer director of choral music and resident conductor at Brevard Music Center, Brevard, N.C. He has appeared as guest conductor with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and with other area orchestras.
Cary Ratcliff, Rochester conductor, composer and musician, has signed on for the ROF spring 2003 program. He brings wide experience in musical preparation for opera productions including the Opera Theater of Rochester productions of Madam Butterfly and Die Fledermaus, chorus master and musical preparation for Amahl and the Night Visitors sponsored by the Penfield Symphony and directed by Leonard Treash.
Mr. Ratcliff is perhaps best known locally as a composer of music as diverse as art songs, hymns, operas, and oratorios, as well as instrumental works, including sound tracks for the National Air and Space Museum and other planetariums.
For information about joining the ROF chorus or about the concert schedule, you may contact ROF president Kris Kessler at 585-473-6567 or [email protected], or check the ROF website at www.operafactory.org.
Date: April 3, 2002
Master Class with Pianist/Coach/Accompanist Sylvie Beaudette
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory, continuing with their mission to both educate audiences about opera and educate singers into better performers, is sponsoring a Master Class with highly acclaimed pianist, coach, and accompanist Sylvie Beaudette on April 13 from 1-3 PM at Hochstein Music School’s Taylor Hall. The class is free and open to the public and all students and supporters of local vocal performance are encouraged and welcome to come. Call Kristen Kessler at 473-6567 for more information.
Born in Québec, pianist, coach, and accompanist Sylvie Beaudette has built through the years a diversified career as collaborative artist, vocal and chamber music coach, soloist, and teacher. She has performed in Canada, USA and Switzerland with several artists and groups including the International Workshops, the Arizona State University Chamber Orchestra and the McGill Chamber Singers. A graduate from the Eastman School of Music with a doctorate in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music, Sylvie Beaudette has been a full-time faculty member at Syracuse University, and at California State University, Chico where she created an undergraduate program in Piano Accompanying for the Music Department. She recently worked at the Eastman School of Music as Visiting Assistant Professor of Vocal Literature and is currently Assistant Professor of Chamber Music and Accompanying at the same institution. Author of “Do you teach voice? or the Grey Area of Vocal Coaching,” published in MTNA’s American Music Teacher, Feb.-March 2000 issue, Sylvie has extensive experience as a vocal coach and collaborator with many local and internationally known musicians.
Date: February 12, 2002
Rochester Opera Factory Benefit Features Robert Swensen & Benton Hess
Rochester, NY —
Internationally acclaimed musicians Robert Swensen, tenor, and Benton Hess, pianist, will share the stage at a Rochester Opera Factory benefit performance on Saturday, March 2 at 7 P.M. at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14610. Joining them in the program will be Sarah Minkler, soprano, and Munenori Sugetani, baritone.
Mr. Swensen, who was appointed professor of voice at the Eastman School of Music in the fall of 2001, is a noted Mozart and bel canto specialist. He has appeared as guest artist with major opera companies including Stuttgart, Teatro La Fenice-Venice, Bayreuth, the Bavarian State Opera-Munich, the Berlin State Opera, the Opera-Comique-Paris, the Grande Theatre-Geneva and the Vienna State Opera. Among his many appearances in the United States, he sang the role of Ferrando in Cosi fan Tutte at Opera Pacific in Southern California and at the Santa Fe Opera. His extensive recording successes include performances for Phillips and Deutsche Grammophon. A CD of Lieder by Schumann recorded with pianist Paul Fan is ready for release.
Pianist Benton Hess, also noted as a conductor and composer, is Distinguished Professor of Voice (Senior Coach) and Musical Director of Eastman Opera Theatre and Musical Director of Eastman Opera Theatre at the Eastman School of Music. He has toured throughout the United States and Europe as pianist/accompanist and master class clinician. For the past 35 years he has maintained a coaching studio with a clientele that has included Rene¢e Fleming, Eleanor Steber and Nicolai Gedda. He has written two operas. Felice was commissioned and performed by Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. His second opera, Full Circle, has been commissioned and will be premiered in April of 2003.
Proceeds from their performances on March 2 will benefit Rochester Opera Factory, a not for profit organization with a mission to entertain and provide performance education to its audiences.
Tickets at $40 per person, $75 per couple, are available by calling 585-473-6567. A wine and hors d’oeuvres will follow the performance.
Rochester Opera Factory presents
All-Verdi – All the Time
Rochester, NY —
Following last spring’s performance at the Cole Porter extravaganza with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and their sold-out performance of Die Fledermaus in May, Rochester Opera Factory opens its third season with a performance of staged selections called Viva Verdi! The group is looking forward to presenting choruses and ensembles from Verdi’s best-known and most obscure operas. ROF is the one of the few musical groups in the Rochester area to celebrate the centennial of Verdi’s death.
ROF has quickly become the premier choral group in the Rochester area. Directed by internationally acclaimed conductor Raffaele Ponti and accompanied by Canadian pianist and coach Isabelle Aubin, the group has developed a finely tuned blend of voices. ROF makes opera fun and accessible to the general public by using a format called “Sing Me a Story(TM),” unique to the group and trademarked by Maestro Ponti, who provides the words between music selections to set the stage, fill out the characters, and tell the story.
ROF is committed to using exclusively local performers – singers of professional caliber, most of whom make their living in other ways. ROF strives for continuous improvement, developing both repertoire and vocal technique through regular master classes and coaching.
The Saturday, January 26th performance will take place at the Monroe Community College Theater at 8 PM. Tickets are $10 in advance from ROF (473-6567,) $12 at the door and $5 for students. As has become traditional with ROF performances, the ticket price includes a post-concert reception with light refreshments. The Viva Verdi! performance will also be given on Friday, January 25th at Nazareth Academy, 1001 Lake Avenue, at 7:30 PM, to benefit the Nazareth Music Department. The young women of Nazareth are raising money to fund an exchange trip to an all-boys high school in Philadelphia. Tickets for this performance at the same prices are additionally available from Nazareth Academy (647-8726.)
For more information and tickets, visit ROF’s website, www.operafactory.org or call 716-473-6567.
Master Class with World-Renowned Bass Thomas Paul
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory, continuing with their mission to both educate audiences about opera and educate singers into better performers, is sponsoring a Master Class with world-renowned bass Thomas Paul on October 20 from 1-3 PM at Hochstein Music School’s Taylor Hall. All students and supporters of local vocal performance are encouraged and welcome to come. Admission is $10. Call Kristen Kessler at 473-6567 for more information.
Thomas Paul, one of Rochester’s most acclaimed and well-known musicians, began his career as a boy soprano in Chicago. Since becoming a bass, he has appeared frequently with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and virtually every other major symphony orchestra and music festival in the US and Canada, as well as with the Rochester Philharmonic and Rochester Chamber Orchestras. His operatic engagements have included roles with New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Houston Opera, Florida Grand Opera, New Orleans Opera, Washington Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Opera Rochester. Mr. Paul recently retired after twenty-seven years as Professor of Voice at the Eastman School of Music, with an appointment as Senior Faculty Associate in Voice.
Rochester Opera Factory, directed by Raffaele Ponti and accompanied by Isabelle Aubin, has quickly become the premier choral group in the Rochester area. Productions are 100% local; all singers in operas and ensembles are drawn from the larger chorus. ROF seeks to provide opportunities for the Rochester community to understand and appreciate opera more fully by making the art form accessible, understandable, and fun.
Additional details can be found on the web at www.operafactory.org.
Greater Rochester Choral Consortium presents
“The Quilt of Many Colors”
Rochester, NY —
Several local choral groups can be heard in their first concert of the season on Friday, October 12th, at 7:30 PM at Salem United Church of Christ at 60 Bittner Street in Rochester (at St. Paul and the Inner Loop). This concert is a collaboration of the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium, whose aim is to make a wide variety of quality choral music accessible to the Rochester community. Participating will be Rochester Opera Factory, Women of Note, The Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, and the Honeoye Falls Community Chorus. Paul Stuart, local composer and Director of Music at Salem Church, will act as the Master of Ceremonies. There is no admission charge for the performance.
The theme of the concert is “The Quilt of Many Colors”. Those who saw the Geva production of Quilters last season, or who have seen or contributed to the AIDS quilt can appreciate that the whole of the quilt is more than the sum of its parts. This is no less true for music than for fabric. The crazy quilt is a wonderful variety of textiles as our musical quilt is a wonderful variety of musical styles performed by choral groups from the Rochester community.
The Greater Rochester Choral Consortium is a forum that brings together community choral groups to work together for awareness and cooperation of choral arts groups in the Greater Rochester area. The concert will showcase the variety of music performed throughout the county by a great number of community choral groups, and highlight the quality vocal organizations in our community. Last fall’s GRCC Choral Kaleidoscope performance at the Eastman Theatre saw over 1000 voices singing together as the almost 20 groups collaborated on a final song.
For more information, visit the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium’s website, http://rochchoralconsortium.org/grcc/grcc2.html or call 716-473-6567 or 716-385-2404.
Rochester Opera Factory presents Die Fledermaus
(Who says opera is just for snobs?)
Rochester, NY —
Johann Strauss, better known as the Waltz King, composed the opera Die Fledermaus (The Bat) in 1874. Coming on the heels of their artistic triumph swinging Cole Porter with the RPO, Rochester Opera Factory will be performing a concert version of this delightful comic opera sung in English on June 1, 2001 at 8 PM. Hors d’oeuvres, sweets, and beverages will be served immediately following the performance.
Only in its second season, ROF has quickly become the premiere choral group in the Rochester area. Productions are 100% local; all singers in operas and ensembles are drawn from the larger chorus. ROF seeks to provide opportunities for the Rochester community to understand and appreciate opera more fully by making the art form accessible, understandable, and fun. Many of ROF’s performances are based on a unique format called “Sing Me a Story.” Raffaele Ponti, the group’s artistic director, weaves an entertaining tapestry of song and story that appeals to all audiences.
The performance of Die Fledermaus will be conducted by Artistic Director Raffaele Ponti. Pianist and Coach Isabelle Aubin will accompany the ensemble. The performance will take place at Asbury First United Methodist Church, 1050 East Avenue in the city of Rochester. Tickets are $10 in advance, and $12 at the door ($5 for students)
The group will conclude their second season with a performance of ensembles from opera’s greatest moments on June 21, 2001 at Pinnacle Lutheran Church.
For more information and tickets, visit ROF’s website, www.operafactory.org or call 716-473-6567.
Benefit for Rochester Opera Factory
(Who says opera is just for snobs?)
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory announces a benefit performance by Rochester opera notables Pamela Kurau and Derrick Smith, accompanied by noted Canadian pianist Isabelle Aubin. The performance will take place on March 9th at 8 PM in the Rochester Academy of Medicine, 1441 East Avenue in Rochester, and will be followed by a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception. Formal attire is optional. Tickets are $40 per person and $75 per couple and they are limited in number, so call early.
Now in its second season, Rochester Opera Factory is not your run of the mill opera company. ROF seeks to provide opportunities for the Rochester community to understand and appreciate opera more fully by making the art form accessible, understandable, and fun. Many of ROF’s performances are based on a unique format called “Sing Me a Story.” Raffaele Ponti, the group’s artistic director, weaves an entertaining tapestry of song and story that appeals to all audiences. Productions are 100% local; all singers in operas and ensembles are drawn from the larger chorus.
This autumn ROF was a smash success performing selections from Porgy and Bess in the Choral Prism Concert at Eastman Theater, and opera excerpts at the School of the Arts as well as Genesee Community College. Other future season highlights include an appearance in the RPO Pops Concerts on May 11th and 12th (performing songs of Cole Porter), a concert production of Die Fledermaus June 2nd and 3rd, and a concert of opera ensembles on June 21st.
Additional details can be found on our website at www.operafactory.org as well as the contact information above. Attached are biographies of the three musicians. Glossy 8″ x 10″ photos are available upon request.
Opera Factory Continues Production
(Who says opera is just for snobs?)
Rochester, NY —
Gearing up for its second season, Rochester Opera Factory will be creating a series of concerts based on a unique format called “Sing Me a Story.” Raffaele Livio Ponti, the group’s artistic director, will weave an entertaining tapestry of song and story that will appeal to all audiences.
Rochester Opera Factory is not your run-of-the-mill opera company. Formed in the fall of 1999 and incorporated in January, 2000 as a not-for-profit organization, ROF will be forging ahead with the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, the famous drinking song from La Traviata, as well as other opera choruses and a variety of small ensembles. The group is accompanied by Canadian pianist Isabelle Aubin.
For a free preview highlighting selections from our upcoming season, join us at the Hylan Drive Borders Books & Music from 7-9 PM on Friday, November 3rd. The full performance will take place at the School of the Arts Ensemble Theater on Prince Street on Sunday, November 12, at 4 PM. Tickets cost $10 in advance, $12 at the door, and $5 for students and are available at Music Lovers at the 12 Corners in Brighton, Borders on Hylan Drive, or directly from ROF. Light refreshments will be served.
Additional performances will be presented Sunday, November 5th at the Genesee Community College Stuart Steiner Theater (call 345-6814 for further information) and at Ogden Presbyterian Church in Spencerport on Saturday, November 18th at 4 PM (call 352-6802 for further information.) Additional details can be found on our website at www.operafactory.org
Opera Factory Goes into Production
(Who says opera is just for snobs?)
Rochester, NY —
Rochester Opera Factory presents its Rochester premier performance, to be held at the Bausch & Lomb Wintergarden on Sunday, June 4th at 4:00 PM. The program will include scenes, ensembles, and choruses from operas you know and love. Admission of $10 ($8 for students and seniors) includes food for the palate as well as the soul.
Rochester Opera Factory is a newly-formed ensemble of singers with a focus on high-quality local performances of opera and opera scenes. Formed in the fall of 1999 and incorporated in January, 2000, as a not-for-profit organization, ROF seeks to provide opportunities for the local community to understand and appreciate opera more fully by making the art form accessible, understandable, and fun.
Directed by internationally acclaimed conductor Raffaele Livio Ponti and accompanied by Isabelle Aubin, ROF promises an afternoon of gorgeous music and delicious food, in a beautiful setting.