Blandford Historical Society Presents 17th Annual Bel Canto Opera Concert
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Seth Farber, Joey Farber and Liz Queler
“Liz Queler is a fine singer/songwriter with the ability to pull you in with both her lilting melodies and affecting folk-based story songs. Her talent is undeniable.” Nashville City Paper “Farber is Scott Joplin and Jelly Roll Morton rolled into one tasteful Ragtime monster with a decidedly hip and funky 90’s twist.” Jazziz Magazine And Joey is hitting his stride as a percussionist! Come and enjoy their music. Tickets are $15 each; send check to: The White Church of Blandford, Box 35, Blandford, MA 01008
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Saturday night, August 28, was the date of the annual opera evening at the White Church of Blandford. It was a beautiful, clear evening and, as usual, the audience overflowed the church. This was the sixteenth annual event in which Eve Queler, Music Director of Opera Orchestra of New York, and Blandford resident, has brought a group of young professional singers to perform in a benefit for the White Church Endowment Fund. Maestro Queler is a 2010 honoree of the National Endowment for the Arts and has conducted over 90 operas at Carnegie Hall. She received one of the highest awards presented by the French government when she was named a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture for her commitment to French operas. The singers on Saturday night were Eleni Calenos, soprano, Michael Fabiano, tenor, and Michael McGee, baritone. Eve Queler and Douglas Martin provided piano accompaniment. Among other awards, Ms. Calenos is a 2010 Gerda Lissner Foundation award winner and a winner of the “Judges Award” from the Connecticut Opera Guild 2009 Competition. She has most recently participated in the Young American Artists Program at the Glimmerglass Festvial. Mr. Fabiano is a first-prize winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and will be making debuts at the Paris Opera, Dresden Semperoper, Opera de Limoges, as well as the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro San Carlo and Fort Worth Opera. Mr. McGee has trained in programs connected to the San Francisco and Santa Fe Operas and spent the summer of 2009 as a Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Festival. He is the first American ever to win First Place at the Marie Kraja International Festival in Albania and has numerous oratorio credits as well as opera credits. Mr. Martin, pianist and conductor, has been associated with the Opera Orchestra of New York since 1997. He has also conducted and coached at the Santa Fe Opera, Ashlawn Summer Festival, and in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. He will soon be conducting in Anchorage, Alaska. The program consisted of arias and duets by Verdi, Puccini, and Cilea, and songs by Ravel. The singing was excellent, from start to finish. All three singers sang with beautiful line, terrific stage presence and excellent pitch. Ms. Calenos sang very affectingly in Vissi d’arte, from Tosca with a large range of color. Young Joey Farber assisted with a snare drum part at the beginning of this aria. Ms. Calenos sang Ravel’s Greek Melodies in Greek, rather than the French they were written in, which was an interesting departure from the norm. Mr. Fabiano sang E lucevan le stele, from Tosca, and Nessun dorma, from Turandot, very dramatically with a great range of emotion. Mr. McGee sang Ah, Vittoria, Vittoria from Gianni Schicchi, with wonderful theatrical effects and contrasts in vocal color. But these are just a handful of my favorites from the evening. Maestro Queler and Mr. Martin gave entertaining and enlightening synopses of the texts. The audience gave a standing ovation at the end. The sixteenth annual opera evening in Blandford was a grand success. These opera evenings in Blandford are the result of the dedicated work of many people. Mary Jo Litchard was honored after intermission with flowers for her fifteen years of service to the White Church. Marcia Eckert |
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