The Amalfi coastline is as beautiful as ever and the charming town of Vietri-sul-Mare is again host to the Amalfi Coast Music and Arts Festival this year. Vietri is also a thriving artistic center for beautiful, hand-crafted ceramics...
Eight students and I arrived earlier this week from Fairfax and already we have had five exciting performances!
The opening night concert of the Amalfi Coast Vocal Music and Opera Festival on Friday, July 16th featured George Mason
vocal students from Prof. Miller's studio singing solo arias in the beautiful, outdoor amphitheater of Vietri ~ with the Mediterranean sea and a quarter moon as the dramatic backdrop!
On this concert, baritone Darrick Speller sang Vivaldi's "Piango, gemo," soprano Kristin Gavaza sang Offenbach's "Elle a fui" from the opera Tales of Hoffman" Mary Ellen Brennan sang "Marietta's Lied" from Korngold's opera "Die Tote Stadt" and tenor Hyo Chang An closed the program with the exciting aria "La donna e mobile" from Verdi's Rigoletto. The audience was on it's feet with enthusiastic applause before the final high note, as the music and the beautiful voices lifted us all!
Our next concert ~ featuring the New Festival Voices in an Art song Recital ~ was held in the 18th century Oratorio dell'Arciconfraternita. Soprano Jasmine Cumberbach Marshall sang Schubert's Der Jungling und der Quelle, baritone Jonathan Champ sang Bellini's Vaga luna, Schumann's Widmung and Donaudy's O del mio amato ben and soprano Anna Patterson sang two American art songs arranged by Clifford Shaw ~ He's Gone Away and The Nightingale.
The concert at the Oratorio on July 18th featured Canzone d'amore and Spirituals... Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Edewaard sang two art songs from Schumann's song cycle Frauenliebe und Leben (Er, der herrlichste von allen and Du Ring an meinem finger), soprano Kristin Gavaza sang I could have danced all night, and the duet from Phantom of the Opera with baritone Jonathan Champ, All I ask of you; soprano Mary Ellen Brennan sang two Richard Strauss songs Allerseelen and Caecelie, tenor Hyo Chang An sang My Life's Delight by Roger Quilter and Take, o take those lips away by Amy Beach; Jasmine Marshall sang the spiritual Stand still, Jordan. Darrick Speller ended the program with a deeply moving performance of Deep River arranged by Moses Hogan.
In the Opera Scenes performances last night and tonight, Mason students sang beautifully in scenes from Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, Lakme, The Mikado, Nozze di Figaro, Coronation of Poppea and Rigoletto!
Before tonight's performance, the Festival honored the memory of it's devoted founder Michael Cordovano who passed away two short months ago. Dr. Cordovano created the vocal program of the Amalfi Coast Festival and was a revered master teacher, vocal coach & accompanist. He was also a coach with Dallas Opera and headed the Opera program at Catholic University for many years. "Doc" was an inspiration to all who had the pleasure of knowing and working with him. His legacy lives on...
This is the fifteenth year of the Festival and the program is thriving thanks to the dedication and hard work of it's directors ~ Leslie Hyde and Sasha Katz-Nelson~ and the many vocal participants, outstanding faculty, music and stage directors, coaches, staff and special guests who make up this exciting, international arts community.
Mason students help make up the thirty-five young professional and student vocalists who are participating in the Amalfi vocal and opera program this summer. In addition to voice lessons, coachings and intense preparation for the concerts and opera performances, there's also been time for fun!
We are deeply grateful for the many who helped make this wonderful experience possible ~ our administrators, our donors, our beloved GMU Friends of Music and Arts by George supporters. We are thrilled to welcome Don and Tota Conwell from Fairfax, Virginia as special guests of the Amalfi Festival this summer! They are fabulous!! We are also happy to welcome to the Festival Dr. & Mrs. Champ, Jonathan's parents from Portsmith, Virginia!
In addition to his many concert and opera performances, we've made Darrick our official photographer in Amalfi this summer!
We think his photographs are fantastic!
Amalfi has been a fabulous experience so far, especially for me! We're inspired, working hard, and looking forward to the Magic Flute performances this weekend in Naples, Caserta and Vietri. I'll keep you posted...
