ILLUMINATION OPERA PRESENTS: OPERA SCENES AT THE PCA

The Illumination Opera Company is very happy to announce that Mezzo Soprano Sondra Kelly will be directing our next program which will debut on February 6, 2010, at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford.

Sondra Kelly, began studying acting with Uta Hagen at the Herbert Berghof Studios in New York City at a very young age. Soon thereafter, her acting skills were put to the test in musical theater. Upon completing her musical studies with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from The Boston Conservatory and apprenticing at the Santa Fe Opera, she was hired by the Metropolitan Opera and asked to play a variety of characters, some three times her age, quite an accomplishment for an opera singer still in her early twenties. She honed her craft still further with directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Giancarlo del Monaco, Jonathan Miller, Otto Schenk and Fabrizio Melano, amongst others. Reviewers started noticing her acting skills and referred to her performances by writing “Her acting portrayed the gypsy, not as an old hag, but as a woman wracked by the deeds and memories of the past, her visions of her mother consumed by flames was terrifying”, “Her portrayal is authentic and tragic” and “For this observer, a characterization prize must go to mezzo Sondra Kelly.”

Ms. Kelly’s teaching career as a dramatic coach and director began while judging for the New England Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Program. Several students auditioning approached Ms. Kelly and asked if they could work with her to fine tune their aria audition package thus began a new venture and outlet for her expertise.

Ms. Kelly has taught master classes for the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the Meet the Artist program of Lincoln Center, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Boston Chapter, the Conservatories in Beijing and Hanoi, Universities of Wisconsin, Kansas, and Missouri, as well as, many young artist and apprentice programs throughout the United States.

Further information on Ms. Kelly, can be found on her website: www.sondrakelly.com

Seating will be limited, so purchase your tickets now at http://www.westford.com/pca/

ILLUMINATION OPERA PRESENTS: ANASTASIA JAMIESON AND KATE EGAN, THE TWO SOPRANOS

Alaskan sopranos Anastasia Jamieson and Kate Egan will be presenting a concert featuring arias and duets from operas by Purcell, Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini on Sunday, October 4 at 7:00 pm, at the Parish Center for the Arts, 10 Lincoln Street in Westford.

The program is the first of the Illumination Opera Series, Illuminating the World of Opera: the extraordinary fusion of all the arts — music, theater, dance, and the visual arts, interpreted through the intensity and beauty of the human voice.

Ms. Egan and Ms. Jamieson each perform frequently with the Anchorage Opera as well as several other opera companies. Ms. Egan recently sang the role of Rosina in Anchorage Opera’s 2009 production of Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Ms. Jamieson will sing the title role in Anchorage Opera’s production of Puccini’s Suor Angelica in November 2009. Both Ms. Egan and Ms. Jamieson recently performed in a 50th Anniversary of Alaskan Statehood concert with Opera Fairbanks.



There will be a post-concert reception to meet Ms. Egan and Ms. Jamieson.

Seating is limited. Tickets are available on line by visiting http://www.westford.com/pca/ or at the door. $12 Members; $15 Non-Members; $8 Teens / College Students; $5 Children 12 & under.

BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE!

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the publication of Shakespeare's sonnets, Illumination Opera is presenting The Bard in Song from Purcell to the 21st century. We will be singing art songs based on Shakespeare texts, as well as duets and arias based on his plays. Priscilla Stevens will be narrating the program to give background and context to the music.

Please join us Saturday, September 12 at 7:00 pm at All Saints' Episcopal Church, 10 Billerica Road, Chelmsford.

The concert is free, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

Whistler House Museum of Art

Last night we presented an abbreviated version of our Carnevale di Venezia program at the Whistler House Museum of Art in Lowell.  The audience was wonderful and we all had a great time singing Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Rossini, and Gilbert & Sullivan.  The theme of the gala was Venice, so our songs were perfect for evening.

It isn't often that people have a chance to hear this kind of music outside of a big city concert hall. Our mission is to expose our audience to music that isn't readily available to them.  It is gratifying to see people's eye light up when they hear the music and to tell us afterwards that they didn't think they would like "opera," but they found it it was actually enjoyable (we like these back-handed compliments)!

The Venetian program has been very successful, but now we are on to our spring program of love songs.  This time around the program will be in English, except for one aria in Italian.  We look forward to this "quiver full" of new songs.

Our thanks to Michael Lally, Director of the Whistler House Museum of Art, for inviting us to sing and also to All Saints' Episcopal Church in Chelmsford for giving us our home.

Onward and upward

Cupid's Arrow: A Quiver Full of Love Songs

Illumination Opera Presents... 

Cupid's Arrow: A Quiver Full of Love Songs.  

Songs from the 17th century to the 21st.  Fanciful songs, songs of longing, comic songs, we will have it all.  Cupid will be making his mischievous appearance throughout the program.

The concert is once again free, although donations will be gladly accepted!

All Saints' Episcopal Church

1o Billerica Road

Chelmsford, MA

June 20, 7 pm.

Love Therapy

Carnevale di Venezia has been very successful.  All Saints' Church is a great host as well as a great venue.  Our next program will be "Love Therapy" on June 20th.  It will be about love, good and bad.  We will post more about the program as it develops.

Carnevale di Venezia II

Our first performance of Carnevale di Venezia was a great success.  Audience members really did come in masks!  We are repeating the program this Friday night at 7:00 pm at United Methodist Church of Westford, 10 Church Street, Westford, Massachusetts.  The program length is just right, about 65 minutes.  There is a mix of solos and duets with opening and closing songs sung by the Company.  Please join us!