OCB to perform The Barber of Seville to Benefit At Home on the Sound, October 3

Zachary Altman, Figaro
Nathan Bahny, Don Basilio
Richard Cassell, Dr. Bartolo
Sarah Kraus, Rosina
Barbara LeMay, Berta
Marcos Vigil, Count Almaviva

Wei-En Hsu, Pianist
Jay Meetze, Conductor

Contact: Jenny Reibstein, 914.834.1030, jensfrey@gmail.com; At Home on the Sound, 914.899.3150

Intimidated by grand opera houses with velvet curtains and sky-high ticket prices? The Opera Company of Brooklyn "will go to wherever there's a piano and an audience." On October 3, the innovative, floating opera company is coming to Larchmont Avenue Church to perform The Barber of Seville in concert. The performance, which starts at 3:30 and costs $35 per ticket ($30 for At Home members), will benefit At Home on the Sound, a Larchmont/Mamaroneck based non-profit that helps seniors remain in their homes as they age. The concert will be preceded at 1 pmby luncheons in private homes.

Founded in 2000, the OCB is known for taking its performances out of the traditional opera house, into more intimate settings. The troupe has performed in guests' living rooms, Manhattan penthouses, and even at Fulton Ferry Landing. OCB has become so renowned for its settings, that the TV quiz show Jeopardy once asked: "The Opera Co. of this NYC borough performs in unusual venues, like people's living rooms." It was answered correctly.

Freeing the performance from the traditional venue is just part of the company's goal to make opera more accessible and affordable to a wider and often younger audience. There is no elaborate staging, and the costumes are modern dress. The opera-in-concert that remains focuses entirely on the music, the performers and their rapport with the audience. "Maestro Jay Meetze is lauded for his passionate and undeniably impressive command of performance and sympathetic leadership."- Opera News.

At Home on the Sound is part of the national Aging-in-Place movement, aimed at improving the quality of life for seniors while allowing them to age in the familiar comfort of their own home. At Home, which launched in June with the opening of its resource center, offers members bi-weekly cultural programs, transportation to appointments and grocery shopping, access to screened service providers and other assistance.

Rossini's The Barber of Seville, a tale of romance and intrigue set in 17th Century Seville, Spain, is considered the most popular comic opera of all time. Six singers plus a pianist and Maestro Meetze will perform the abbreviated, 90-minute opera-in-concert. Meetze says, "It's a fantastic cast of singers that range in age and experience. The vocal balance will be outstanding."

Tickets for the concert may be purchased in cash at the door or by credit card in advance by contacting At Home on the Sound: (914) 899- 3150. At Home on the Sound

Artist Biographies

Zachary Altman, noted by OPERA Magazine for his "suave, sable baritone", recently made both his LA Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl debut as Herman Augustus in Candide. Other recent performances include the title role in Don Giovanni and Breedley (A Wedding) at the Music Academy of the West, the world premiere of Simon Sargon's "Out of the Depths" with Voices of Change, and Nimming Ned (The Beggar's Opera) under the baton of Lorin Maazel. A 2009 graduate of Manhattan School of Music, Mr. Altman's roles there included Falke (Die Fledermaus), Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia), Betto (Gianni Schicchi), and Joe Harland in the NY Premiere of John Musto's Later the Same Evening, which was later released on Albany Records. A three-time Award Winner in the Marilyn Horne Competition, Mr. Altman is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bass-baritone Nathan Bahny has performed with Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, the New York Virtuoso Singers, N.Y. Liederkrantz Society, Long Beach Opera, and the Wagner Society of Washington, D.C. Favorite operatic roles include the Flying Dutchman, Alberich in Wagner's Ring Cycle, and the four villains in "Tales of Hoffman". His oratorio credits include the Verdi Requiem, Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" and various Handel oratorios such as "Saul", "Samson", and (of course) "The Messiah". He has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman and on Broadway in the Baz Luhrmann production of "La Boheme". Future appearances include the Beethoven 9th Symphony in Massachusetts in the spring of 2011

Bass-Baritone Richard Cassell has appeared with New York City Opera, Cleveland Opera, San Antonio Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Opera Memphis,St. Petersburg(Fla.)Opera,New York Lyric Opera,Opera Company of Brooklyn, Bangkok Opera and Rome Opera Festival as Falstaff, Rigoletto, Iago, Osmin, Bartolo, Sarastro, Raimondo, Dulcamara, Don Pasquale,Gianni Schicchi,Scarpia, Sacristan, and Benoit/Alcindoro. The New York Times called him "...vocally robust with ample poise and charisma..) for his Magician in Francis Thornes' "Mario and the Magician" with The Center for Contemporary Opera (Albany Records).

Wei-En Hsu, Pianist, native of Taiwan, received his education from the Juilliard School, Royal Academy of Music, College-Conservatory of Music, and Taipei National University of the Arts. Winner of Scott Huxley Piano Accompaniment Prize, Major Van Someren-Godfery Prize Accompaniment Award(2004), Ludmilla Andrew Russian Song Prize Accompaniment Award, Sir Arthur Bliss Prize(2005). Recent engagements include conducting appearance at CCM for Ariadne auf Naxos in March, as well as a chamber concert at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall this May. He was named a Stern Fellow in SongFest 2009, and just awarded the Sing for Hope Grant for Arts Activism and Community Outreach. During the season 2009-2010, Mr. Hsu will joined OCB's Resident Artists as a Pianist, Coach, and Conductor.

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Kraus has performed Lola (Cavalleria Rusticana) with Opera Company of the Highlands, Flora (La Traviata) with Green Mountain Opera Festival, the title role in Luisa Fernanda with Tulsa Opera Studio and Stephano (Romeo et Juliette) with Opera Company of Brooklyn. She debuted as Maddalena (Rigoletto) with Des Moines Metro Opera and toured with Opera Iowa as Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte). She sang Dinah (Trouble in Tahiti) as a Resident Artist with Connecticut Opera and Siebel (Faust) with One World Symphony. Ms. Kraus has won awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Gerda Lissner Foundation, and Giulio Gari Foundation.

Barbara LeMay's, mezzo-soprano roles have included Prinz Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Lucretia in The Rape of Lucretia. the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Gertrude in Hansel and Gretel, Camilla in Donizetti's Il Giovedì Grasso, and the Nurse in "Strawberry Fields" of Central Park. Roles with Opera Company of Brooklyn have included Mrs. Nolan in Menotti's The Medium, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte; and La Suora Zelatrice in Suor Angelica. Companies include New York City Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Amarillo Opera, and Pine Mountain Music Festival.

Maestro Jay Meetze, OCB founder and Artistic Director, has conducted nearly fifty operas and is lauded for his "passionate and undeniably impressive command of performances" and "sympathetic leadership of the forces of the OCB." (Opera News). His CD on Albany Records features Sheri Greenawald and Ashley Putnam in Thomas Pasatieri's newly rewritten La Divina. Opera News named the CD Critic's Choice and Top 10 of the Year. Meetze is featured in Classical Singer Magazine, CNN's Tips from the Top, front-pages of Wall Street Journal and Crain's NY Business. He is in two new arts administration books and has received rave reviews/articles in American Record Guide, NY Magazine and the NY Daily, Times and Post newspapers. He has landed OCB on the Jeopardy quiz show and Good Morning America with MythBusters.

Marcos Vigil was born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from New Mexico State University, as well as both a Master's Degree and Professional Studies Certificate from the Manhattan School of Music. Mr. Vigil recently perofrmed the role of Beppe in Donizetti's one-act opera Rita with the Martina Arroyo Foundation's "Prelude to Performance" 2010 summer program here in New York City, as well as participated in Joan Dornemann's Canadian Vocal Arts Institute in Montreal. Other roles performed include Baron Kronthal from Der Wildschutz, Basilio from The Marraige of Figaro, the First Jew from Salome, Bardolfo from Falstaff, Spoletta from Tosca, and Kaspar in Amahl and the Night Visitors. Currently, Mr. Vigil is a student of Eduardo Valdes.

Extraordinary gift to the Opera Company of Brooklyn

Dear friends of OCB,

We are pleased to announce that the Opera Company of Brooklyn has recently received a generous $25,000 grant from the Estate of Marian O. Naumburg. This grant will provide much needed funding for our first financial audit, accounting support services and some grant writing. As many of you know, we are currently a volunteer-run organization so this support is immensely valuable and critical to the organization's long-term sustainability. In particular, the grant will allow us to pursue funding from institutions that require financial audits, something that we had been unable to afford to date.

However, the benefits of this generous gift are still several months out and we need your help in bridging the gap so that we are able to stay afloat until new funding comes in. Any support is appreciated, whether it is volunteering your time to help out at events or making a small donation to help support our singers. Simply becoming a member if you are not already (or renewing your membership!) is a great way to support OCB while ensuring that you are kept up to date on the latest news. Click here to donate now.

We look forward to continuing to provide audiences with accessible, affordable opera and to hopefully seeing you all at one of our performances in the Fall.

Thank you for your continued support,

The Board of Directors
Opera Company of Brooklyn

OCB IS LOOKING FOR PERFORMANCE VENUES!

OCB takes performances out of the traditional opera house, doing away with formal and elaborate staging to bring audiences more intimate and affordable performances. In fact, OCB is famous for performing in unusual venues such as people's living rooms, art galleries and even a parking garage! If you know of a private home, bar, coffee shop, art gallery, church, or other interesting space anywhere in New York City that would be interested in hosting an OCB performance at no or very minimal cost, please let us know!! It's a great opportunity for a small business to attract a new crowd to its location while hosting an entertaining event. We are still seeking venues for this upcoming season (starting in the Fall) and are open to suggestions. For more information or to offer your space, please email our Board President, London Davies.

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CLICK HERE FOR AUDITIONS

Now Auditioning Singers, Pianists and Conductors

Auditions are ongoing in midtown Manhattan.

For the audition, you should arrive warmed-up, 10 minutes early, and present ONE (1) repertoire list containing your FIVE (5) audition arias you will be prepared to offer.

You should begin with an aria that shows you off best. If time permits, you may be asked to hear a portion of a second aria. If you have both long and short arias that are great for your voice, we would encourage you to start with the shorter selection first. You will be evaluated on the following: technique, musicality, diction, acting, and overall artistry.

Learn more here. An application fee includes free pianist.

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