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 White Plains, NY - As part of the “Arts at the X” performance series, ArtsWestchester will present Career Bridges and the New Rochelle Opera in an evening of memorable and popular musical selections from opera and musical theater on Friday, April 24th at 8:00 pm.
This unique collaboration will feature these two renowned Westchester organizations performing enduring and endearing compositions from Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Puccini’s La Boheme, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, Bernstein’s Candide, and Lee’s Man of La Mancha. The singers will also perform Verdi’s Rigoletto Quartet which will be the highlight of this evening’s performance.
The April 24th performance will include soprano Samantha Grenell-Zaidman, mezzo-soprano Malena Dayen, and baritone Ross Benoliel from Career Bridges, plus soprano Roseanne Ackerley, tenor Jin Hwan Byun, and baritone Lawrence Harris from New Rochelle Opera. Accompanist is New Rochelle Opera’s Georgianna Pappas.
“Arts at the X,” takes place at The Arts Exchange, 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, in downtown White Plains. Tickets may be obtained by calling (914) 428-4220 x 223, or by visiting www.artswestchester.org.
David Bender, Artistic Director of Career Bridges, states, “It’s so exciting to be presenting some of the most beautiful music ever written, for example, Verdi’s Rigoletto Quartet and to be presenting this and other works in collaboration with the New Rochelle Opera. The combination of these opera singers are exciting to see as well as hear. This will provide only double the pleasure for the audience.”
Camille Coppola, Artistic Director of New Rochelle Opera, adds, “We have enjoyed working with Career Bridges on this project, and joining forces to promote the careers of young singers while showcasing all this beautiful music.”
Career Bridges’ mission is to help extraordinarily gifted young operatic singers bridge the gap between their formal training and commencement of their careers. Barbara Meister Bender, Co-founder of Career Bridges said, “we continue to mentor, support and guide young singers for a period of three years to give them the opportunity to achieve their dreams. We have helped over 55 singers, many of whom have already launched their careers.” David added, “We are continually grateful to Entergy Corporation for helping us with our outreach program to the community.”
The New Rochelle Opera was formed for the purpose of presenting imaginative and appealing operatic productions to the Westchester community. It serves to create a deeper understanding and appreciation of live opera, and make it accessible and affordable to a diverse audience. The company presents the art form in its various aspects (e.g. fully staged performances, opera in concert, school programs, opera workshops and demonstrations), engaging aspiring young artists as well as experienced professionals. “We are proud to have been the springboard to success for many of our singers,” says Ms. Coppola.
ArtsWestchester is your connection to the arts. Founded in 1965, it is the largest, private, not-for-profit arts council in New York State; its mission is to provide leadership, vision, and support, to ensure the availability, accessibility, and diversity of the arts. ArtsWestchester provides programs and services that enrich Westchester: our grants help fund concerts, exhibitions and plays; we bring artists into schools and community centers; we advocate for the arts and build audiences through our marketing initiatives. In 1998, ArtsWestchester purchased the nine-story neo-classical bank building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue which has since been transformed into the Arts Exchange, a multi-use resource for artists, cultural organizations, and the community.
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