Meistersinger Caranza and Sungji Kim Perform at Enrico Caruso Room Tonight, 5/1

Korean soprano Sungji Kim and internationally renowned Meistersinger Caranza will be the headliners tonight, May 1, at 8 PM in the recently opened Enrico Caruso Room at Little Italy's legendary Grotta Azzurra Ristorante , located at 177 Mulberry Street on the corner of Broome Street. The performance will mark the third week of Tuesday Opera Nights at this new music venue that has been created to showcase established and emerging opera performers.

There is a $20 cover charge and no minimum. The Enrico Caruso Room opens at 7 PM for those who wish to dine. The performance begins at 8:00 PM. Ms. Kim and Caranza will be supported on the keyboard by David Schaefer. Reservations are suggested by calling Grotta Azzurra at 212-925-8775.

Caranzais an American tenor and "Meistersinger" – a performer who must sing at least four genres of music equally well in at least three languages. Caranza sings 10 genres in five languages and, indeed, hisrepertoire goes from the rock 'n roll songs of Elvis and others, all the way through to pop, Broadway, Neapolitan and German songs, and Italian and German opera. The Connecticut native, born Patric Hale, studied and lived in Europe for 27 years, performing across the continent and other parts of the world at concerts, music festivals, corporate parties and other musical events. When he returned to the States, he reunited with the man who took him to his first opera in Berlin, Richard Hogrefe of Boston, a Wagnerian tenor, with whom he continued his studies. It was Hogrefe who described his voice as a wonderful cross between the operatic voice of Caruso and the popular voice of Mario Lanza, and that's how "Caranza" was born. In recent years, Caranzahas sung at many concerts, charity events, and private and corporate events throughout the USA, as well as returning to Europe on numerous occasions. In July 2006 he was a winner at the NY Mario Lanza Competition and has been the featured singer at the Mario Lanza Society of New York's annual luncheon ever since. In 2007, he sang the National Anthem at an event in Connecticut in honor and presence of former President Bill Clinton, whose comment afterwards was simply "Wow!"

Sungji Kim, a soprano described by Opera Magazine as a "silvery voiced" singer and praised in the New York Times for her bright and incisive voice, has gained world-wide recognition as a singer adept in opera, recital, concert and contemporary music. With numerous performances in Japan. Korea, Germany, Canada and throughout the United States, Ms. Kim s a much sought after artist with a repertoire ranging from Renaissance and Early Music, to contemporary pieces written specifically for her unique musical gifts. She made her operatic stage debut as Pamina in Die Zauberflote at the Seoul Art Center while pursuing her bachelor's degree at Seoul National University. She has since developed a diverse repertoire including roles in Rigoletto, Hansel und Gretel, The Rape of Lucretia, Falstaff, The Medium, La Nozze di Figaro and Lakme, among others. On the concert stage, she has an impressive array of credits performing works by Bach, Haydn, Handel, Mozart and Mendelssohn. She also performs extensively as a contemporary singer. She has also won a number of important vocal competitions around the globe.

The Enrico Caruso Room also features a weekly Thursday Open Mic Opera Night where singers perform two musical pieces each. The Thursday Open Mic Opera Nights are open to up to 10 singers who must sign up in advance to guarantee a slot. There will be a waiting list at the door in the event some singers fail to show up. At the end of each month, one male and one female Open Mic singer will be engaged to sing at a future Tuesday Night Opera performance where they each will be paid $200/night.