Riverside Opera Company Presents A SHOWER OF SONG Next Weekend

Enjoy popular arias from Pagliacci, Daughter of the Regiment, Tosca , Madama Butterfly, Samson and Delilah, La Traviata and Tannhauser performed by award winning sopranos with interpretation by narrator Tania Eicoff. The Riverside Opera Company returns to St Teresa's Church, 1634 Victory Blvd Staten Island, NY 10314 on Saturday April 29th at 8pm in "A Shower of Song" featuring award winning Sopranos Zoya Gramagin, Gina Hanzlik, Mezzo Soprano Ema Mitrovic and Tenor Lucas Levy all accompanied by Riverside Opera Company's full orchestra that has played Carnegie Hall under the direction of Maestro Alan Aurelia.

About the featured performers:

Soprano Zoya Gramagin made her singing debut at a very early age with the famous Russian ensemble of soloists "Cantabile." Soon after, she was recognized at the Feodor Chalyapin Voice Competition where she won First Prize. She was also awarded an exclusive "Inspiration" Grant, a special award presented by the Russian government in support of unique artistic talents in that country. Since 2003, Ms. Gramagin has performed numerous concerts and recitals in the United States, Russia, and Europe with great success.

She started her operatic career at an early age. When she was 18 years old, she received much attention for singing the lead role of Lyubasha in Rimsky-Korsakov's Tsar's Bride with the Moscow Youth Symphony Orchestra. After that initial success, she continued singing mezzo-soprano roles such as Carmen and Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), which she performed in Moscow, New York, and Novafeltria, Italy, until she transitioned into the lirico-spinto soprano operatic repertoire.

In addition to her appearance at Lowell House Opera, she also sang Giorgetta (Il tabarro) with New York Lyric Opera (NYLO). Gramagin received her music education at the Tchaikovsky Music School in Moscow and the Mannes School of Music - The New School in New York City, where she currently resides with her family.

Soprano Gina Hanzlik is known for her deep commitment to character and delivery. Currently based in Brooklyn, Gina comes to New York by way of Detroit, MI where she spent three years as an urban educator.

Equally interested in exploring traditional repertoire and new works, Ms. Hanzlik has performed with Opera McGill, Tapestry Opera, the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Michigan Opera Theater, McGill Symphony Orchestra, Société d'art vocal de Montréal, and regularly premiers work for various composers and chamber ensembles in the US and Canada. Recognized for excellence by McGill University, Gina was a finalist in the 2017 Wirth Vocal Prize and the recipient of the Dixie Ross-Neill Scholarship and Schulich Scholarship. She is a Teach for America Alumni and holds a Master of Education in Urban Pedagogy from the University of Michigan, as well as music degrees from McGill University and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. e Metropolitan

Mezzo Soprano Ema Mitrovic performs as an ambassador of music across different genres, having performed 19 operatic roles thus far, a number of solo recitals, and has enjoyed being a strong crossover jazz singer, performing along New York City's finest musicians, including Tim Horner, Joe Locke, Ted Rosenthal, and Jim Ridl, to name a few. She's been on stage at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and New York City's renowned jazz venues Birdland, The Kitano, and Smalls. Often, she performs programs that include both classical and standard jazz repertoire to connect to her audience. She completed a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance at New Jersey City University. She is a first generation American, whose parents immigrated to the states from former Yugoslavia, now Croatia, she was born and raised in New Jersey, and currently resides in New Jersey.

Tenor Lucas Levy is no stranger to the concert stage. Mr. Levy has performed as soloist with varied orchestras and ensembles for such seminal works as Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation, Mendelssohn's Elijah, and Mozart's Requiem. An avid recitalist, he enjoys the intimacy of presenting song repertoire not afforded to the operatic stage. An alumnus of the young artist programs of Sarasota Opera, Opera Maine and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

2022-2023 season sees Mr. Levy in recital for the Joy in Singing Art Song Competition, perform Scriabin's Symphony No.1 with the Columbia Bach Society, join the Lakeland Symphony Orchestra for Cavalleria rusticana, return to Maryland Lyric Opera for Otello, return to Opera Project Columbus for Un ballo in maschera, return to Opera Company of Middlebury for Fidelio, and join Teatro Nuovo for Poliuto. He received his Bachelor of Music degree from Oberlin Conservatory, and his Master of Music degree from Westminster Choir College. Mr. Levy hails from Lexington, Massachusetts, and currently resides in New York City

Conductor Alan Aurelia founded the Riverside Opera Company and the Richmond County providing Staten Island with live musical performances and full professional orchestra performances. Maestro Aurelia has served on the music faculties of Borough of Manhattan Community College, Brooklyn College, College of Staten Island, and Wagner College and The Staten Island Conservatory of Music. He is a regular guest conductor in Massa, Italy. Under his leadership, the RCO has performed at such prestigious venues as the Guggenheim Museum and Carnegie Hall.