Anthony Dean Griffey Replaces Matthew Polenzani in George London Foundation Recital, 1/13

American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey will join soprano Emalie Savoy (2011 George London Award winner) and pianist Ken Noda on the bill of the second George London Foundation Recital of the season on January 13, 2013, at The Morgan Library & Museum. Mr. Griffey replaces the originally-announcEd Matthew Polenzani, who has had to withdraw because of a scheduling conflict-he has assumed the role of Leicester in Donizetti's Maria Stuarda at the Metropolitan Opera. Mr. Polenzani will participate in the George London Foundation Recital Series next season.

The George London Foundation Recital Series-which presents pairs of outstanding opera singers, many of whom were winners of a George London prize early in their careers or are recent George London Award recipients-begins its season on Sunday, December 9, with a recital by soprano Vivica Genaux and bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch. The season also includes a master class with soprano Deborah Polaski (January 31, 2013), the Finals of the 42nd Annual George London Foundation Awards Competition (March 1, 2013), and the final recital of the season, which features soprano Susanna Phillips and tenor Joseph Kaiser (May 5, 2013). For more information, visit www.georgelondon.org.

Four-time Grammy Award winning American tenor Anthony Dean Griffey has captured critical and popular acclaim on opera, concert and recital stages around the world. Celebrated for his powerful portrayal of the title role of Britten's Peter Grimes, Griffey first performed the role at Tanglewood in1996 under the baton of Seiji Ozawa. The role has subsequently brought him international acclaim, and his performance in Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera was broadcast live in HD to movie theatres across the world, featured on PBS and released on DVD (EMI Classics). Opera News praised Mr. Griffey's performance at the Houston Grand Opera, saying "Griffey's large, lumbering physical presence commanded the stage, but it was his vocal artistry that sealed a remarkable performance. Grimes is a complex mix of cruel villain and pitiful, misunderstood." www.anthonydeangriffey.com

Albany, New York, native Emalie Savoy (www.savoymusic.net, 2011 George London Award), the recipient of the 2012 Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award for promising young classical artists, made her Metropolitan Opera debut during the 2011-12 season as Kristina in Leoš Janá?ek's The Makropulos Case, and sang the title role in Gluck's Armide in a joint Metropolitan Opera-Juilliard production about which Anthony Tommasini said in The New York Times, "the gifted soprano Emalie Savoy sang with plush sound, fiery temperament and cool elegance."

The Legacy of George London
The goal of the George London Foundation, the support and nurturing of young singers, was an abiding interest of the great American bass-baritone George London, who devoted a great part of the time and energy of his later years to this purpose. "Remembering his difficult road to success, George wanted to devise a way to make the road a little easier for future generations of singers," said George London Foundation President Nora London. Initially created under the auspices of the National Opera Institute, the George London Awards program has been administered since 1990 directly by the Foundation as a living legacy to George London's own exceptional talent and generosity. www.georgelondon.org