Riverside Opera Company Presents Black Voices a Free Concert at Conference House Park, June 24

Riverside Opera Company's free performance of ROC Black Voices, honoring African-American Music Appreciation Month, is Saturday, June 24, 4;30p.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Conference House Park, 7455 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10307. Concert goers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Visit: ROC Black Voices.

Featured performers are Singer Jeannine Otis and her trio, Chris Almeida on drums, Bim Strasberg, bass, Larry Luger guitar and Yuuki Koike on flute.  Additionally, Baritone Dorian Lake and guitarist and vocalist Ayodele Maakheru perform.   

Concert goers enjoy a  wide diversity of music including a tribute to Harry Belafonte will be performed and pop, Broadway, jazz and opera favorites. 

Born and raised in Detroit, and based in Staten Island, NY, Jeannine Otis has been a singular and substantial voice for decades. She draws equally from jazz, classical, dance, gospel and pop genres. She is a graduate of Wellesley College (Presser Music Scholar), the only African-American to win that award and she also holds a Masters Degree from Emerson College in Boston where she was a teaching fellow. She has toured as a vocalist with many distinguished artists including Donald Byrd, Grover Washington Jr., Vishnu Wood, and Arthur Prysock.

Founded in 1996, the Riverside Opera Company (ROC) is the longest running and only opera company on Staten Island. ROC performs fully and semi-staged productions with full orchestra conducted by Maestro Alan Aurelia, who has conducted in Italy as well as in the U.S. 

Its singers are winners of open public auditions held in New York City. ROC also provides yearly workshops for professional and emerging professional singers and free opera in the schools as educational outreach. https://www.facebook.com/riversideoperacompany/