Riverside Opera Company and Richmond County Orchestra Present: 2nd Annual Staten Island Has Talent

The Riverside Opera Company(ROC) and Richmond County Orchestra(RCO), under the direction of Maestro Alan Aurelia presents the 2nd Annual Staten Island Has Talent @NYPL. The performers are winners of open public auditions held by the RCO and ROC . They will sing and perform selections of their choosing. The performance is free and open to the public on Saturday, March 16th at 2:30 p.m. at the RichmondTown branch of the New York Public Library located at 200 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island. For information contact: riversideoperacompany@gmail.com or call Riverside Opera Company at 212-729-4792.

And the performers are...

Sarah Mo,

A 10 year old, 4th grade who attends TAG Young Scholars in Manhattan, a citywide NYC public school Sarah lives on Staten Island and takes voice and piano lessons at the Staten Island Conservatory of Music. She loves singing and playing piano. She and her family live in the Eltingville section of Staten Island.

Anita Berger has been a Staten Island resident for over thirty years. She is a graduate of Ithaca College (BM), Manhattan School of Music (MM), & Kodaly Certificate (Level 3) from NYU. She has performed in the past with the Goldovsky Opera Workshop, Saratoga-Potsdam Chorus, Grant Park Chorus (Chicago), the NY Gilbert & Sullivan Players, and soloist with the Queensboro Symphony Orchestra. She is a retired NYC vocal music teacher and currently conducts the Saint Cecilia Chorus on Staten Island. Anita has two children, Ricky and Natalie, and three grandchildren.

Jared Seaver Mishen is a 13 year old native Staten Islander who attends Gateway Academy. His journey into music began at the age of six when he started taking piano lessons. For the past 5 years Masha Dubravin has been his piano teacher. Jared's appreciation of classical composers led him to listening to orchestral pieces and eventually opera. His attraction to opera has inspired him to take vocal lessons with Alison Madill and has been under her direction since June of 2018

Douglas G. Cala & Vinnie Zummo are performing an original piece "Fifty Years After" and it is a spoken word poem set to music provided by Vinnie Zummo.

Douglas G. Cala is a spoken word poet, TV/Film critic, blogger and photographer and videographer from Staten Island, New York. He has been performing his spoken word primarily in the East Coast region since the age of fifteen and covering film and TV for the better part of a decade. Douglas has featured at many notable venues including the Bowery Poetry Club, Hub 17, Parkside Lounge, Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Sidewalk Cafe, Cornelia Street Cafe, St. Mark's Underground, ManhattanVille College, Busboys and Poets, Raven Lounge, Blue Door Gallery, Cafe Vivaldi, Snug Harbor Cultural Center and others. When not writing and performing, by day Douglas works for the NYC Department of Education as a Desktop Publisher and IT Consultant. He is the co-editor of "Liberate the Verse," a forthcoming literary and visual art anthology due for release in February 2019 published by JMF Chapbooks LLC.

Vinnie Zummo is best known for his seven years with The Joe Jackson Band. Since then, he has established himself as a guitarist, producer, writer, arranger, sound designer, accordion and chromatic harmonica player. He also produces custom hip-hop drum beats. Currently, Vinnie is a top call session musician and composer in the New York City area. He has been featured on six studio albums and three world tours with Joe Jackson. He has been prominently featured on other albums by Art Garfunkel (Up Till 'Now), Shawn Colvin (Fat City), The Who's Roger Daltrey (Rocks in the Head), and Paul Carrack (Groove Approved). His hip-hop sample collections for artist Zero G have earned unanimous praise with his most current release called "N.Y.C Lit".

Victoria McGrath is a 20 year old Staten Island native. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School - affectionately called the "Fame School" - in Manhattan, where she studied classical vocal music. In and around Staten Island, Victoria was a recipient of the Richmond Choral Society's annual scholarship in 2016. Currently, Victoria studies classical voice and intellectual history at Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Queens College (Aaron Copland School of Music). An aspiring opera singer, Victoria has performed in The Mikado (Manhattan College), Sweeney Todd and Orpheus in the Underworld (LaGuardia HS), Le Nozze di Figaro (Queens College) and will be performing in the spring production of Queens College's The Magic Flute. She has also performed as a soloist with orchestra, singing as the soprano soloist in Antonio Vivaldi's Baroque mass "Gloria." Although music is a formidable part of Victoria's life, she also greatly enjoys teaching, and she will be teaching English in Italy this summer.

Jermain & Daniel Trapp- These 11 year old twins perform vocals with ukuleles. The Trapp Twins will be performing a song called Peace In America written by their father, Karlus Trapp. This song was written with Staten Island school children who had been directly affected by the 911 terrorist attacks as part of a teaching residency that Mr. Trapp participated in through Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden's Education Department in 2003.

Jermain Michael Trapp- Currently Jermain (Jey, JJ, Main) who is almost 11 years old and attends the fifth grade at Petrides School participates and performs with The Christ Church Community Ukulele Ensemble and plays cello in orchestra at Petrides School. He recently played ukulele for a Black History Celebration with Universal Temple of The Arts, February, 2019, and was a First Place Winner in the duet category at Petrides School Talent Show, February 2019 as well. His credits include: Hyena/Chorus in The Lion King with Spotlight Children's Theater 2018, monkey/chorus in Seussical with Spotlight Children's Theater, 2017 , Jafar in Beauty and The Beast, Staten Island Children's Theater and as an Indian Boy in A Magical Musical Winter Solstice Celebration, 2012. Jermain will be performing for the fourth time in Love In Bloom at the Snug Harbor Music Hall with a professional cast from Universal Temple of The Arts in May 2019. Jey enjoys his many friendships, playing soccer and swimming for Petrides School, basketball for Sacred Heart, taking care of his pet gecko Spike and giving great hugs!!

Daniel Zen Trapp- Currently Daniel (Danny Boy, Dan Dan, Dano) who is almost 11 years old and attends the fifth grade at Petrides School participates and performs with Young Voyces, The Christ Church Community Ukulele Ensemble and plays violin in orchestra at Petrides School. He recently entertained at a Black History Celebration with Universal Temple of the Arts, 2019 and along with his brother took first place as "Best Duet" at The Petrides Talent Show, 2019. His credits include: Hyena/Chorus in The Lion King with Spotlight Children's Theater, monkey/chorus in Seussical with Spotlight Children's Theater, egg seller/chorus in Beauty and The Beast, Spotlight Children's Theater and an Indian boy in A Magical Musical Winter Solstice Celebration 2012. Together with his brother, father and mother he will be performing for the 4th time in Love and Bloom at The Snug Harbor Music Hall in May 2019. Daniel enjoys sharing his musical gifts with others, taking care of his pet guinea pig Fluffy, playing sports for his school and community and making chicken cutlets and baked ziti with Mom!

Shirley's Basement a Jazz Quintet band is also to perform.