Tenor Todd Wilander, Countertenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum and the ARK Trio Take the Stage in PREFORMANCES WITH ALLISON CHARNEY 4/3 in NYC

On Monday April 3rd, at 12:30 PM, the New York classical music series "PREformances with Allison Charney" will present Metropolitan Opera stars' tenor Todd Wilander and countertenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum in a scintillating concert of arias and duets from masterworks by Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi. The program will also feature contemporary classical compositions for voice, cello and piano by Michael Ching and Moshe Knoll, performed by musicians of the ARK Trio, soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William-Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida. Also featured will be PREformances collaborative pianist Craig Ketter. The concert takes place at the JCC Manhattan, home to the intimate 150 seat Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Auditorium and the Lambert Center for Arts + Ideas.

Tenor Todd Wilander has received critical acclaim by Opera News for his "clear and sweet lyrical tone" and by the New York Times for his "brave, vocally assured portrayals." Mr. Wilander is quickly emerging as one of the most sought-after leading tenors on American and European stages. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007 as Arturo in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor under the baton of James Levine, and has delighted audiences ever since. Following his Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions award he has appeared with the company as Almaviva in IL Barbiere di Siviglia and Beppe in I Pagliacci, plus roles in La Fanciulla del West, Wozzeck, Two Boys. The Nose, Hamlet, The Gambler, Macbeth and From the House of the Dead. Mr. Wilander has performed with the New York City Opera as Charles Clayton in Stephen Schwartz's Séance on a Wet Afternoon and Uberto in La Donna del Lago. Elsewhere in the U.S.A., he has appeared with the Portland Opera (Rodolpho in A View from the Bridge), Brooklyn Academy Of Music (Molqi in Death of Klinghoffer), the Center for Contemporary Opera (Andrew in A Death in the Family), and, at San Francisco Opera, his assignments included Belmonte,, Frère Massée, Kudrjasch in Kát'a Kabanová, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, and Thaddeus Stevens in The Mother of Us All.

Internationally, Mr. Wilander has performed operatic roles in Bilbao (Sam in Susannah), the Netherlands (Tonio in La Fille du Régiment for Opera Zuid, Dublin (Nadir in Les Pêcheurs d'Perles), Kazan, Russia (Duke of Mantua), Linz, Austria (Belmonte and the Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier), and Venice, Italy (Nanki-Poo in The Mikado at the Teatro Fenice). As a member of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Mr. Wilander has performed Frère Massée in Saint François d'Assise, Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Knappe 4 in Parsifal, Junger Mann in Moses und Aron and First Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte. In Great Britain, he has appeared at London's Opera Holland Park (Edmondo in Manon Lescaut), Chelsea Opera Group and Opera North in Leeds (Leicester in Maria Stuarda), English Touring Opera (Sam in Susannah and Percy in Anna Bolena), Longborough Festival (Alfredo in La Traviata), Buxton Opera Festival (title role in Roberto Devereux and Renaud in Gluck's Armide), and Opera Della Luna (Edoardo in Un Giorno di Regno). Additionally, he has appeared in New Zealand (as Faust and Ernesto in Don Pasquale), Israel (Italian Singer), Hong Kong as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, and in South America at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina as Belmonte in Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Also sharing center stage, noted countertenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum brings his powerful, elegant voice, and dynamic stage presence to the PREformances April 3rd concert. Mr. Mandelbaum made his Metropolitan Opera debut in "The Enchanted Island" singing the role of Ferdinand in a series of performances alongside Joyce DiDonato and Plácido Domingo, under the baton of William Christie.

A sought-after concert performer, Mr. Mandelbaum has sung with Orchestra of Saint Luke's, Amor Artis, Canticum Novum Singers, Canterbury Choral Society, Westchester Oratorio Society, Norwalk Symphony, Greater Bridgeport Symphony, Connecticut Master Chorale, Allentown Symphony, Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut, Vermont Mozart Festival, and others. He is in demand as a soloist for the oratorios of Handel and the choral works of Bach, and has made calling cards of the "tenor" solo in Orff's Carmina Burana and the "boy" solo in Bernstein's Chichester Psalms.

In addition to performing baroque repertoire, Mr. Mandelbaum is an experienced interpreter of contemporary opera, including DeChiera's Cyrano De Bergerac with Opera Pacific; Monk's Quarry with Spoleto Festival USA, Glass's Galileo Galilei at Brooklyn Academy Of Music, Hause's Man: Biology Of A Fall at Kumble Theater [NYC], and two productions of Quincey's Home And The River with Encompass New Opera Theatre, with whom he also premiered Quincey's Tale Of A Tell-Tale Heart, the leading role of which was written specifically for him.

The ARK Trio returns to PREformances after their successful New York City inaugural concert this past February with "Love Resounding." The ARK Trio will bring their unique sound of voice, cello and piano to PREformances to perform contemporary classical works written for the ARK Trio by composers Moshe Knoll and Michael Ching.

Together with noted soprano Allison Charney, ARK Trio founding members, cellist Kajsa William Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida, are accomplished soloists as well as ensemble performers. Pianist Reiko Uchida enjoys an active career as a soloist and chamber musician, performing regularly throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe, in venues including Suntory Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center, and the White House. As a chamber musician, she has performed at the Marlboro, Santa Fe, Tanglewood, and Spoleto Music Festivals; as guest artist with Camera Lucida, American Chamber Players, and the Borromeo, Talich, Daedalus, St. Lawrence, and Tokyo String Quartets; and in recital with Jennifer Koh, Thomas Meglioranza, Anne Akiko Meyers, Sharon Robinson, and Jaime Laredo. Her recording with Jennifer Koh, "String Poetic" was nominated for a Grammy Award. She is a past member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two and is a founding member of the ARK trio. Ms. Uchida holds a Bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, a Master's degree from the Mannes College of Music, an Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School, and is currently an associate faculty member at Columbia University.

Swedish cellist Kajsa William-Olsson is frequently heard as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician throughout the world. As a founding member of the VITALIS and the Hanna String Quartets, Ms. William-Olsson has performed extensively throughout Europe. She regularly teaches and performs at the MMCJ Festival in Japan, and appears as a chamber musician in festivals including the Aspen Music Festival, the Sangat Festival in Mumbai and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Ms. William-Olsson is a founding member of the ARK trio. Ms. William-Olsson's solo career has taken her throughout the globe, having performed concertos in the United States, Europe and Asia. She was the featured soloist in Tan Dun's Cello Concerto, with the composer conducting, in both Norway and China. Amongst many others, Ms. William-Olsson has collaborated with composer Marc Neikrug, and renowned chamber musicians including Eric Kim, Emanuel Ax, Joyce Yang, and her husband Alan Gilbert. Ms. William-Olsson has been a member of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 1996.

ARK Trio member and co-founder, soprano and PREformances' founder and host, the multi- talented Allison Charney began her singing career following the national finals of the Metropolitan Opera Competition with her debut at the New York City Opera. She went on to earn a reputation for her "vocal agility, lush sound and dramatic portrayals" of dozens of leading roles in opera companies across the United States. Concert highlights have included performances at Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Pops under the baton of Alan Gilbert. A champion of music of our times, Ms. Charney has premiered many new works and is featured on the first recording of the Pulitzer Prize nominated oratorio CHOOSE LIFE. Ms. Charney can be heard in a CD of American song on the DSC Label. The ARK trio's first recording is scheduled to be released in 2018. An active recitalist and master teacher, Ms. Charney is the founder and curator of the NYC concert series, PREformances with Allison Charney. Ms. Charney holds a Bachelor's degree from Harvard University and two graduate degrees in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University.

PREformances with Allison Charney celebrates its eighth season and is co-produced within the JCC Manhattan's Lambert Center for Arts + Ideas, a key cultural asset of the JCC Manhattan. A cornerstone of progressive programming in Manhattan, the JCC serves over 55,000 people annually through 1,200 programs each season that educate, inspire, and transform participants' minds, bodies, and spirits. Since its inception, the JCC has been committed to serving the community by offering programs and services that reach beyond neighborhood boundaries. Programs at the JCC reach people at all stages of their lives, and serve the entire family and community. Proceeds from 'PREformances with Allison Charney" help support the pivotal work of The Basser Center for BRCA and the breadth of arts programing at the JCC.

PREformances with Allison Charney
Featuring tenor Todd Wilander, countertenor Jeffrey Mandelbaum, ARK Trio - with soprano Allison Charney, cellist Kajsa William- Olsson and pianist Reiko Uchida and PREformances' collaborative pianist Craig Ketter
April 3, 2017 at 12:30 PM
The Goldman- Sonnenfeldt Auditorium,
JCC Manhattan, Lambert Center for Arts + Ideas
334 AMSTERDAM AVE AT 76TH ST, NEW YORK
Tickets available online and at the door
$15 General Admission; $10 Members; $5 Students/Seniors