The Collegiate Chorale Presents BEATRICE DI TENDA at Carnegie Hall Tonight

The Collegiate Chorale announces its upcoming performance with the American Symphony Orchestra, Beatrice di Tenda by Vincenzo Bellini tonight, December 5, 2012 at 6pm at Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Avenue, NYC. Tickets start at $12.50 and are available at www.carnegiehall.org. Approximate run time: 2.5 hours.

The Chorale will feature the extraordinary soprano Angela Meade in the title role of Beatrice di Tenda, along with soloists Jamie Barton, Michael Spyres and Nicholas Pallesen. Set in 15th century Milan and based on a historical figure, the opera tells of the tormented but saintly wife of the Duke of Milan, falsely accused of adultery by the scorned lover of one of her admirers and sentenced to death by her husband. Beatrice di Tenda is characterized by ravishing melodies and exciting finales. It premiered in 1833 and was famously revived in 1961 by Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne, Music Director James Bagwell conducts The Collegiate Chorale and American Symphony Orchestra in this gala concert evening.

Angela Meade, Beatrice
Jamie Barton, Agnese
Michael Spyres, Orombello
Nicholas Pallesen, Filippo
James Bagwell, conductor
The Collegiate Chorale
American Symphony Orchestra

Soprano Angela Meade is the winner of the 2012 Beverly Sills Artist Award from the Metropolitan Opera and the 2011 Richard Tucker Award. Less than five years after her professional debut, she has quickly become recognized as one of the outstanding vocalists of her generation. The New Yorker has stated,"Meade is astounding ... She has exceptional dynamic control, able to move from floating pianissimos to sudden dramatic swells. The coloratura effects - rapid runs, trills, delicate turns, and so on - are handled with uncommon ease. She is a very musical singer, naturally and intelligently riding the phrase." Angela Meade excels in the most demanding heroines of the nineteenth-century bel canto repertoire as well as in the operas of Verdi and Mozart.

A winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton has been described by Opera News as "a rising star" with a "sumptuous voice." Ms. Barton is also a recent graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. In recent seasons, Ms. Barton appeared with the Houston Grand Opera as Ursula in Béatrice et Bénédict, Giovanna in Rigoletto, and Mrs. Rolandson in the world premiere of André Previn's Brief Encounter. Ms. Barton made her Weill Hall debut in a duo recital with tenor Russell Thomas, presented by the Marilyn Horne Foundation. In the summer of 2009, she joined the Wolf Trap Opera Company in the role of Penelope in Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in Patria, as well as in recital with pianist Steve Blier, also at Wolf Trap. With the Aspen Music Festival, Ms. Barton appeared in recital with bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, as well as a concert of Bernstein/Bruce Coughlin: Arias and Barcarolles with the Aspen Chamber Symphony, also with Ryan McKinny.

Michael Spyres was born in Mansfield (Missouri), where he grew up in a family of musicians. He began his studies in the U.S.A. and continued them at the Vienna Conservatory. He was a Young Artist with Opera Theatre Saint Louis, where he made his main stage operatic debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème. Roles in 2010/2011 included Tamino in Liège, the title role in Steffani's Antigono in Lisbon, Gianetto in Rossini's La gazza ladra at the Semperoper Dresden, Ramiro in La Cenerentola at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Arnold in Rossini's Guillaume Tell at the Caramoor Festival.

A native of Riverside, CA, Baritone Nicholas Pallesen is establishing himself as one of the most promising talents of his generation. He is a 2012 recipient of a Richard Tucker Career Grant, was a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and can be seen in the documentary, "The Audition". Mr. Pallesen's performance in Beatrice di Tenda will mark his Carnegie Hall debut. He will also make two title-role debuts: as Lord Ruthven in Marschner's Der Vampyr with the American Symphony Orchestra and in Rigoletto with Shreveport Opera. He will return to the Metropolitan Opera's roster for Ades' The Tempest. Future engagements include debuts with the Metropolitan, Fort Worth and Cincinnati Operas, all in leading roles. Mr. Pallesen is a winner of the Giulio Gari, Sullivan Foundation, Opera Index and the Bel Canto Foundation competitions. He has also won awards from the George London Foundation, the Loren L. Zachary Society, the Liederkranz Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation and the Santa Fe Opera, among others.

Subscription tickets can be purchased by contacting The Chorale office at (646) 435-9465 or via their website: collegiatechorale.org. Single tickets start at $20. Tickets to individual Carnegie Hall concerts may also be purchased through the Carnegie Hall Box Office 60 days in advance of each concert and on Carnegie Charge at (212) 247-7800 or www.carnegiehall.org. Single tickets for all concerts, and for the Fall Gala and Spring Benefit, can be obtained by calling The Collegiate Chorale at (646) 202-9623.

The mission of The Collegiate Chorale, led by Music Director James Bagwell, is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as for commissions and premieres of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. The many guest artists with whom The Chorale has performed in recent years include: Stephanie Blythe, Victoria Clark, Nathan Gunn, Thomas Hampson, Angela Meade, Kelli O'Hara, Eric Owens, Rene Papé, Bryn Terfel and Deborah Voigt. Last season's highlights included the critically acclaimed concert presentation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado at Carnegie Hall. In addition to The Chorale's presentations, the chorus performed in five programs during the American Symphony Orchestra's 2011-12 season, sang with the Israel Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival and in Israel in July 2012, and will return to Verbier in the summer of 2013.