Brooklyn College Welcomes 'DIVA' Julia Migenes 4/26

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College concludes its 2008-09 Arts in the Afternoon series with soprano Julia Migenes performing her one-woman show Diva on the Verge on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 2pm.

"Much to the dismay of certain purists," says Ms. Migenes in her program notes for Diva on the Verge, "opera has been a part of my life since I was three, when I was pulled from a deep sleep to replace the child in Madama Butterfly and decided to scream my way through all of the soprano arias. Since then I have been singing or screaming opera, depending on the performance and who you speak to."

Ms. Migenes puts her daring wit and audacious humor to their best use in this solo performance, combining stunning and often hilarious interpretations of some of the world's best-known arias with anecdotes about the rigid world of opera. Part Barbra Streisand, part Maria Callas, and part Lucille Ball, she effortlessly portrays all of the great heroines, from the murderous Tosca to the delicate Juliette to the consumptive Mimi. Written by Ms. Migenes in 1998, Diva on the Verge was first performed in 1999 in France and throughout French-speaking countries. She has adapted and performed the show all over the world, in both French and English, and is preparing a Spanish-language version for a tour of Spain and South America.

About Julia Migenes
Julia Migenes was born on the Lower East Side of New York into a family made up of a passionate mixture of Greek, Irish and Puerto Rican descent. While studying at the New York School for Performing Arts, she was chosen by Leonard Bernstein to be a soloist in his "Young People's Concerts." Julia then began her Broadway career: she played Zero Mostel's eldest daughter in the original cast of Fiddler on the Roof and she interpreted Maria in the 1964 revival of West Side Story. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1980 in Alban Berg's Lulu, sang the title role in Maurice Béjart's Salome, and immortalized the role of Tosca in Francesco Rosi's film opposite Plácido Domingo. The soundtrack not only brought her a Grammy Award but even more worldwide notoriety that allowed her to access the greatest theaters in the world.

In May 2001 Julia Migenes created "Passions Latines," a choreographed recital in which she interprets a repertoire of Latin music, both classical and traditional, from Granados, Villa Lobos, to flamenco, tango and the great contemporary salsa songs. In November 2004, she was part of the cast of Peter Eötvös' new opera Angels in America at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. Ms. Migenes has recorded more than 20 albums, including not only opera but sacred music, Broadway, and jazz. She continues to tour internationally with her shows Alter Ego and Diva on the Verge.

About Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 1954, the mission of Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts is to present outstanding performing arts and arts education programs, reflective of Brooklyn's diverse communities, at affordable prices. Brooklyn Center's presentations explore both the classical traditions and the boldest contemporary performances, embracing the world culture that defines Brooklyn. Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts welcomes over 70,000 people to the 2,400 seat Walt Whitman Theatre each season, and boasts one of the largest arts education programs in the borough, serving schoolchildren from over 225 schools annually.

Julia Migenes in Diva on the Verge at Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
Walt Whitman Theatre at Brooklyn College, 2900 Campus Road, Brooklyn
Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 2pm
Tickets: $25

Online orders: BrooklynCenterOnline.org
Box Office: (718) 951-4500, Tuesday - Saturday, 1PM - 6PM
Groups of 15 or more: (718) 951-4600, ext. 22

Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' programs are made possible in part with public funding from the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. Funding for Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts' 2008-2009 season is provided by: Target; JP Morgan Chase; Independence Community Foundation; Con Edison; National Grid; Citi Foundation; the TD Charitable Foundation; Macy's; The Harkness Foundation for Dance; Air Jamaica; the Carnegie Corporation of New York; and the Lila Acheson Wallace Theater Fund, established in the New York Community Trust by founders of The Reader's Digest Association. Additional support provided by the Pan American Hotel, Courier-Life Publications, The Brooklyn Eagle, and The Brooklyn Paper.

Brooklyn Center gratefully acknowledges the support of the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York State Assembly: Assemblymembers William F. Boyland, William Colton, Steven Cymbrowitz, Diane Gordon, Janele Hyer-Spencer, Rhoda Jacobs, Alan Maisel, Joan Millman, Felix Ortiz, N. Nick Perry, Sheldon Silver, Darryl C. Towns, Helene E. Weinstein; and members of the Brooklyn Delegation of the New York State Senate: Senators Eric Adams, Martin Golden, Kevin Parker and John L. Sampson. Brooklyn Center thanks the New York City Council: Councilmembers Simcha Felder, Domenic M. Recchia Jr., Kendall B. Stewart, and Albert Vann, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, and Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin.

 

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