Bainbridge Symphony Opens 2013-14 Season with Opera Showcase This Weekend

The BSO kicks off its 41st Season with a night at the opera! Come hear your favorite overtures, arias, duets, ensemble numbers and more with an all-star cast of Northwest singers including Rachel DeShon, soprano, Sonia Perez, mezzo-soprano, John Coons, tenor, and Thomas Thompson, baritone in Toi Toi Toi! - An Opera Showcase, running today and tomorrow, November 23 & 24: Saturday @ 7:30 p.m. & Sunday @ 3:00 p.m. at Bainbridge Performing Arts.

Maestro Wesley Schulz, who has been lauded by musicians for his "intensity and emotion" and "approachable and inspiring" leadership is thrilled to guide BSO members and opera enthusiasts on a passionate musical journey with the inaugural concert of the BSO's 2013 - 2014 Season on November 23 and 24. From Mozart to Verdi the BSO will perform the greatest works from the operatic repertory including Carl Maria von Weber's Overture to Der Freischütz, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Waltz from Eugen Onegin, and Carl Nielsen's Saul and David, Prelude to Act II, plus arias and ensemble pieces by Mozart, Gounod, Donizetti, Bizet, Verdi and many more.

Rachel DeShon, winner of Marvin Hamlisch's Search for a Star, has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Boston Symphony POPS!, Seattle Opera, Teatro ZinZanni, and Pittsburgh Symphony. Sonia Perez has performed as a soloist with the Seattle Opera, Chautauqua Opera, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Brooklyn Opera Orchestra. John Coons has performed as a soloist with the Seattle Opera, Skagit Opera, PORTOpera, the Boston Symphony POPS, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Bellevue Ballet. Despite being an Early Music specialist, Thomas Thompson's most recent project has been with the Seattle Opera, touring with and premiering three operas by local composer Eric Banks.

Toi Toi Toi! - An Opera Showcase appears at Bainbridge Performing Arts November 23 and 24, with shows Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.and includes a pre-concert chat on Sunday at 2:15 p.m. Tickets, $19 for adults, and $16 for seniors, students, military, and teachers, may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206.842.8569 or in person at BPA, 200 Madison Avenue North, Bainbridge Island. Each youth receives free admission when accompanied by a paying adult. BPA Box Office hours are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance.

Check us out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BPAonline), follow Bainbridge Performing Arts on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/bainbridge-performing-arts) and Twitter (@BPAPresents), or find out more about BPA at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org. Check online for the latest on theatre and symphony auditions, complete theatre school and adult class offerings, performance listings, tickets, promos, and more. Go to "About BPA" and click on "Get Our Newsletter" to receive electronic performance announcements and behind-the-scenes news.

To post a comment, you must register and login.