Brava Philadelphia! Set for Verizon Hall, 3/27

Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts is regarded as one of the premiere opera training schools in the world. Every year over 200 singers audition to become one of the school's roster of Resident Artists - 28 of the most talented and promising opera singers from around the world. This year, AVA features Resident Artists from Armenia, Austria, Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, Serbia, and the United States.

Every five years, AVA welcomes back some of the shining stars who light up the stages of international opera houses to sing in a gala concert event - BRAVA Philadelphia!

This year on March 27th, with AVA celebrating its 80th Anniversary, 11 alumni will join the current AVA Resident Artists in the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall to sing accompanied by the AVA Opera Orchestra under the direction of Music Director Christofer Macatsoris. Tickets start at just $25 ($50, $75 and $110). Call 215.893.1999 or visit avaopera.org for concert tickets.

Prior to the concert, a Gala Dinner will be held at the Hyatt at the Bellevue and a special "Meet the Artists" Champagne Reception with dancing follows the concert. Tickets start at $600 with a special $275 price for Young Professionals under 40 (including dinner, reception and concert ticket). Call 215.735.1685 or visit avaopera.org for more information.

The unforgettable concert event will feature: soprano Maria Aleida (AVA '12), bass Burak Bilgili ('04), soprano Jan Cornelius ('11), "Philadelphia's contribution to tenordom" (Philadelphia Inquirer) Stephen Costello ('07), soprano Othalie Graham ('04), soprano Nancy Herrera ('95), tenor Shawn Mathey ('01), soprano Angela Meade ('09), tenor Taylor Stayton ('11), tenor Richard Troxell ('92), tenor James Valenti ('06) and the Resident Artists of the Academy of Vocal Arts.

Mr. Costello, Ms. Meade, and Mr. Valenti are all recipients of the prestigious Richard Tucker Award and Ms. Meade is one of three AVA alumni who have received the Beverly Sills Artist Award from The Metropolitan Opera.

This season, Ms. Aleida toured with Andrea Bocelli; Mr. Bilgili sings in Atlanta, Beijing, Omaha, Florida and Toronto; Ms. Cornelius sings with Opera Birmingham and North Carolina Opera; Mr. Costello sang Alfredo in The Metropolitan Opera's La traviata and will reprise the role in Vienna before returning to the Met in The Merry Widow this spring; Ms. Graham sings Turandot in Mexico and Charlotte; Ms. Herrera sings with the Washington National Opera, LA Opera and Spain's Teatro Campoamor; Mr. Mathey sings in France, Switzerland and Washington, DC; Ms. Meade sings the Verdi Requiem with the New York Philharmonic, Beethoven's Ninth with the BBC Scottish Symphony and was the featured soloist in Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony with the Philadelphia Orchestra last fall; Mr. Stayton sings Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Philadelphia, Opera de Limoges, Theatre de Caen, Opera de Reims and Opera de Dijon; Mr. Troxell released an album of love songs (So In Love), sings Don José in Carmen with Opera Columbus, Vancouver Opera and the Lubbock Symphony, and performed the National Anthem before an American League playoff game featuring his beloved Baltimore Orioles; and Mr. Valenti has sung in Germany, Argentina, the French West Indies, and Malaysia and will sing in Kansas City and Detroit this spring.

About the Academy of Vocal Arts: Celebrating its 80th Anniversary Season, the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) is dedicated to giving voice to opera's future. Regarded as the premier opera training school in the world, AVA provides four years of tuition-free training dedicated exclusively to the study of voice. The student body is intentionally small and admission is highly competitive. More than two hundred singers from across the globe audition each year for the fewer than eight spots available in each class. The program is limited to fewer than thirty total Resident Artists, who are immersed in a uniquely intensive and highly personalized program where they learn from world-renowned faculty. They receive training in voice, vocal repertoire, acting, stage combat, opera history, several languages, and each year are presented in three to four fully-staged opera productions, accompanied by the professional AVA Opera Orchestra. They are cast in leading roles that they will in all likelihood continue to perform for the rest of their careers. No other opera training program in the world rivals AVA's success in developing individual artists whose extraordinary voices inspire millions on international stages.

To post a comment, you must register and login.