George London Foundation to Welcome Anthony Roth Costanzo & Nadine Sierra, 3/22

The George London Foundation's season of events comes to a close with a duo recital by two young singers who both won George London Awards in 2010: countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, whose indelible performances in recent New York Philharmonic productions of Le Grand Macabre and A Dancer's Dream have made him a New York favorite, and soprano Nadine Sierra, one of the youngest winners of the George London Award as well as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Joined by pianist Brian Wagorn, they will perform the last recital of the George London Foundation's season on Sunday, March 22, 2015, at 4:30 PM at The Morgan Library & Museum.

Anthony Roth Costanzo will perform songs by Duparc and Liszt, and "Rompo I lacci" from Handel's Flavio. Nadine Sierra will sing songs by Schubert, Turina, and Rorem, and an aria to be announced. Together, they will perform "Io t'abraccio" from Handel's Rodelinda, and selections from Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. (Complete program follows below.)

The George London Foundation Recital Series, which is in its 19th year, presents pairs of outstanding opera singers, many of whom were winners of a George London prize early in their careers or are recent George London Award recipients. The foundation's season of events at The Morgan includes three duo recitals and the annual George London Foundation Awards Competition.

The goal of the George London Foundation, the support and nurturing of young singers, was an abiding interest of the great American bass-baritone George London, who devoted a great part of the time and energy of his later years to this purpose. "Remembering his difficult road to success, George wanted to devise a way to make the road a little easier for future generations of singers," said George London Foundation President Nora London. Initially created under the auspices of the National Opera Institute, the George London Awards program has been administered since 1990 directly by the Foundation as a living legacy to George London's own exceptional talent and generosity. www.georgelondon.org

Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (2010 George London Award), a native of Durham, North Carolina, continues to build his reputation as one of the rising stars of the next generation of singers. This season, he makes his debuts at the San Francisco Opera in Partenope, Teatro Real in Death in Venice, and the English National Opera in The Indian Queen. Mr. Costanzo's other recent opera engagements have included Rodelinda, The Enchanted Island, and Die Fledermaus at the Metropolitan Opera; his debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as Eustazio in Rinaldo, and Semele at the Canadian Opera Company. He also recently had the honor of appearing as a special guest artist in a traditional Kabuki production of The Tale Genji in Kyoto. As Opera News said in an October 2014 profile, "Fired by a vision of opera's future - its potential to speak to new audiences and to touch hearts - Costanzo brings acute intellectual curiosity and a widely varied performing-arts pedigree to bear on the problem of 'Where do we go from here?'" www.anthonyrothcostanzo.com

Soprano Nadine Sierra (2010 George London Award) is a native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Having made her professional debut as a teenager with the Palm Beach Opera, she received her first national exposure at just 15, when she sang "O mio babbino caro" from Gianni Schicchi on NPR's young artist showcase From the Top. After graduating from New York's Mannes College of Music, she entered the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera, where she made her company debut in 2011, creating the dual roles of Juliet and Barbara opposite Thomas Hampson in the world premiere production of Christopher Theofanidis's 9/11 opera, Heart of a Soldier. In the coming season, Sierra makes her Atlanta Opera debut as Gilda in a new staging of Verdi's Rigoletto, and returns to the San Francisco Opera to sing Musetta in John Caird's new production of La bohème and the Countess in John Copley's iconic staging of Le nozze di Figaro. In concert, she joins the Cleveland Orchestra and Oregon Symphony for Orff's Carmina Burana. www.nadinesierra.com

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