Opera Ebony Kicks Off 40th Season with SASS' N CLASS Concert Tonight, 11/16

Opera Ebony, America's longest running African American Opera Company, kicks off its 40th Anniversary Season with a musical montage of Sass' N Class tonight, November 16, 2012 at 7PM, at Aaron Davis Hall, City College of New York (Convent Avenue and West 135th Street on City College campus) New York, NY 10031. Tickets are $25 (general admission); $15 (student tickets). For more information and ticket sales visit: www.adhatccny.org or call Aaron Davis Hall Box office at 212.650.6900.

Sass' N Class is a musical production originally conceived and directed by Opera Ebony founder and music director, Wayne Sanders. The 7-year old piece will celebrate America's best popular music, performed by the Opera Ebony cast adapting jazz, pop and classical music. Pieces from Duke Ellington, Jerome Kern, Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter will be performed. The production will be directed by Music Director Wayne Sanders and features sopranos, Tonya Canady, Angela Owens, Karen Parks; mezzo-soprano, Martine Bhowan; tenors, K'idar Miller, Richard, Montgomery, David Whitley; baritones, Darryl Jordan, Marvin Lowe, Anthony Turner and bass baritone, Davone Tines.

"Opera Ebony's rich history of innovative and historic productions has been a part of New York City's music scene for 40 years, states Managing Director, Gregory Sheppard. I am privileged to serve an arts institution that has such a strong and vibrant presence in a city with rich and diverse cultural roots."

Performed by:
• Sopranos: Tonya Canady, Angela Owens, Karen Parks
• Mezzo-soprano: Martine Bhowan
• Tenors: K'idar Miller, Richard, Montgomery, David Whitley
• Baritones: Darryl Jordan, Marvin Lowe, Anthony Turner
• Bass baritone: Davone Tines

Song Selection:
• Aunt Hagar's Children's Blues by W. C. Handy
• Joe Turner's Blues by W. C. Handy
• Dat's Love by George Bizet
• Slap Dat Bass by George and Ira Gershwin
• Squeeze Me by Fats Waller
• Brown Skin Baby Mine by Will Marion Cook
• Happiness is a Thing Called Joe By Harold Arlan
• What It Takes to Make You Love Me by James E. Europe

Date: Friday November 16, 2012
7PM Showtime
6:30PM Doors Open

Tickets:
Price: $25 and $15 for students (with their ID)
Visit: www.adhatccny.org
Call: 212.650.6900

Aaron Davis Hall is located at Convent Avenue & West 135th Street on the campus of City College of New York, New York.

Directions:
Bus: M11, M18, M100 or M101 to 135th Street
Subway: 1 to 137th Street; A, C or D to 145th Street
Driving: Free parking at West 133rd Street & Convent Avenue or parking on the street

Opera Ebony is the longest-operating African-American Opera Company in the United States. It performs operas from the standard European repertoire in addition to newly commissioned works that engage with African-American history. Founded in 1973, the company has served as a professional platform for thousands of American artists, administrators and the technical staff who help them to refine their talent and perfect their craft. In New York City, Opera Ebony has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy Of Music, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Beacon Theatre, and the Manhattan Center. The company has partnered with several major international orchestras, opera companies, and music festivals, including the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish National Opera, the Estonia Philharmonic, and the Savonlinna Music Festival.

Aaron Davis Hall hosts an ambitious, year-round calendar of events, most of which are open to the public. The stunning architecture houses an innovative two-theatre performing arts complex that presents public performances and exhibitions by students as well as professional artists, and serves as the cultural hub of upper Manhattan and Harlem. Aaron Davis Hall is the only cultural facility of its kind between Lincoln Center and uptown Manhattan and is used by groups like Carnegie Hall, Dance Theater of Harlem, Ballet Hispanico, Harlem School of the Arts, and so many other community based and nationally based organizations.

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