South Bend Symphony Presents A NIGHT AT THE OPERA This April

Experience opera like never before as the South Bend Symphony, under the baton of Music Director Alastair Willis, at A Night at the Opera on Saturday, April 6.

The fourth installment of the Jack M. Champaigne Masterworks Series unites the Symphony with the South Bend Lyric Opera and the Vesper Chorale at the Morris Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 6, at 7:30 p.m. This dynamic program promises an evening full of passionate melodies and stirring lyrics of beloved arias, duets, trios, and choruses from renowned composers, including Mozart, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi, and more.

Back after their stunning performances during the Symphony's La Traviata, soloists Anya Matanovič and Emanuel Cristian-Caraman bring unparalleled virtuosity, and newcomer Morgan Smith is sure to delight. Artistic Director of South Bend Lyric Opera, Emanuel Cristian-Caraman, says "South Bend Lyric Opera is grateful and excited to be working with South Bend Symphony Orchestra on this new project. Our collaboration in March 2021of Verdi's La Traviata was an immense success, and we look forward to many more opportunities to work together. On a personal note, I am very excited to work with Maestro Willis again, and to bring our community together for an unforgettable night alongside Anya Matanovič, Morgan Smith, and Vesper Chorale."

The South Bend Symphony Orchestra thanks Jack M. Champaigne for supporting the Masterworks Series. Additionally, the Symphony acknowledges Jordan Lexus of Mishawaka as a distinguished Artistic Sponsor of the 2023-24 Season. Thank you to Victoria Garrett, Matt Kahn and Janine Felder-Kahn, and Kahn Ruthrauff Associates for supporting this performance.

About the South Bend Symphony Orchestra  

The South Bend Symphony inspires the community with the transformative power of orchestral music in all its forms by producing 20 mainstage programs, serving more than 23,000 attendees annually. As the region's only professional orchestra, the Symphony is committed to diverse sound and a robust arts community in Michiana that entertains and connects people to music.

In addition to being recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts and other state and local arts funding organizations, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra is the recipient of the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County's Leighton Award for Nonprofit Excellence, which recognizes the best-run nonprofit organization in St. Joseph County, Indiana. 

About Anya Matanovič, soprano

Anya Matanovič made her professional opera debut, directly from her undergraduate studies, as Mimì in the Los Angeles commercial engagement of Baz Luhrmann's Tony Award-winning production of La bohème, and made her international opera debut as Musetta in Franco Zeffirelli's production of La bohème with the New Israeli Opera. She has returned to Seattle Opera on numerous occasions since her time there as a young artist, including roles such as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Marzelline in Fidelio, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte and Nanetta in Falstaff. She has twice joined Santa Fe Opera as Wanda in a new production of Offenbach's The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein and Papagena in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. She made her debut at the Glimmerglass Festival as Micaëla in Carmen, under the baton of David Angus.

About Emanuel-Cristian Caraman, Tenor

Throughout his career Romanian tenor and recording artist, Emanuel-Cristian Caraman has appeared with opera companies, symphony orchestras in Europe, South America, and North America, including many prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Ateneul Roman in Bucharest, and Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna.

Caraman has performed with Los Angeles Opera, George Enescu International Music Festival in Bucharest, Miami Lyric Opera, Die Deutsche Kammerphilarmonie in Bremen, CBA Symphony in Chicago, Düsseldorf Lyric Opera, South Bend Lyric Opera, Union Avenue Opera in St. Louis, Opera in the Heights in Houston, New England Chamber Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra and New Philharmonic Orchestra.

Operatic highlights include Turridu in Cavalleria Rusticana, Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore, Rodolfo in La Boheme, Alfredo in La Traviata, Don José in Carmen, Fritz in L'Amico Fritz, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni, Ferrando in Cosi fan tutte, Tamino in Die Zauberflote, Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus and Count Danilovitch in Merry Widow.

As a distinguished concert performer Caraman has performed the tenor solos in Rossini's Stabat Mater, Mozart's Great Mass in C Minor, Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Mendelsohn's Elijah, Bach's B Minor Mass, Bach's Magnificat, Ramirez's Misa Criolla, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Creation, Haydn's Stabat Mater, Brukner's Te Deum and Stravinsky's Pulcinella.

Lawrence Budman of South Florida Classical Review remarked: "The tomb scene can be anti-climactic after Lucia's final collapse but not with Caraman's impassioned singing. Before Edgardo's stabbing himself to join his beloved in heaven, Caraman vaulted "Tu che a Dio" to the rafters, sung with golden tone and big-boned fervor."

In 2014, Caraman recorded Spanish composer Jorge Muniz' vocal catalog written for tenor, cello and piano. In August 2018, Afinat Records, released an album, with the title "Cantos del Emigrante."

In 2017, Caraman was the recipient of the Michiana 40 under 40 recognition award, conferred by South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. In May of 2018, Caraman, received first place in the American Prize Oratorio Award, for an outstanding vocal symphonic artist.

Caraman is the general and artistic director of South Bend Lyric Opera in South Bend Indiana, the director of opera studies and assistant professor of voice at Western Michigan University.

In 2008, Caraman received his Doctor of Music degree from Bucharest Conservatory of Music within The National Music University in Bucharest.

About Morgan Smith, Baritone

American baritone Morgan Smith is one of the most prolific performers of modern operatic repertoire in the world. Known for his riveting dramatic portrayals and the power and beauty of his voice, Smith has been entrusted to create 16 roles in world premieres, including Starbuck in Jake Heggie's widely celebrated Moby-Dick.

He has also earned universal praise for performances in the traditional repertoire, notably Scarpia (Tosca), Escamillo (Carmen), the title role of Don Giovanni, Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Count Alamaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Four Villains (Les contes d'Hoffmann), and the title role of Eugene Onegin. A graduate of Columbia College at Columbia University and Mannes College of Music in New York City, Morgan became a Seattle Opera young artist (1999-2000) and, in 2001 made his professional debut as Donald in Billy Budd.

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