Tucker Gala Brings Host of Opera Stars to Carnegie Hall

On Sunday, October 21, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation's annual gala concert - one of the most highly anticipated operatic events of the season - will bring a galaxy of opera stars to the stage of Carnegie Hall. And opera-lovers around the world unable to make it in person will still have the opportunity to watch the performance live. Thanks to the foundation's partnership with medici.tv, the gala concert will be webcast live (6pm ET/3pm PT), free of charge, both on medici.tv and on medici.tv's Facebook page; the stream will subsequently be available for on-demand viewing for a limited period. In addition, the Richard Tucker Music Foundation continues its collaboration with WQXR 105.9 FM, New York's sole dedicated classical radio station, which will broadcast the performance to listeners in the New York metropolitan region and online at www.wqxr.org on November 10 at 1pm ET/10am PT.

The concert features bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, winner of the 2018 Richard Tucker Award, with a host of opera luminaries from around the world: soprano Anna Netrebko, tenors Javier Camarena and Yusif Eyvazov, baritone Quinn Kelsey, and five past Tucker Award-winners: sopranos Christine Goerke, Angela Meade, and Nadine Sierra; mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe; and tenor Michael Fabiano. This starry lineup will join forces for an evening of favorite arias and ensembles under the baton of Marco Armiliato, with the support of the New York Choral Society and members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Netrebko's encore at the 2016 Tucker Gala. Christian Van Horn is "one of those treasurable singers in whose presence one can entirely relax, assured that everything he does will be delivered with solid interpretive insight and unfailingly attractive tone" (Opera News). Only the third bass-baritone to win the Tucker Award in its 40-year history, his long association with the foundation dates back to his receipt of a Sara Tucker Study Grant in 2003, in which year he also took first place at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Since then, he has made debuts on many of the world's great opera stages, and is now taking on principal roles in major international productions. Last season alone saw him star as Mephistopheles in Lyric Opera of Chicago's new production of Faust, sing his first Enrico in Anna Bolena at the Canadian Opera Company, and take on the role of Julio in the Metropolitan Opera's U.S. premiere of The Exterminating Angel by Thomas Adès. This season brings two more important firsts, with debuts at the Paris Opera and in the title role of Mefistofele at the Met, in a production that includes fellow Tucker Award-winners Angela Meade (2011) and Michael Fabiano (2014). His concert engagements include recent debuts with the New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony and appearances with the Berlin Philharmonic in Salzburg. He has recorded the title role of Le nozze di Figaro for Sony Classical and recently appeared in the Metropolitan Opera's HD broadcast of Falstaff. A native of Long Island and a graduate of Chicago's Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, Van Horn holds a Master's in music from Yale University.

After Richard Tucker unexpectedly died on tour in 1975, his duo partner and friend Robert Merrill worked with the Tucker family to organize a gathering of opera legends, including Martina Arroyo and Roberta Peters, to take place on what would have been the duo's next date at Carnegie Hall. The Richard Tucker Music Foundation was formed later that year, and the concert became an annual tradition, raising funds to support young American opera singers and keep the beloved tenor's memory alive. Having relocated across town to Lincoln Center in 1989, the gala made a triumphant return to its original home at Carnegie Hall with a sold-out house in 2016. For more than four decades, audiences at both locations have been able to depend on the foundation's annual gala to bring together some of opera's most illustrious stars, including Leonard Bernstein, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Leontyne Price, and Joan Sutherland.

The Richard Tucker Music Foundation is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to perpetuating the artistic legacy of the great Brooklyn-born tenor by nurturing the careers of talented young American opera singers. Through awards, grants for study, performance opportunities, and other activities, the foundation provides professional development for singers at various stages of their careers. It also offers free performances in the New York metropolitan area, and supports music education enrichment programs. Each year, the foundation confers its most prestigious prize, the Richard Tucker Award, on an artist poised at the edge of a major international career. Often referred to as the "Heisman Trophy of Opera," the award comes with a $50,000 cash prize as well as the ongoing support of the Tucker family and foundation. Past winners include Lawrence Brownlee, Stephen Costello, Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Deborah Voigt, and Dolora Zajick.

Heralded by the New York Times as "the closest thing to a classical Netflix," medici.tv brings viewers around the world the leading classical artists, ensembles and orchestras from the greatest performing arts institutions, concert halls, opera houses, festivals and competitions. Since its official launch in May 2008, medici.tv has gained international recognition, bringing together an international community of music and arts lovers from 180 countries. In addition to offering live concert hall events that music lovers can experience on their computers and entertainment systems (Chromecast, Airplay), medici.tv offers a free application (available at the Apple App Store and at Google Play for Android) that makes it possible to experience world-class artistry on all mobile devices. In addition, more than 150 client universities, public libraries and music schools around the world take advantage of medici.tv, including Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, the Juilliard School, and the Manhattan School of Music.

WQXR 105.9 FM, which streams live at www.wqxr.org, is New York City's only all-classical music station, immersing listeners in the city's rich musical life. WQXR presents new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Opera, and the New York Philharmonic, among other venues. WQXR also broadcasts essential destination programs including New York Philharmonic This Week and Young Artists Showcase. For listeners in search of the new, WQXR operates New Sounds, a hand-crafted, genre-free home for the musically curious, with a 24/7 radio station, a slate of podcasts, and live video sessions with dynamic and emerging artists, all available at newsounds.org. Operavore is WQXR's opera site featuring news, interviews, and commentaries from the world of opera, as well as a 24/7 all-opera stream. WQXR.org provides essential playlist information and online listening, as well as original content, host blogs, NYC cultural news, and videos. The station's free mobile app allows listeners to take WQXR with them wherever they go. As a public radio station, WQXR is supported by the generosity of its members and sponsors, making classical music relevant, accessible and inspiring for listeners in New York City and around the globe.

Watch the Tucker Gala live on Sunday, October 21 at 6pm ET/3pm PT on medici.tv or at facebook.com/medicitv. Embed code is available upon request. The concert will be available free of charge for streaming on demand for a limited period.

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