The Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society to Present DOLCE ARMONIA

David Hodgson, the Director of the recently established Ridgecrest Opera Workshop and former Artistic Director of the Ridgecrest Opera Guild, is continuing his mission to bring world-class opera to Ridgecrest audiences. With the support of the Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society, Mr. Hodgson builds on his legacy of organizing beloved productions such as La Bohème, The Magic Flute, and Le nozze di Figaro, delighting local classical music enthusiasts.

On February 8th, the Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society will present Dolce Armonia, an enchanting evening of operatic and oratorio highlights. This extraordinary concert will feature a blend of local and international talent, performing masterpieces by renowned composers Puccini, Verdi, and Mozart.

Audiences can look forward to a captivating showcase of exceptional artistry and beautiful singing as Ridgecrest continues to shine as a home for classical music. Don't miss this unforgettable celebration of operatic brilliance.

David will be joined by Swedish soprano Emma Berggren, Chilean tenor Felipe Prado, pianist Helen Wu and beloved Ridgecrest resident-artist and mezzo-soprano Amber Peterson.

David Hodgson has sung principal baritone in many operas including The Magic Flute, Rigoletto, La Bohème, Pagliacci, Cavalleria Rusticana, The Tales of Hoffmann, Susanna, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Oedipus Tex by P.D.Q. Bach, and Der Freischütz over the past two decades. He has also been selected by notable composers John Biggs and Enrique Gonzales Medina to originate leading roles for the premieres of their operas: Hobson's Choice, by John Biggs, and Serafina y Arcangela, by Enrique Gonzales Medina.

Swedish soprano Emma Berggren was recently a finalist in the 2024 Bayreuth-Stipendium Wagner Society Gothenburg Vocal Competition in collaboration with GöteborgsOperan. Operatic highlights include singing Violetta in La Traviata with Pacific Lyric Association, the title roles in Tosca and Suor Angelica with Guild Opera Company, covering Gertrude and the Gingerbread Witch in Hansel and Gretel with Lyric Opera of Orange County, being featured as a soloist in the Falsterbo-Skanör music summer program in Sweden and attending the AIMS Opera Studio in Graz, Austria.

Amber Peterson, mezzo-soprano, who most recently featured as a soloist with Desert Community Orchestra at Parker Performing Arts Center in Ridgecrest, studied voice with Dr. Susan Kane at California State University, Los Angeles earning BA in Choral Music Education and an MA in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. Having performed on stages from California to Rome, Italy Petersen's roles include: Arnalta in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Marmee in Little Women, and Kate in Kiss Me, Kate. Amber premiered works of composer Patrick Rindt, Aunt Imogene and Three Parables.

Tenor Felipe Prado from Chile who has been part of several opera productions in Southern California. He sang the role of Padre Matias en El milagro del Recuerdo, El Remendado in Carmen, Aldeano in El ultimo sueño de Frida y Diego and, The Prince of Persia in Turandot with San Diego Opera, Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca, Alfredo in La Traviata, and Alfred in Die Fledermaus with Pacific Lyric Association, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte by W.A. Mozart with Lyric Opera of Orange County, Il Duca di Mantova in Rigoletto with Guild Opera Company. He was also Rodolfo in La Opera de Tijuana´s production of La Boheme, and Ferrando in Cosi Fan Tutte with Pacific Palisades Symphony.

Helen Wu was the recipient of a Trustee Scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California. She continued her studies with Mikhail Voskresensky at the Moscow Conservatory and Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School. She has appeared with the Pacific Symphony and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and performed at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the Kosciuszko Foundation. She has participated in the Aspen Music Festival, Holland International Music Festival, and Chopin International Music Festival. Her awards include the gold medal from the J.S. Bach Piano Recording Competition and silver medal from the Stravinsky Awards International Competition. She has worked with the Guild Opera Company's outreach program introducing opera to young students in Los Angeles school districts.

Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society (RCMS) is a non-profit organization located in Ridgecrest, California in the Indian Wells Valley, 155 miles NE of Los Angeles. Their mission is to promote education and awareness of the genre of chamber music and provide opportunities for community members to experience this music in our small desert city. RCMS brings excellent, top-rate, professional classical music groups to Ridgecrest for four to six concerts per season.

Saturday February 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Methodist Church, Ridgecrest

For ticket information and event details, please contact the Ridgecrest Chamber Music Society.

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