The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association Presnts BRAVO PUCCINI An Evening of Solos, Arias and Duets

THE OCEAN GROVE CAMP MEETING ASSOCIATION (OGCMA) will close its 2016 season of Great Family Entertainment on Saturday, September 10th with "BRAVO, PUCCINI: AN EVENING OF OPERATIC SOLOS, ARIAS AND DUETS," featuring The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea conducted by New Jersey's beloved Father Alphonse Stephenson and narrated by the acclaimed musical educator Edward Perretti. They will be joined in The Great Auditorium by sopranos Victoria Cannizza and Teresa Bonilla, and tenors Matthew Brown and Randy Pradera. Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), whose operas, among them "La Bohème," "Tosca," "Madama Butterfly" and "Turandot" are some of the most frequently performed, is an operatic standard-bearer whose fiery productions have been revered worldwide for over 100 years. Selections for the evening will be among the most passionate of his compositions.

In addition, a portion of the program will salute the Armed Forces in commemoration of 9/11, and, a special tribute to Madame Era Tognoli, founder of the Metro Lyric Opera Company. Reserved Tickets are $25.00 and can be ordered online at www.oceangrove.org or by phone at 800-590-4064. General Admission tickets (purchased at the box office on the night of the concert) are $20. The Great Auditorium is located at 54 Pilgrim Pathway in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. All facilities are handicapped accessible.

About the Conductor and Narrator

FATHER ALPHONSE STEPHENSON - CONDUCTOR
Father Alphonse, as he's affectionately known to his many fans, is the founder of The Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. He formed his first orchestra in New York City's theatre district while serving at St. Malachy's, the Actors' Chapel. In 1980, the late Broadway director / choreographer Michael Bennett engaged him as conductor and musical director for his smash hit, "A Chorus Line" and Father Alphonse conducted nearly 3,000 performances of the record-breaking musical. A student of George Schick and Robert Abramson, Father Alphonse has been guest conductor of The Fresno Philharmonic, The Delaware Valley Philharmonic, Metro Lyric Opera, The Great Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra, The Palm Beach Opera Orchestra and The Key West Pops. He was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Paterson, NJ, in 1975, and was awarded a Doctorate of Music (honoris causa) from Monmouth University, and a Doctorate of Letters from Georgian Court University. He is also a former National Guard / U.S. Air Force Chaplain and Brigadier General, retired from military service last year. Father Alphonse now devotes his time to The Cecelia Foundation, a non-profit organization he founded with the purpose of donating new musical instruments and awarding scholarships to deserving students.

EDWARD PERRETTI - NARRATOR
Mr. Perretti, a lifelong resident of New Jersey, is a musical educator (he was Father Alphonse's high school music teacher!), opera performer, director, and orchestra conductor. He has spent over 40 years in the music profession and made his professional New Jersey debut with The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in 1979 in Verdi's "La Forza Del Destino" directed by Maestro Alfredo Silipigni, who was then director of the company. Perretti's New York debut was as Radames in "Aida" with The New York Grand Opera under the direction of Vincent La Selva. He became the leading tenor of the company, singing almost every major tenor role by Verdi, as well as the operas of Puccini, Bizet, Mascagni, Boito, Donizetti, Giodano, Leoncavallo, Ponchielli, Bellini, and Gounod. For this OGCMA Puccini concert, he will provide introductions to and interesting background information about the pieces being performed, for the benefit of audience members who may not be especially knowledgeable about the great Puccini.

About the Singers

VICTORIA CANNIZZO - SOPRANO
Ms. Cannizzo was lauded as "a delight, full of spunk and charm and great vocal skill" in her portrayal of Alice Ford in Verdi's "Falstaff," and as Leonora in Verdi's "Il Trovatore" she was praised for her "dark and meaty" voice and "stunning, shimmering pianissimo." Ms. Cannizzo has received awards from the Liederkranz Foundation, the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera, and the New Jersey State Opera Competition. Recent roles include the Countess in "Le Nozze di Figaro," and the title roles in "La Traviata," "Lucia di Lammermoor," and "Madama Butterfly." This season brings the role debut of Donna Elvira in "Don Giovanni."

TERESA BONILLA - SOPRANO
A native of South Jersey, Ms. Bonilla received her BM in vocal performance from Westminster Choir College. In 2014, She appeared as a guest artist with the OperaFest International in Hachenburg, Germany. She recently sang with The Savoy Opera Company of Philadelphia and is currently teaching voice through her studio, Bonilla Vocal Arts.

Matthew Brown - TENOR
A native of Elgin, Illinois, now living in Fairlawn, New Jersey, MR. Brown recently won first place in the New York Lyric Opera Theater's National Vocal Competition at Carnegie Hall. He has performed in Italy and studied with some of Europe's finest coaches, singers and directors while part of the Scuola Italia program for young artists. He is also a five-time National Association of Teachers of Singing award winner. This spring,, he placed second in the New Jersey State Opera's Alfredo Silipigni vocal competition.

RANDY PRADERA - TENOR
Randy Pradera was born in Cuba and came to the United States during the Mariel Boat Lift at the age of three. He graduated from New Jersey City University and presently teaches English and ESL at the Jose Marti Freshman Academy in Union City, where he also directs the after school Music and Theatre Club. This past spring, he wrote and directed "Who's Next?" Written explicitly for developing actors, the comedy, murder-mystery was met with great success and a first for Union City schools. Although usually found grading tests and English essays, Randy Pradera was last heard singing Songs of the Silver Screen at The Duplex in NYC; Rudolfo and Don Ottavio with Palisades Opera of New Jersey; and as tenor soloist at the St. Genaro Festival. Prior engagements and roles include Tamino in "The Magic Flute," Beppe in "Pagliacci" and previous seasons with Father Alphonse and the Orchestra of St. Peter's by the Sea. When not singing opera, Randy enjoys performing traditional boleros with his guitar and conga group Los Nostalgicos for charity groups catering to the elderly and persons with disabilities.

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