Festival Opera Reveals Recital Series in Piedmont

Festival Opera’s 33rd season will continue into autumn with a trio of Sunday afternoon artist recitals at the intimate Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont. The series will launch September 22 at 4 p.m. with Lucky in Lovepresenting Kindra Scharich, mezzo-soprano and Jeffrey LaDeur, pianist; continue on October 27, 2024 at 4 p.m. with Nothing to Fear featuring Sara Couden, contralto and Derek Tam, pianist; and conclude November 17, 2024 at 4 p.m. with Muses and Musings of an Impresario - a birthday celebration with special guest artists to be announced - showcasing Festival Opera General Director Zachary Gordin, baritone and Daniel Lockert,pianist.

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Earlier in the company’s season, Festival Opera presented two annual Opera in the Park concerts at Orinda Community Park and Walnut Creek Civic Park, featuring beloved community park programs of grand opera and Broadway musical highlights. For the mainstage production at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Festival Opera General Director Zachary Gordin and guest stage director Céline Ricci presented a double bill of two one-act operas regarding love and betrayal: Francis Poulenc’s riveting mid-1950s monodrama La Voix humaine based on iconoclast Jean Cocteau’s play, and Baroque masterpiece Dido and Aeneas, by Henry Purcell based on Virgil’s epic work, the Aeneid.

Sunday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Lucky in Love

According to Kindra Scharich, “Lucky in Love celebrates the centennial anniversary of legendary French composer Gabriel Fauré by highlighting one of his most important song cycles: La Bonne Chanson. Inspired by his passionate love for soprano Emma Bardac and based on the exquisite poetry of Paul Verlaine, Fauré called La Bonne Chanson his “most exuberant writing.” Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich and pianist Jeffrey LaDeur present this work, alongside other beloved scores that explore l’amour!

Sunday, Oct. 27 at 4 p.m. Nothing to Fear

Contralto Sara Couden commented, "What do art song and Halloween have in common? Well…monsters. Beasts without and within, love gone horribly wrong, generalized anxiety and existential crises, conversations with death… the world of (mostly) classical music is rife with horrors, and I am excited to introduce as many of them as possible to the audience this October. I will be working with the fabulous and multi-talented pianist Derek Tam, and presenting works by a list of composers including Schubert, Strauss, Wieck, Weill, as well as modern composers Jordan Rutter-Covatto, Erika Oba, and Chris Castro. Don’t worry, there’s nothing to fear…but fear (/love/death/the beast within) itself.”

 Sunday, Nov. 17 at 4 p.m.  Muses and Musings of an Impresario

Baritone Zachary Gordin said, “I am honored to collaborate with this group of Bay Area treasures on this recital series, and most especially to rekindle my work with the incomparable Daniel Lockert in a recital of repertoire and anecdotes that will tell a story of my journey and muses in this life of music. Songs of composers so very dear to me: Schumann, Mahler, Reynaldo Hahn, and Jake Heggie, mixed with a splash of early music and American Songbook classics. Surprise guests to be announced, and a birthday celebration reception including wine, bubbly and treats will follow the program.”

Tickets for the Festival Opera Artist Recital Series at the Piedmont Center for the Arts are $40 pp for each concert or individuals may purchase the discounted price of $95 for all programs. To purchase online, visit www.festivalopera.org.

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