Read the recent New York Times Review on Opera Night. | March 01, 2009
It's Not Just the Opera, It's Who's Singing
By AILEEN JACOBSON
Culture mingles with neighborly warmth at "Opera Night," a monthly event at St. Paul's United Methodist Church.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/nyregion/long-island/01operali.html
關於我： I am a classical pianist. I live and teach in the town of Northport, Long Island. I am the director of a series called "Opera Night" which takes place the first Friday of each month, at St.Paul's United Methodist Church, #270 Main Street, Northport.
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Opera Night is a unique phenomenon. Every month, we attract more sterling performers while the size of our audience continues to increase. In the beginning, when Opera Night was simply an “open mic” at the Caffe Portofino, coffee drinking patrons enjoyed listening to opera as singers dropped in, sheet music in hand, and performed unrehearsed. The accompaniment was played on an old, clunky piano. Often, newly learned repertoire was performed and music was sight read. The audience loved it. In March of 2007, we moved across the street to St. Paul’s. In our new venue, we delight in a wonderful Steinway and superb acoustics. Each month our enthusiastic audience adds newcomers to those “old-timers” who have been with us since the beginning. Our roster of singers includes professionals, semi-professionals, and aspiring artists. All are welcome to join us. There is a pre-opera half hour from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m.--usually a pot-pourri of chamber music or piano music. Vocal performances follow. An intermission takes place from 8:45 to 9:00, and the evening is usually over before 10:00 p.m.. The series has no funding, and is made possible by the generosity of our fine musicians. Money donated benefits St. Paul’s Methodist Church. Our mission is to spread the joy of opera within the community while creating a forum for fine local musicians to perform. Join the Opera Night family!
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Sala d'Opera: (The "Opera Night Room")
Saint Paul's has generously given us a separate room for costume, wardrobe and stage prop storage. In addition, this space will also be used for office and rehearsals. This room will help us further our creative endeavors in the vast realm of Opera. Donations (Monetary and/or Opera Related Art Work, costumes, music, books, CD's and collectibles) given to Sala d'Opera will enhance the operation of this space.We have 501-c-3 status, donations are tax deductible.
We are updating our database. If you would like to receive our monthly newsletter, please sign our guest book located at the back table, or send request to: vivaldi222@aol.com
Isabella Eredita-Johnson, Director
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Program for November 6th, 2009 performance: Chamber music program, 7:30-8:00:
Chamber music program, 7:30-8:00:
Chamber Music, 7:30-8:00 pm
Gene Keyes, clarinet
Daniel Ragone, piano
Cueca, Carlos Guastavino
Las Presencias #7 Carlos Guastavino arr./G.Keyes
Oblivion, Astor Piazzola
Nightclub 1960, Astor Piazzola arr./Dmitriy Varelas
Opera Night, 8:00
Sal Cappellino, Tenor
“Una furtiva lagrima”
L'elisir d'amore
Gaetano Donizetti
Cheryl Savitt Spielman, Soprano
“Io sono l’umile ancella”
Adriana Lecouvreur
Francesco Cilea
Dawn Zahralban, soprano
"Bist du bei mir" (Be thou with me)
Johann Sebastian Bach
Lauren Haber, soprano
"Song to the Moon”
Rusalka
Antonin Dvorak
Steven Barchi, Baritone
“Count’s Aria”
Le Nozze di Figaro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Jeanny Schwartz, Mezzo Soprano
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
Eric Thiman
Gina Haber, soprano
"Donde Lieta"
La Boheme
Giacomo Puccini
Young Ha Kim, tenor
"O Sole Mio"
E. Di Capua
intermission
Lauren Haber, Soprano
“I Can Smell the Sea Air”
A Street Car Named Desire
André Previn
Frances Fascetti, Mezzo Soprano
“When I laid in Earth”
Dido & Aeneas
Henry Purcell
Gina Haver, Soprano
“Si, mi chiamano Mimi”
La Bohème
Giacomo Puccini
Kimberly Iannuzzi, Soprano
“Adele’s Aria”
Die Fledermaus
Johann Strauss
Young Ha Kim, Tenor
“Core ‘ngrato”
Salvatore Cardillo
Susan Puente, Soprano
“Chinese Song”
Dawn Zahralban, Soprano
“Glitter and be Gay”
Candide
Leonard Bernstein
Daniel Ragone, Pianist
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An Opera House for Opera Night? Ideas are buzzing about. The size of our audience continues to grow. One day, this may be a reality!Can the new chapter of the Northport "Sons of Italy" help us out? Can we collaborate with organizers from the Metropolitan Opera House, and have a Met "Annex?" We can model our home after the "Fernice Opera House" in Venice, Italia, to be located in areas such as Northport or Huntington, Long Island. Any architects/ artists interested in designing our Opera House? Looking for clever financiers! We can do this! Target date....September, 2012
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Participating singers are:
UPCOMING:
November 21, 2009, 8:00 pm,
Solo Recital:
Young Ha Kim, tenor solo recital
Isabella Johnson, piano accompanist
St. Paul's United Methodist, $7 suggested donation
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The new Steinway Piano Gallery of Long Island (Melville) has provided us with a Boston piano for "Sala d'Opera" room. (Singers are able to vocalize properly!) With this as our locale-- and a quality piano---the creative possibilities are unlimited.
Opera Night thanks Gorden McNelly of Steinway and Sons for making this possible.
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Celebrate Christmas as the Opera
December 12th, 2009 presented by the Northport
"Sons of Italy"
Arias and Christmas carols.
St. Philip Neri Church in Northport
$35 ticket includes dinner and entertainment, 6:00-10:00
Gather your friends and reserve a table for eight now!
Individual tickets also on reserve. Make checks payable to "Northport Sons of Italy"
For information, e-mail vivaldi222@aol.com
Participating singers are:
Frances Fascetti, mezzo soprano
Linda Garrity, soprano
Gina Haver, soprano
Young Ha Kim, tenor
Caroline McFarland, soprano
Marie Michalopoulos, mezzo soprano
Mary Elizabeth O'Neill, soprano
Jeanny Schwartz, mezzo soprano
Bruce Solomon, tenor
Dawn Zahralban, soprano
and more!
Isabella Eredita Johnson, piano accompanist
