NY OPERA CONSERVATORY: FREE July-August 2024 Summer Concert Series – Croton Free Library
The Taconic Opera summer program for emerging opera singers, New York Opera Conservatory (NYOC), offers you an opportunity to hear the upcoming generation of professionally trained singers as they gain valuable experience perfecting their craft in a leading role. Established in 2018, the NYOC helps to fill an unmet need among trained singers to gain valuable hands-on experience through actual performance.
Each event in the series listed below – one tragedy and one comedy – will have a different cast, making every performance completely unique from all the others! Each performance includes the complete opera and is semi-staged (costumes, props).
July Opera: Il Trovatore – Verdi
Verdi’s turbulent tragedy is a mainstay of the operatic repertory. The score is both dark and energetic, with infectious tunes that are not easily forgotten. Set in the turbulent Middle Ages, the story is about a count seeking revenge for the murder of his brother by the gypsy girl Azucena, who just happens to have raised the Count’s arch-enemy Manrico. This opera features the playful Anvil Chorus and the rousing tenor aria Di quella pira, a favorite in concert performances by Pavarotti, Domingo, et al. Sung in Italian.
Dates:
Wednesday, July 3, 7:00 pm
Friday, July 5, 7:00 pm
Saturday, July 6, 7:00 pm
Sunday, July 7, 3:00 pm
August Opera: Dona Pasquale – Donizetti
The second opera performed as part of the NYOC summer series is Donizetti’s hilarious comedy, Don Pasquale. A bumbling buffoon is taught a life lesson as he is tricked into a fake marriage with a young woman who turns into a demanding shrew. Taconic Opera’s favorite hilarious mainstage buffo, Jorge Ocasio, joins the Conservatory’s young cast to sing the title role. Sung in Italian.
Dates:
Wednesday, August 7, 7:00 pm
Friday, August 9, 7:00 pm
Saturday, August 10, 7:00 pm
Sunday, August 11, 3:00 pm
Location:
Croton Free Library | 171 Cleveland Drive | Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Fee: FREE
For information about becoming a student in the NY Opera Conservatory, visit the Conservatory website: https://www.newyorkoperaconservatory.com/
For general information about Taconic Opera and NY Opera Conservatory events, visit the website: https://taconicopera.org/
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/taconicopera/ | @TaconicOpera | https://www.instagram.com/taconicopera/
About Taconic Opera
Mission Statement: To maintain and enhance an opera company focused on its own community both in its support of local artists and its commitment to local arts education; to provide high quality, affordable and accessible opera events to local residents. The purpose of the organization is to provide local artists, both professional and volunteer, with an opportunity to participate in the production and presentation of high-quality professional opera events that are accessible and affordable to the general public. Lead singers are trained and experienced professionals, many of whom have performed at the Metropolitan and New York City Opera companies, as well as nationally and internationally. Mainstage operas are presented each season that are fully staged with a full union orchestra and include supertitles (translations) above the stage. Additional events include concerts and recitals to round out the season and free opera lectures provided at local libraries and senior centers. Get-to-know-the-artist admission-free events are provided during the season and before mainstage operas in community locations such as bookstores, churches, community buildings, etc. These events allow for interaction between the performers and the audience in order to introduce this art form to persons with little or no exposure, or to enhance the appreciation of opera among persons who want to know more about it.