From an email:
Stafford Opera Troupe, a local arts organization dedicated to bringing opera performance and education to Stafford and Fredericksburg, opens its summer season with four public masterclasses on July 14, 17, and 27 at 7:30 pm and August 4 at 3:00 pm, located at the Maranatha Music Ministries building at 1915 Charles St, Fredericksburg, VA.
Under the instruction of Stafford Opera Troupe vocal faculty from around the nation and the world, each masterclass features performances from musical theatre and opera repertoire by the students of the 2018 Summer Opera Program.
Accompanied by collaborative pianist Oleg Bellini, hailing from Alessandria, Italy. Admission is free. Donations are gladly accepted in support of the Summer Opera Program, a tuition-free training program reaching high school and young collegiate singers.
ABOUT THE MASTERCLASSES
Masterclass I (Saturday, July 14 at 7:30pm at Maranatha Music Ministries Building): Award-winning soprano Dr. Rachel Eve Holmes presents this musical theatre masterclass alongside voice scientist and baritone Christopher Apfelbach. Don’t miss performances from beloved musical theatre works old and new as the expert faculty help the singers explore characterization, technique, stage presence, and more.
Masterclass II (Tuesday, July 17 at 7:30pm at Maranatha Music Ministries Building): Nationally-acclaimed tenor and pedagogue Brett Pardue serves on the music faculty of Lehigh University as the Sametz Artist-in-Residence and Lecturer of Voice Pedagogy. As Visiting Faculty for Stafford Opera Troupe’s 2018 Summer Opera Program, he presents this masterclass creatively exploring student performances of both classical and musical theatre repertoire.
Masterclass III (Friday, July 27 at 7:30pm at Maranatha Music Ministries Building): Decorated coloratura soprano Gyuyeon Shim, hailing from South Korea, joins with award-winning mezzo-soprano Rebecca Sacks to present this masterclass. Under their creative direction, students of the 2018 Summer Opera Program will perform and workshop selections from opera, operetta, oratorio, and musical theatre repertoire.
Masterclass IV (Saturday, August 4 at 3:00pm at Maranatha Music Ministries): A passionate performer of both opera and musical theatre, baritone and doctoral candidate Isaiah Feken teaches as Visiting Faculty for the 2018 Summer Opera Program, helping student singers of opera arias and art song bring their performances to life in this afternoon masterclass. Later, join us for the closing performance of Viardot’s “Cinderella” at 7 pm at Mountain View High School.
