Opera for Humanity & Tanglewood Institute present “Forbidden Love", a concert of opera favorites

June 22, 2009 - PRLog -- Opera for Humanity (OFH), a New York-based nonprofit opera company, and the Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) present four singers and two pianists from the stages of The MET, New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera and Boston Lyric Opera in concert on Saturday, July 18, 2009 at 4pm, West Street Theatre, Tanglewood Institute, 297 West Street, Lenox, MA. There is a suggested donation of $20 at the door and the concert is free for all BUTI students. This collaborative project will benefit Opera for Humanity to help further its cause of helping children in need via world class musical endeavors.

The concert will take the audience on an emotional journey through various situations associated with the idea of “forbidden love” as seen in some of opera’s most popular scenes. Audience members will be thrilled with arias, duets and quartets from opera such as “Lucia di Lammermoor”, “Roméo et Juliette”, “Rigoletto”, “Carmen”, “Don Giovanni”, “The Pearlfishers”, “West Side Story”, and more.

Singers include Tenor Jon-Michael Ball who recently made his Santa Fe Opera debut as “Red Whiskers” in “Billy Budd” and recently starred as “Nemorino” in “L’Elisir d’Amore” for Santa Fe Opera’s 2009 Spring Tour,  Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra who is on the principal artist roster of The Metropolitan Opera and made her 2009 debut with New York City Opera as “Queen of the Night” in “The Magic Flute”, Baritone Joseph Valone who recently appeared as “Masetto” in Boston Lyric Opera’s production of” Don Giovanni”, and Mezzo-Soprano Julia Mintzer who appears this summer as “Carmen” in the Peter Brook adaptation  “La Tragédie de Carmen” at both the Hot Springs Music Festival and International Vocal Arts Institute in Montreal. Pianists include Elizabeth Bonomo, who was recently a coach at the Hot Springs Music Festival, and Matthew Larson (DMA), who has collaborated with such Metropolitan Opera stars as Carol Vaness, Maria Spacagna, Jennifer Larmore and Sherrill Milnes and is on faculty at the Tanglewood Institute.

“The Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI) is recognized internationally as an outstanding educational opportunity for young artists and is the only program of its kind associated with one of the great symphony orchestras in the world. Here, under the guidance of distinguished professionals and in the presence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, young people devote themselves each summer to an artistic experience without parallel.” ( http://www.bu.edu/cfa/music/tanglewood/about/)  Opera for Humanity will be in residence at BUTI for 3 days, and all rehearsals and the final concert will be open to BUTI students for observation. The OFH singers will also be involved in a career workshop with BUTI students following the performance.

Coloratura Soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra, founded Opera for Humanity in 2006 as a vehicle for social change and artistic development.  The company’s mission is to help children across the globe to overcome poverty and disease through benefit performances by opera’s up-and-coming stars. Additionally, OFH offers outreach concerts to audiences with limited access to classical music and provides prestigious performance opportunities to talented young musicians developing their careers.

2008 marked Opera for Humanity’s first season as an official 501(c) 3 organization. Proceeds from its inaugural performance of Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” at The Liederkranz Club (NYC) in February established a fund for the company itself.  Its recent performance of Lucia di Lammermoor at Peter Norton Symphony Space raised $5000 for The Food Bank for New York City (www.foodbanknyc.org), as well as children in Cambodia and Malawi through World Vision (www.worldvision.org).  Other recent events have raised funds for Bryans Dream Foundation (www.bryansdream.org)  and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (www.stjude.org)

Opera for Humanity is staffed by Robert Shoremount (President), Amy Shoremount-Obra (Founder), Suzanne Halasz (Development), Jody Mullen (Publicity), Linda Platzer (Public Relations), Harlan deBell (Fundraising/Special Events), and Carla Maniscalco (Business and Production Manager).  For more information, please visit www.operaforhumanity.org

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NY based nonprofit opera company dedicated to helping children in need via world class musical endeavors and promoting emerging operatic talent of the highest caliber.