Musical Stories of Love, Honor, Despair, and Betrayal Brought to Life by New Generation of Opera Stars
Rochester, NY – Before TV soap operas, the drama of reality shows, and five-hankie movies, there was opera, with its passionate portrayals of love, honor, despair, and betrayal. On Friday, November 13, and Saturday, November 14, both at 8:00 pm, four singers from the next generation of American opera stars will take the stage of Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre for “Opera in Love!” with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra under Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik.
All four singers, soprano Mela Dailey; mezzo-soprano Jami Tyzik; tenor Brandon Wood; and baritone Marcus DeLoach have, among them, a tremendous range of musical experience. With short, narrated commentary to set the scene for each piece from both Jeff Tyzik and the singers themselves, the concert treats the audience to some of the greatest arias, duets, trios, and quartets that have been favorites for centuries, and often are heard in contemporary film soundtracks and television. Selections will include Mozart’s humorous Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni; Bizet’s sultry Carmen; Puccini’s tragic La Bohème; Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Traviata; Donizetti’s Elixir of Love; Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana; and others.
Mela Dailey has been recognized for performances in musical genres including opera, oratorio, arts song, musical theater, vocal jazz, gospel, country, and popular music. She made her professional debut at Carnegie Hall in 2003 with the GRAMMY-nominated Conspirare Company of Voices, with whom she also has recorded for the Clarion label. She has been the recipient of numerous awards such as the 2005 Metropolitan Opera District Winner, 2006 International Opera Singer Competition Finalist, 2007 Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, 2007 Career Bridges Grant Awards Finalist and was selected as a New Young Artist with the Victoria Bach Festival. She performs this season with the Austin Lyric Opera, the Amarillo Opera, and the Georgetown Festival of the Arts.
Jami Tyzik, mezzo-soprano and daughter of Jeff Tyzik, has been bringing her performances to life with energy and elegance since making her solo debut with the RPO at age 17. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, and her master’s from Boston University, and has gone on to make appearances in Germany, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, and throughout the U.S. Ms. Tyzik has been a soloist in the Mozart Requiem, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Magnificat, Le Roi David, and Il Tramonto with such orchestras as the Charleston, Bangor, Chattanooga, and Eastern Connecticut symphonies. She continues to expand her operatic repertoire and made her recent debut with Aspen Opera Theatre in the title role in Carmen. Earlier this month, she performed with the RPO and the Rochester Oratorio Society in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Brandon Wood made his Carnegie Hall debut as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s C minor Mass with the New York Choral Society. He played Rodolfo in La Bohème with Piedmont Opera, was the tenor soloist for Universal Studios Christmas concerts in Osaka, Japan, and joined the New York City Opera to cover two roles in the world premiere of Charles Wuorinen’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Other career highlights including singing in recital with Maestro John Moriarty, and originating the role of Captain John Smith in Linda Tutas Haugen’s Pocahontas for the Virginia Arts Festival. Earlier this year, Brandon was a Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, New England Region.
One of the leading performers of contemporary music today, baritone Marcus DeLoach has established himself as a concert, opera, and crossover singer. He recently returned to the New York Philharmonic for performances in Tosca with Lorin Maazel, made his debut in Of Thee I Sing for the Bard Summerscape Festival, and sang in Lakmé for Tulsa Opera. This season, DeLoach makes his debut at Italy’s Teatro Comunale di Bolzano in Philippe Boesmans’ Julie, and at the Kentucky and Hawaii Opera. In 1997, De Loach unanimously was voted first place winner of London’s inaugural Wigmore Hall International Song Competition, resulting in a critically acclaimed recital two years later. In 2004, he joined the acclaimed rock group Trans-Siberian Orchestra for a holiday tour performing for an estimated audience of one quarter million.
Tickets for these performances are $22-$62, with $75 box seats available online 24/7 at www.rpo.org; by phone (454-2100); in-person from the RPO Box Office, 108 East Avenue, 10:00 am-5:00 pm, Monday-Saturday (non-concert Saturdays, 10:00 am-3:00 pm); and seven days a week at area Wegmans. A convenience fee may apply. The Pops Series is sponsored by Wegmans; this concert is sponsored by Unity Health System.
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