April 27, 2021
Lyric Music & More: April 27
The members of the Ryan Opera Center Ensemble have had an incredible season. From recording music at home to working with Sir Andrew Davis in one-on-one masterclasses and performing in numerous virtual concerts including Pasión Latina, Sole e Amore, and Lawrence Brownlee & Friends: The Next Chapter, they’ve put in countless hours of rehearsals and performances, and grown as artists in the process. In just two days, we will watch the full Ensemble give their final performance of the 2020/21 season, and we could not be more excited. Browse some of the delightful photos from the filming of this virtual concert, and mark your calendar for the premiere on Thursday, April 29, at 7:00pm CT.
Plus, watch the legendary musician Wynton Marsalis in a wide-ranging interview with acclaimed mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges (a Ryan Opera Center alumna), check out the latest installment of The Sonata Sessions, tune in tonight for Beyond the Aria, and learn more about what sets The Ryan Opera Center apart from other emerging artist programs.
Wynton Marsalis interviews J’Nai Bridges
Mezzo-soprano and Ryan Opera Center alumna J’Nai Bridges joins Pulitzer Prize-winner and American music icon Wynton Marsalis for a conversation about her musical inspiration, being an athlete, and more in this debut episode of the video series The Arts, Undistanced, from Washington Performing Arts.
The Sonata Sessions: Sonata No. 5
We continue The Sonata Sessions with Rossini’s energetic String Sonata No. 5 in E-flat Major. Listen for the violins playing “sul ponticello” (meaning playing with the bow very near to the bridge), giving the effect of a swarm of bees!
Beyond the Aria
Tune in tonight for a new Beyond the Aria program filmed on the Harris Theater stage starring sopranos and Ryan Opera Center alumnae Amanda Majeski and Ann Toomey (pictured), and mezzo-soprano Katherine Beck (Ryan Opera Center Ensemble member), in collaboration with pianist Craig Terry, music director of Beyond the Aria and of the Ryan Opera Center.
Hey! You’re on!
Opera understudies spend countless hours preparing for a moment that usually never arrives. But every once in a while, the unexpected happens and they’re called to the stage to take on that big role. For some members of the Ryan Opera Center, this became a pivotal moment in their careers.