“Carols Rare and Bright” Artists: Gerald Seminatore

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Taso_headshot_BWAmerican tenor Gerald Seminatore began his singing career as a professional chorister with noted ensembles such as the Handel & Haydn Society and Boston Baroque. Graduate studies at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music led to an operatic career, and his credits include some thirty principle and comprimario roles with companies such as the Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, and Chautauqua Opera in the United States, and the Dortmund, Bremen, and Frankfurt Opera theaters in Germany. He has also been heard in many oratorio performances with orchestra, and in more than fifty song recitals. Gerald’s singing has been praised in publications such as the London Times, Opera News, and San Francisco Classical Voice, and has been recognized with awards from organizations such as the MacAllister Foundation for Opera Singers, the Metropolitan Opera National Council, and the American Aldeburgh Foundation.

“Carols Rare and Bright”

Click here for information about our Dec. 19 Long Beach performance.
Click here for information about our Dec. 21 Pasadena performance.

“Carols Rare and Bright” Artists: Bernardo Bermudez

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BernardoHeadshot3We welcome baritone Bernardo Bermudez for his first Spacious Vision concert. Bernardo has appeared in principle roles in operas including The Barber of Seville, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Elixir of Love, The Magic Flute, Luisa Fernanda, and La Boheme. He has also sung at prestigious summer festivals such as The Music Academy of the West in California, and Opera North in New Hampshire. Bernardo’s singing has been recognized with awards from the organizations such as Opera Buffs, the Loren L. Zachary Foundation, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing. He is a regular artist with the Education and Community Outreach programs of both the Los Angeles Opera and the San Diego Opera.

“Carols Rare and Bright”
Click here for information about our Dec. 19 Long Beach performance.
Click here for information about our Dec. 21 Pasadena performance.

“Carols Rare and Bright” Artists: Ariel Pisturino

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We welcome back American soprano Ariel Pisturino for her second Spacious Vision concert. Ariel earned the Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California, where she performed with the Thornton Opera. She has also performed with the Long Beach Opera and other regional opera companies, in roles from Carmen, Don Giovanni, Nixon in China, and The Magic Flute. Ariel is a co-founder of the Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles (COPLA), and the co-founding curator of the unSUNg concert series produced by LaurisList.

“Carols Rare and Bright”

Click here for information about our Dec. 19 Long Beach performance.

Click here for information about our Dec. 21 Pasadena performance.

 

 

“Carols Rare and Bright” Artists: Anthony Moreno

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We welcome American baritone Anthony Moreno to his first Spacious Vision concert. Anthony is currently pursuing his Master’s degree at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. His singing has been recognized with numerous awards, including an award as Regional Finalist from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and a Certificate of Special Recognition from the California State Senate. Recently, he has appeared in principle roles with the USC Thornton Opera, and in touring programs with Cantos de Taos.

Click here for information about our Dec. 19 Long Beach performance.

Click here for information about our Dec. 21 Pasadena performance.

“Carols Rare and Bright” Artists: Kristof van Grysperre and Susan Kane

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Kristof van Grysperre and Susan Kane frequently collaborate as part of the classical cabaret duo “Kristof and Kane.” Their next live streaming concert via the Concert Window website is on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 7:00 p.m. PST. So we thought to feature them together in a post!

A native of Belgium, Kristof van Grysperre has an international career as a pianist, chamber musician, vocal coach, and conductor. 4133He  has conducted more than forty operas, for companies such as Opera Pacific, Baltimore Opera Studio, Long Beach Opera, and the Thornton School of Music. At the piano, Kristof has collaborated with many singers and instrumentalists in recital. The Orange County Register has hailed his artistry as “gifted and stylistically impeccable.” He is currently the Associate Music Director at Long Beach Opera. “Carols Rare and Bright” will be Kristof’s second Spacious Vision concert.

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American soprano Susan Mohini Kane has myriad credits as a soloist in concert and recital in Southern California and around the United States. She has presented many lectures on voice performance and pedagogy at national and international conferences, and published extensively on an array of topics related to the education and training of singers.

“Carols Rare and Bright” Performances

Click here for information about our Dec. 19 Long Beach performance.

Click here for information about our Dec. 21 Pasadena performance.

“Carols Rare and Bright”–Dec. 19, 2014 in Long Beach

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Our prior post announced Dec. 21 in Pasadena as the date for “Carols Rare and Bright,” our 2014 holiday program. We are pleased to announce that we have also been invited to present this special concert on:

Friday, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m.
The Salon at Elise’s Tea Room, 3924 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807

pianoThe old world ambience of the salon at Elise’s Tea Room offers an intimate setting in which to enjoy the sounds of live singers and the Tea Room’s historic 19th century Steinway piano.

Singers for these concerts will include baritones Bernardo Bermudez and Anthony Moreno, soprano Ariel Pisturino, and tenor Gerald Seminatore. Pianist and conductor Kristof van Grysperre of the Long Beach Opera will return for his second Spacious Vision appearance.

Rarely heard songs and carols by composers such as Benjamin Britten, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Ralph Vaughn Williams will be performed, along with rare English carols, Italian laude, and Spanish villancicos. Warm and intimate carols by jazz musician Alfred Burt will add a further glow to the evening.

This is a ticketed event. A $20 ticket entitles the bearer to an unreserved seat for the concert, as well as tea, beverages, and and an array of pastries and snacks. An informal reception with the artists will follow the concert.

General admission at the door. Reservations are appreciated, though not required. Contact Elise’s Tea Room at (562) 424-2134, or Spacious Vision at (207) 200-3526.

Visit http://www.elisestearoom.com for more information about Elise’s.

“Carols Rare and Bright”–Dec. 21, 2014 in Pasadena, CA

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LED-Plastic-Christmas-StarThe Christmas holiday is a time for music! It seems that traditional songs and carols are heard everywhere we go. We can take comfort in familiar tunes, but may also wish to hear something a bit different to refresh our holiday spirit.

Our 2014 holiday concerts will offer listeners a singular and refreshing musical experience. Rarely heard songs and carols by composers such as Benjamin Britten, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Ralph Vaughn Williams will be performed, along with rare English carols, Italian laude, and Spanish villancicos. Warm and intimate carols by jazz musician Alfred Burt will add a further glow to the evening.

Singers for these concerts will include baritones Bernardo Bermudez and Anthony Moreno, soprano Ariel Pisturino, and tenor Gerald Seminatore. Pianist and conductor Kristof van Grysperre (Long Beach Opera) returns for his second Spacious Vision appearance.

Sunday, December 21, 5:00 p.m.
Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3740 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

(A second holiday concert date in Long Beach will take place on Dec. 19 at Elise’s Tea Room; details here on the site. )

To help us meet the incidental costs of this event, donations are requested from our audience members. $20 is suggested, though contributions in any amount will be gratefully accepted. PayPal donations are also welcome; please direct any PayPal donations to the email address spaciousvision@outlook.com.

We hope to see you in the audience!

Charles Ives “The Things our Fathers Loved,” performed by Gerald Seminatore

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SV_Taso_Gerald_animated_singing_color_webFor the final video installment from our recent AMERICAN PILGRIMAGE concert, here is Gerald Seminatore performing “The Things our Fathers Loved,” with Mark Salters at the piano.

(Photo courtesy of Taso Papadakis)

Charles Ives (1874-1954) was one of twentieth century America’s most original composers. In more than 100 songs, Ives wove together original melodies, fragments of popular songs and hymns, and harmonies of sweet simplicity or crashing dissonance. There is a pronounced nostalgia in many songs, and often a humorous or ironic note.

“The Things our Fathers Loved” is a small masterpiece, with echoes of popular tunes such as “Dixie,” “Nettleton (Come thou, fount of every blessing),” and “In the Sweet By and By.” The song is a musical memory of a July 4 weekend in New England.

I think there must be a place in the soul
All made of tunes from long ago.

I hear the organ on the Main Street corner;
Aunt Sarah humming gospels, summer evenings;

The village cornet band playing in the square,
The town’s red, white and blue.

Now, hear the songs!
I know not what are the words,

But they sing in my soul
Of the things our fathers loved.

Click here to view Gerald’s performance of “The Things our Fathers Loved.” (The original key has been transposed for high voice.)