TIME: Sunday, Dec. 20, 4:00 pm
VENUE: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1020 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA
PROGRAM: Something a little different than arrangements or covers of the same handful of classics. We will present rarely heard holiday-themed songs and arias by J.S. Bach, Benjamin Britten, Michael Head, Joaquin Rodrigo, Peter Warlock, Ralph Vaughn Williams and others, as well as Spanish villancicos, carols by Alfred Burt, and a few American standards for audience participation! The ambience of historic St. Mark’s Church provides a superb and intimate setting for this unusual program, performed by three acclaimed singers, a pianist, and a guitarist.
TICKETS: There is no pre-sale of tickets. General admission / open seating by donation. $20 is suggested, but any amount will be greatly appreciated. Cash preferred, checks accepted.
There is ample (free) street parking in front of the church, or in the lot behind the church off Dryden Ave. The church is wheelchair and walker friendly.
Scroll down to learn more about the artists. We hope to greet you personally at the concert!
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Tenor GERALD SEMINATORE is the director of the Spacious Vision Song Project. He began his musical career with professional ensembles including the Handel and Haydn Society, the Boston Early Music Festival, and Emmanuel Music. Operatic engagements in the USA have included roles with the Chautauqua, Dayton, Glimmerglass, Oakland, Santa Fe, and West Bay opera companies. He made his European debut at England’s Aldeburgh Festival, and went on to become a member of the solo ensemble at the Dortmund Opera in Germany. Gerald was also a frequent guest artist at the Frankfurt am Main Opera, the Rheinland/Pfalz Theater in Kaiserslautern, and the Bremen Opera. His concert performances have included appearances with many orchestras and choral ensembles. Gerald’s singing has been recognized with numerous awards, and praised in publications such as the London Times, Opera News, and San Francisco Classical Voice.
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Soprano ARIEL PISTURINO completed her graduate studies at the University of Southern California, where she performed with the Thornton Opera. She has since performed with the Long Beach Opera and other regional opera companies, in roles from Carmen, Don Giovanni, Nixon in China, and The Magic Flute. Most recently, Ariel appeared in the nationally acclaimed operatic event Hopscotch with the Los Angeles-based company The Industry. Upcoming roles include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Redlands Opera Theater. Ariel is a co-founder of the Chamber Opera Players of Los Angeles (COPOLA), and a frequent collaborator in performances of new works. She was a featured soloist on the Delos Records release “Terrain of the Heart” by composer Mark Abel, released in 2014.
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Bass-Baritone E. SCOTT LEVIN completed graduate studies at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. He began his singing career in St. Louis, where he sang in over twenty productions with Union Avenue Opera. Since moving to Los Angeles, Scott has performed regularly with the Pacific Opera Project, and also appeared with Long Beach Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Celestial Opera, Center Stage Opera, and the Redlands Opera Theater. This season he made his debut as the Sacristan in Tosca with the Townsend/Fresno Opera, and his Los Angeles Opera “Off-Grand” debut as Babayan (Bartolo) in Figaro 90210! Most recently, Scott had his Los Angeles Opera main stage debut as Dr. Spinelloccio in Gianni Schicchi, starring Placido Domingo and directed by Woody Allen. Scott is also the co-founder of Chamber Opera Players of LA (COPOLA).
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TARO WAYAMA is a Japanese born guitarist and composer. He was the First Prize winner in the 2003 Aron Green/American String Teachers Association Guitar Competition, and the Second Prize winner in the Thailand International Guitar Competition. As a composer, Taro received the award for “Best Original Score” at the Los Angeles Movie Awards for the independent film Anne Jennings. He is an active soloist and a chamber musician, and has performed in Japan, Thailand, Canada, and the USA. Taro frequently collaborates with instrumentalists and singers in presenting Classical music from the Renaissance through 20th Century, as well as venturing into Folk and World music. Taro earned both his Masters and Bachelor of Music degrees at the University of Southern California, where he studied with Pepe Romero, William Kannengiser, James Smith, Brian Head, and Scott Tennant.
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RON BARNETT is the Director of Music and Sacred Arts at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
In addition to his work as an organist, choir director, and keyboard artist, Ron is active as a composer and music educator. His choral works have been published by GIA Publications and Morning Star Music Publishers. His score for A Christmas Carol (book by Fulton Barry Kornhauser) premiered at the Fulton Theatre (Lancaster, PA) in 2001. Since its recent commercial publication, the show has enjoyed several productions across the United States. A second show, Around the World in 80 Days (book and lyrics by Julianne Homokay) premiered at the Fulton Theatre in 2007. Ron’s new show When Butter Churns to Gold (book by Peter Welkin, lyrics by Randi Wolfe) had its 2015 premiere at the Northern Sky Theatre (Fish Creek, WI). Ron has also scored over two dozen shows for regional children’s theatre, some of which have toured nationally, been performed at the Producer’s Association of Children’s Theatre in NYC and the Kennedy Center in Washington, and been nominated for TCG awards. Ron’s orchestrations include the world premiere productions of Bojangles (music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Sammy Cahn), Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum) and Treasure Island (music and lyrics by Marc Robin and Curt Dale Clark). Sound Design credits include the Off-Broadway production of All Under Heaven starring Valerie Harper as Pearl S. Buck, and Zelda and The Last Flapper, which has played in Romania and Hungary as part of an ACTIV-5 international theatre festival.
Spacious Vision 