Meet the VoxAmaDeus soloists singing Vienna Magic this November

On Friday evening, November 21, beginning at 8:00 p.m. in the Perelman Theater of the Kimmel Center, I will conduct the orchestral and vocal musical artists of VoxAmaDeus' Ama Deus Ensemble in a stunning program of popular works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The program is entitled Vienna Magic.

The first half of this most melodic and high-energy concert will feature two famed works by Beethoven—the rousing Coriolan Overture and the melodiously lush and technically challenging Piano Concerto No. 3 in c minor, with yours truly conducting from the keyboard of the legendary Bösendorfer Imperial Grand Piano!

For the second portion of the evening, the artists of the Ama Deus Ensemble will assay overtures, choruses and scenes from three great Mozart operas—Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), Così fan tutte (Thus Do They All), both sung in English, as well as delightful excerpts from his less well-known opera, Idomeneo, re di Creta (Idomeneo, King of Crete), sung in Italian.

Portraying the numerous solo roles during the operatic portion of the evening will be eleven fabulous, professional vocalists drawn from the choral ensemble. Since this will be the first time VoxAmaDeus has done anything like this—and especially so that you can get to know them a little—I’ve invited each to introduce him/herself to the VoxAmaDeus audience with a brief “shout-out.”

I hope that you enjoy learning about the diverse, and highly talented, individuals whom I have the pleasure of leading on November 21. Come and enjoy!  
Valentin Radu

Katherine (Katie) Dufendach, soprano. I have been a resident of the fine city of Philadelphia for a little over a year now, and this is my first season singing with VoxAmaDeus. I am beyond thrilled to join this ensemble and also have the opportunity for a solo! Something I love about being one of the Three Ladies in The Magic Flute is interacting with, and playing off of, the other two singers. I am looking forward to the adrenaline rush of performing as we blend our voices and act out a dramatic and humorous scenario of all falling in love with Tamino and fighting over him. Love at first sight, betrayal, weddings, and death—it's just another year of beautiful music!

Kevin Grace, baritone. I had the extreme pleasure of being introduced to the musical ensembles of VoxAmaDeus more than twenty years ago. As a student and young aspiring performer, singing with Valentin Radu and the Ama Deus Ensemble at the Kimmel Center in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo was an inspirational experience. And during the early 90's I was also involved in performances of the Mozart Requiem and several Renaissance Noël Christmas concerts. These experiences set the bar high for my then forthcoming career as a musician and singer. I am thrilled to be performing once again with VoxAmaDeus. It brings me great to be working alongside my first and most influential voice teacher, Bronwyn Fix-Keller. Her expert tutelage in the areas of early music and oratorio has proven to be one of my greatest assets in more than fifteen years as a professional opera, oratorio and musical theatre performer.

Tatyana Halitskaya, soprano. I cannot believe that this is already my ninth season performing with the marvelous ensembles of VoxAmaDeus. It all began during my third year in the United States; that’s when I auditioned for Valentin Radu. But first you must know that it was very hard to come to a foreign country, without a good knowledge of the language, and without the support of family and friends. I remember I begged a good friend in Philadelphia to help me prepare for my audition with Maestro Radu by writing a good resume for me. I knew this audition was so important for my career.

For my audition I first sang arias by Handel and Mozart and then by Verdi and Puccini. I remember that Maestro Radu listened to me with his eyes closed. Afterwards, Valentin hugged me and said, "You sing with heart and soul; I felt it. I do not care that you do not speak English. For me it is important that the feelings you have come through in your voice." I returned home completely happy. I was full of hope.

Since then, so many of my aspirations have come true. As a member of the Ama Deus Ensemble I have performed and recorded many of my favorite solos like the Verdi Requiem, Brahms' Requiem and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. I am eternally grateful for this gift of fate—that I have had the opportunity to sing on professional stages and work with great musicians. Thanks to Maestro Valentin Radu, whom I can call the godfather to my singing career.
 

Darlene Kelsey, soprano. Now in my eighth season with VoxAmaDeus, I always look forward to the annual Mozart concert in the fall. This year, I am thrilled to be pa-pa-participating on November 21 as Papagena in Mozart’s classic opera, The Magic Flute. My first role in this timeless work, when I was eighteen, was the First Boy. Since then I have sung other roles in the opera, including Papagena, who is the love interest of the opera’s befuddled leading baritone, Papageno! This is always a fun role to play. In one production I had to carry Papageno off stage, on my back, as part of the director’s vision.  Actually, Papagena is one of my favorite characters in the opera, and I am excited to be performing these scenes with the Ama Deus Ensemble and Valentin Radu.

Fran Bjorneby Kraemer, mezzo-soprano. I am delighted to be singing a soloist’s role in this wonderful Mozart piece (The Magic Flute excerpt), having last sung the Third Lady in Atlanta! This season will be my tenth one singing with VoxAmaDeus, and it will be great fun to step out once again into not just a solo but a fun role. Opera roles and choral music are both so exciting to me, and putting it all together with Maestro Radu always makes an electric performance. Having sung with many choral groups and opera companies, I know how much great teamwork goes into a production like this, and I'm certain our November 21 concert will be a thrill to audience and participants alike!

Siddhartha Misra, tenor. While I've had the privilege of performing with multiple ensembles in and around Philadelphia, this is only one of a few times I've stepped forth as a soloist and it's a true honor. I was only 21 when I first performed The Magic Flute as a college student in Chicago and since then, Mozart has become a mainstay of my repertoire, with Tamino being my favorite role. In particular, the quintet scenes with the Three Ladies and the extended recitative with the Speaker are my favorite scenes, in that they capture the dramatic weight and lighthearted spirit of Tamino’s quest. It is a great privilege to perform this work again, this time with VoxAmaDeus’ wonderful Ama Deus Ensemble orchestra and chorus.

Timothy Oliver, tenor. Timothy (Tim) Oliver, originally from the Williamsport, Pennsylvania area, holds a music degree from Lycoming College with an emphasis in piano, voice, and conducting. He has appeared in many operas in both supportive and leading roles. His favorite roles performed include Ernesto in Don Pasquale, Ramiro in La Cenerentola, Almaviva in The Barber of Seville, Tamino in The Magic Flute, and Elvino in La sonnambula—a performance which prompted Michael Caruso of the Chestnut Hill Local to write, “Timothy managed Elvino’s treacherously high tessitura with admirable ease and caught the role’s ardent love and confused anger in equal parts.”  His love of oratorio and early classical music drew him to VoxAmaDeus where he has been active for the last five years. When not on stage, Tim is co-owner of Cunningham Piano Company and, in that position, is the man who arranged for Bösendorfer pianos to enhance the VoxAmaDeus stage. [For more about Tim Oliver’s fascinating story, read his interview in last September’s Vox E-Newsletter below.]

Daniel Schauble, bass. I truly enjoy performing with VoxAmaDeus under the direction of Valentin Radu. Singing with Vox at any concert is something like being a high-wire trapeze artist. Everything is rehearsed beforehand, but one never knows what Maestro may do at any juncture during our musical journeys. One must always be ready for anything, as Maestro may decide to let his genius take over during performances and make a musical left instead of a right! This causes great excitement—and expectation for the unexpected—which is just one more reason I never tire of going out "on the high wire" with Valentin at the helm. Music for a performer happens in real time and Valentin makes it "new" every time. I love it!

Richard A. Shapp, baritone. I’ll make an assumption—generally a dangerous thing to do—but I bet that of all the artists onstage for the November 21 Vienna Magic concert, I go back the furthest with Valentin Radu. My meeting with him may even pre-date the formal founding of VoxAmaDeus!

You see, almost 40 years ago during the reign of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu, my late wife was a political dissident who dared to speak the truth to the United Press International wire service and the New York Times! Her closest friend was a popular actress and songstress who became—how shall I put it?!?—the Joan Lunden or Meredith Vieira of Romanian television. In the early 1980s this friend came to Philadelphia to visit my wife. But secretly she was on a mission to interview—for the folks back home behind the Iron Curtain—one of Romania’s most famous, young, expat classical musicians. I helped setup the rendezvous, and thus had the pleasure of meeting Valentin Radu before he became famous to all of you. Little did I imagine back then that, several decades later, I would join the VoxAmaDeus family and be onstage with "The Maestro"!

Karina Sweeney, mezzo-soprano. Karina Sweeney, a lyric mezzo-soprano hailing from Annapolis, Maryland, began singing with VoxAmaDeus two seasons ago. In addition to appearing onstage at the Perelman Theater this November 21, she will also be seen (and heard) as Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with Poor Richard’s Opera. Next, Karina will make her debut with Concert Opera of Philadelphia as Siebel in COP’s production of Faust. Ms. Sweeney will also be joining Opera Philadelphia and the Bearded Ladies Cabaret as a soloist in their new piece, Andy: A Popera, which is a cabaret-opera hybrid inspired by the life, fame and philosophy of Andy Warhol. Finally, Karina is thrilled to note that her next lead appearance with VoxAmaDeus will be as alto soloist on March 29, 2015, in the Bach B-Minor Mass, conducted by Valentin Radu.

Meghan Williams, mezzo-soprano. While I was still in high school dreaming of a career in music, VoxAmaDeus opened its doors to me and gave me my first professional job. I have been singing with them ever since! Many years and a bit more experience later, I made my solo debut in Philadelphia at the Kimmel Center, again with Valentin Radu and Vox’s Ama Deus Ensemble. So there is a very special place in my heart for this group. I am excited to see a few opera choruses and scenes finding their way into the Ama Deus Ensemble’s repertoire, and am thrilled to be singing Second Lady in The Magic Flute. The humor and charm of the characters, coupled with Mozart’s beautiful melodies and the energy of a VoxAmaDeus concert, are sure to make this an experience not to be missed!