(Photo credit: AVA) In preparation for the “BrAVA Philadelphia! 90th Anniversary Celebration and Gala,” Scott Guzielek, President and Artistic Director of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA), talked with OperaWire about the institution’s dedication to the arts for close to a century and its upcoming celebratory events. Guzielek started with the Academy in 2019 as Vice President and General Manager. {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts has announced its 90th Anniversary Celebration and Gala, “BrAVA Philadelphia!’ to take place March 21. The program features AVA alumni and faculty members who have become luminaries in the opera world, performing at prestigious opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, the Royal Opera House, and many more. Performers include AVA Board Members {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts has announced its 2024-25 Resident Arts. The artists include sopranos Alexa Franklin, Daniela Machado, and Beautiful Sheriff; mezzo-sopranos Katherine Dobbs and Juliana Smith; tenor Cole McIlquham; baritones Jacob Hanes and Alex Mathews; bass-baritone Joshua Klein; and bass Raúl Velazco. Audiences will get a chance to experience these vocal talents on Sept. 26, 2024 in the {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) has announced the details of its 90th anniversary season. Staring off the 2024-25 season is the New Artist Recital, featuring the 10 resident artists of the incoming class. Performance Date: September 26, 2024 The Giargiari Bel Canto Competition comes next. Danielle Orlando accompanies. Performance Date: October 5, 2024 Steven White returns to AVA to {…}
Pike Opera is set to present “Opera! Pike! Park!” on August 27, 2023. The showcase, which features singers from the Academy of Vocal Arts, is set to kick off at 4 p.m. at Ann Street Park in Milford Borough, PA. Artists include Emily Margevich, Angel Gomez, Benjamin Dickerson, and Matthew Goodheart. The program will include excerpts from “La Traviata,” “Don {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) has unveiled its 2023-24 season. It all kicks off with a few events prior to the official season launch. Among these is “Ocean City Pop’s ‘Opera Superstars of Tomorrow” at Ocean City Music Pier in New Jersey. The showcase stars Jenny Anne Flory and Angel Raii Gomez alongside conductor Vince Lee and the Ocean {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) has announced the addition of six new singers to its Resident Artists roster. The newly appointed Resident Artists include tenor Joshua Berg, soprano Manli Deng, mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach, soprano Veronica Richer, baritone Geoffrey Schmelzer, and bass-baritone Nan Wang. “We are thrilled to welcome these extraordinary artists to the Academy of Vocal Arts. They represent {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) has announced the selection of Scott Guzielek as its incoming president and artistic director, effective July 1. Guzielek, who is currently serving as the Academy’s Vice President and General Manager since 2019, will take over for K. James McDowell, who is retiring after nearly four decades of distinguished service in the top role. As {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts has announced its holiday lineup. First up will be “Christmas in Spain” with soprano Cristina Nassif, a 2003 alumna. She will showcase “villancicos” from Spain by such composers as Nin, Toldrá, Rodrigo, and more. She will be accompanied by Emily Kosasih. Performance Dates: Dec. 10, 2022 That is followed up by the fall recital that {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts is gearing up to present Verdi’s “La Traviata” starting on Nov. 11, 2022. The opera will feature Lydia Grindatto and Emily Margevich rotating in the role of Violetta Valéry. They are joined by Matthew Goodheart and Luke Norvell as Alfredo Germont and Benjamin Dickinson and Kevin Godinez as Giorgio Germont. Other cast members include Monique {…}
The Academy of Vocal Arts is set to present “An Evening of Opera in Chestnut Hill.” The event, which will take place on Oct. 14, 2022 at The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Philadelphia, PA, will feature the institution’s current resident artists including tenor Angel Gomez, soprano Yihan Duan, bass-baritone Dylan Gregg, and mezz-soprano Alla Yarosh. The hour-long program will {…}