On Saturday, December 3, 2016, the El Paso Opera will present holiday themed arias and well-known holiday songs at the Plaza Theater at 8pm.
This concert will feature out of town artists Susanne Sheston (music director and pianist), Joshua Dennis (tenor), and Benjamin Sieverding (bass). Local artists featured in this concert include Cherry Duke (mezzo-soprano), Kellie Rumba Rattay (soprano), Mariana Sandoval (mezzo-soprano), Jamille Brewster (soprano), Adrian Salas (baritone), and thirty-one singers from the El Paso Youth Opera.
“El Pasoans will have lots of holiday celebrations to experience in downtown El Paso on December 3rd, and we invite everyone to finish up the evening with our classical holiday concert at the Plaza Theatre. Our holiday concert is a family friendly opera concert and is a great way to hear both Classical music and Holiday music that everyone will recognize,” said El Paso Opera Executive Director, Chelsea Lamego.
Prior to the concert, El Pasoans are invited to enjoy free carols at 7:30 by the El Paso Opera Young Artist’s in San Jacinto Plaza following the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and Downtown Holiday Parade.
The Winterfest Ice Skating rink will also be kicked off on Saturday, December 3rd in Arts Festival Plaza.
Sheston has collaborated with many of the world’s leading operatic and symphonic conductors. Sheston has served as Chorus Master at The Santa Fe Opera since 2008, where her choruses have received numerous accolades from national and international publications.
Sieverding has performed in productions with Opera Philadelphia, Opera Colorado, and The Santa Fe Opera, and is a three-time regional finalist of the Metropolitan National Council Auditions. Dennis has performed for Seattle Opera, Kentucky Opera, Houston Symphony, Santa Fe Symphony, Opera Columbus, Opera Idaho, Dallas Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre.
Duke currently serves on the voice faculty and as Director of Opera at the University of Texas at El Paso. This season she makes her company and role debut with El Paso Opera in Rossini’s La Cenerentola as Tisbe in March 2017.
Rattay, the wife of El Paso Symphony Conductor Bohuslav Rattay, was in El Paso’s Opera’s production Carmen as Frasquita last March. She has received her training from Cleveland Institute of Music and has attended training programs in Italy, San Francisco, and Madrid.
Brewster, Sandoval, and Salas are current participants in the El Paso Opera Young Artist Program which provides specialized training and performance opportunities to a few select participants each year.
Tickets range from $15 to $70 and can be purchased by calling El Paso Opera at 915-490-4764, visiting www.epopera.org, or through all Ticketmaster outlets. Student, Senior, and Military discounts available. Ages 7+.
