Opera at Florham Presents “La Bella Musica di Bel Canto”

On Sunday, November 3rd at 2 pm, Opera at Florham presents “La Bella Musica di Bel Canto” in the beautiful and historic Lenfell Hall at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Baritone Samuel McDonald, soprano Brenna Markey and tenor Ian Matthew Castro perform Bel Canto opera selections emphasizing the beauty of the human voice by composers such as Donizetti, Rossini and Bellini. After a short intermission with light refreshments, the artists further explore “beautiful singing” from the worlds of art song and Broadway. Artistic Director Mary Pinto provides piano accompaniment while narration by Mariana Karpatova provides insight into the history and meaning behind "Bel Canto" and the relevant composers and operas of the period. Award winning baritone, Samuel McDonald, is a graduate of The John J. Cali School of Music and did his graduate studies at Miami University of Ohio. Roles include the title role in Don Giovanni, La bohème (Marcello), Così Fan Tutte (Guglielmo), and many more. His appearances include Avery Fisher Hall with the NY Philharmonic, NJPAC, Teatro Valle (Rome, Italy,) and others. He is currently on the voice faculty of Bucknell University and Montclair State University. American soprano Brenna Markey received her Bachelor’s degree in Music from Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia. Her roles include Requiem, Magnificat, Messiah, Die Zauberflote, and others. Markey last enchanted the OAF audience when she performed at the Opera at Florham 2018 Vocal Competition and won an Encouragement Award. Tenor Ian Matthew Castro is a first-year Master’s student at The Juilliard School and received his Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Montclair State University. Past performances include Così Fan Tutte as Ferrando. This season, he will be appearing in the role of John Adams in Virgil Thomson’s The Mother of Us All and will be covering the role Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Bohème. He also placed 1st in the National Association of Teachers of Singing New York Division Competition, and is a recipient of the Jerome L. Green Fellowship award at The Juilliard School. Opera at Florham Vice President and Music Director Mary Pinto, has worked with international opera singers and major American opera companies for over 25 years. She has played for State Opera and Light Opera of New Jersey, coached with Metropolitan Opera stars, and is a private coach and accompanist at Montclair State University. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Music for Piano Performance from DePauw University and her Master’s in Music for Piano and Voice Accompaniment from University of Illinois. Tickets may be ordered online at www.operaatflorham.org and will also be available at the door on the day of the event. Lenfell Hall is handicap accessible and a free van shuttle service between parking lots will be available to our attendees. Funding has been made possible in part by funds from the Morris Arts Council through the New Jersey State Council of the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.