ARIA

Description

Two free concerts showcasing several operatic selections will be presented in August at locations in Rome and Clinton. Performers on the aptly titled “Aria” programs include vocalists Ying Wu, Rebecca Matte and David Kolb, as well as pianist Greg Unangst and clarinetist Colleen O’Neil. The concert will be presented on Friday, August 12, 2022, at Rome’s First Presbyterian Church, 108 W Court St, at 7:00 pm, and again on Sunday, August 14, 2022, at Stone Presbyterian Church, 8 South Park Row, Clinton, at 2:00 pm. Both events are free and open to the public. The Rome concert on Friday, August 12 is presented as part of the Geller Scholarships Concert Series, and attendees may donate, if they wish, to the scholarship fund at the concert. Geller Scholarships are presented each June to graduating seniors at Rome Free Academy and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School who plan to major in music in college. More about the Herb Geller Concert Series and Scholarships can be found here: Herb Geller Memorial Scholarship Fund and Concert Series | Facebook. The Sunday afternoon concert in Clinton is supported in part by Alliance Classical Players. “The concerts include arias, duets and trios, from the operas of Puccini, Mozart, Rossini and more,” said concert organizer Greg Unangst. “We are very excited to present these amazing vocal masterpieces that are cemented in history, and continue to be showcased in many forms, being sung centuries after their origination.” Some highlights from the program include Mozart’s overture from Clemenzi di Tito, performed as a piano solo, and the aria “Parto, Parto” for voice with clarinet obligatto, also from Clemenzi di Tito; the virtuosic “Una Voce Poco Fa” from Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini; works by Puccini, including “Questo Amor Verdona Mia” from the opera Edgar, and two arrangements of arias from La Boheme for clarinet and piano; “Habanera” from Carmen by Bizet, “The Flower Duet” from Lakme by Delibes, and a scene from Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. The performers of “Aria” are professional musicians from the Utica-Rome area. Greg Unangst operates The Music Studio, in downtown Rome NY, where he teaches piano and voice lessons. David Kolb has appeared as a baritone soloist with the Hamilton College and Community Masterworks Chorale, the Greater Utica Choral Society, the Mohawk Valley Choral Society, the Catskill Symphony, the Catskill Choral Society, and the Oneida Area Civic Chorale. Ying Wu, mezzo-soprano, was born in China and spent many recent years performing in operas and teaching in Boston. Rebecca Matte is a soprano from Rome, NY. She recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam with bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance (voice concentration) and Music Education (choral track). She was also the recipient of the university’s Performance Department Honor award for excellence in voice performance. Colleen O’Neil has a Bachelor of Music in Music Education and Clarinet Performance from Ithaca College, and a Master of Music in Music Education from Syracuse University. A native of Rome NY, she has taught instrumental and general music in public and parochial schools in the Mohawk Valley area and is a member of Jewel Winds Quintet, Topaz Trio, and Alliance Classical Players. For more information about the “Aria” concerts, please call 315-225-0123.