Événement

A Night at the Opera

The beautifully warm and rich voice of soprano Chelsea Bonagura and the wonderfully powerful tenor voice of Matthew Arnold will be accompanied by collaborative pianist Krista Sweer. The program is designed for Opera enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Chelsea Bongura, Soprano, has performed with regional opera companies including Opera Roanoke and Greensboro Opera Company. She placed 2nd in the Rosen-Schaffel Competition in 2013 and in 2011 placed 2nd in the Opera Guild of Charlotte Voice Competition. Ms. Bonagura has been a soprano soloist in numerous concert works. Ms. Bonagura participated in acclaimed soprano Martina Arroyo's Prelude to Performance program in New York City in 2013. She has received additional music and language training at the "International Vocal Arts Institute" (Tel Aviv), "Oberlin in Italy", L'Université Paris Sorbonne- Paris IV, and the Goethe Institute in Berlin.

Matthew Arnold, Tenor, is excited to be joining the Chautauqua Opera Institution in New York this summer. In April 2014, he won the Verdi Award from the Orpheus National Vocal Competition in Tennessee. Mr. Arnold recently made his professional debut with the Castleton Festival as Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel. Mr. Arnold holds a BM in Voice and a Minor in Sacred Music from the University of Delaware and the Master of Music degree in Voice from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro under the tutelage of Prof. Clara O'Brien. Mr. Arnold is currently a Fellow at the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute at UNCSA where he studies with Dr. Marilyn Taylor.

Krista Sweer, Accompanist, is an emerging collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and teacher based out of the New York Metropolitan Area. She recieved her Bachelor's of Science in Music Education from Messiah College where she graduated with honors and was a recipient of the Daniel Vollmer Music Scholarship.When studying at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria she was awarded the Harold Heiberg Award for Excellence in Collaborative Piano. Krista has played in master classes for artists such as Barbara Bonney and Ricky Ian Gordon and has been a staff pianist at numerous festivals and competitions such as the National Trumpet Competition as well as the International Trumpet Guild's Annual Conference Competition. Currently, Krista is a staff pianist at Drew University and maintains a private piano and coaching studio.