Bel Canto’s 30th Year

Issue: September - 2022

The Bel Canto 30thYear Celebration Recital will be heldin Highlands on Sunday, September 11, at 4:00 P.M. atthe Highlands Performing Arts Center.This will be followed by dinner at the Highlands Country Club.Bel Canto contributions fully fund music education at the twopreschool programs in Highlands, supplement music educationat our public schools, fund a college scholarship in the perform-ing arts, and aid in the acquisition of art for special art exhibi-tions and for The Bascom’s permanent collection. In total, BelCanto has contributed over $650,000 to these worthy programs.This year’s artists include SopranoKathryn Henry,who’sgrown a devoted following after appearances on stages from theMetropolitan Opera in New York to the Rohm Theatre in Kyoto,Japan.She’s a graduate of the Julliard School.Acclaimed for her “magnificent color and simplicity” (WilliamBarnewitz,Urban Milwaukee), Ms. Henry’s opera creditsinclude roles inThe Turn of the Screw, Die Zauberflöte, SuorAngelica,Hansel and Gretel, Le nozze di Figaro, Roméo etJuliette,andLa bohéme.She has also appeared as a guestsoloist with ensembles including the Milwaukee SymphonyOrchestra, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and theNational Symphony Orchestra.Mezzo-sopranoKathleen Reveille,who has been acclaimedfor her “soaring and poised vocals,” is a twice-nominated BestOpera Album of the Year recording artist for her performanceswith the Warsaw Philharmonic.Some of her opera credits include roles inThe Turn ofTheScrew,Riders to The Sea,At the Boars Head,AMidsummer Night’s Dream,GianniSchicchi,Le nozze diFigaro,andSuor Angelica.In May 2018, she made herCarnegie Hall début as the mezzo soloist in Mozart’sRequiem.In 2019, she completed her second year with the prestigiousApprenticeSinger Program of the Santa Fe Opera, making heron stage début as theMayor’s Wife inJenufa.Most recently she was awarded second prize in the PremiereOpera Foundation International Vocal Competition. Ms.Reveille holds a Master of Music fromYale University.TenorJoseph Tancredi,who has been lauded by Opera Newsfor his “high notes with a ringing, clarion tone,” is currentlypursuing a Professional Studies Certificate in Opera from theCurtis Institute of Music.Earlier credits include roles inCosì fan tutte, the titleroleinAlbert Herring,Il barbiere di Siviglia,I due timidi,EugeneOnegin, The Lord of CriesandThe Thirteenth Child.Othercredits includeL’elisir d’amoreandThe Student Prince.Thispast summer, he performed inThe Fall of the House ofUsherandDer fliegende Holländer.Joseph has been awarded prizes in the Eastern Region Finalsof the 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition,from the George London Foundation, and from the Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP. He holds a master’s degreefrom the Curtis Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Musicdegree from Manhattan School of Music.BaritoneAlex DeSocio, who is a graduate of the pres-tigious San Francisco Merola Opera Program, has beendescribed by The New York Times as having a “buttery,booming baritone.”Most recent engagements include roles inLa bohème,Pagliacci, L’elisir d’amore,Roméo et Juliette,andCarmen.Figaro inIl barbiere di Sivigliais a signaturerole for him, having sung it with five opera companies. Hisfurther professional role experience is extensive. A highlyawarded artist, Mr. DeSocio is a two-time semifinalistin the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions,winner/laureate in the Queen Elisabeth Competition inBrussels, and many others. He is also the only operasinger certified as an Actor Combatant in The Society ofAmerican Fight Directors.Dr. Stephen Dubberly, the Bel Canto maestro for the past 29years, will accompany the singers. An already recognizedmaster in his field when he began with Bel Canto, Stephenhas become a sought after conductor of opera all over thecountry, in addition to his duties as Associate Professor ofMusic in the Division of Conducting and Ensembles at theUniversity of North Texas, where he also serves as MusicDirector of the UNT Opera and teaches opera conductingand opera repertoire.

by Michael Crowe