Christina Rovics & Local Singers To Perform Benefit For Danbury Music Centre

DANBURY — On Sunday, November 8, at 3 pm, the Christina Rovics Vocal Studio in Bethel will present a concert of songs, duets and arias to benefit Danbury Music Centre.

The program, “Christina Rovics & Friends,” will showcase soprano Christina Rovics, plus five additional accomplished vocalists from Danbury, Ridgefield, Brookfield, Southbury and Bethel. The singers will present a diverse program of art songs, duets and arias by such master composers as Debussy, Richard Strauss, Verdi, Puccini, Gershwin, Schumann and Schubert. Christina’s husband, Howard Rovics, will accompany all at the piano.

“This concert will provide an opportunity for our area community to hear some of the finest classical performers from our local region,” stated Christina Rovics. “In the intimate setting of the lovely Marian Anderson Hall of Danbury Music Centre, audience members will be able to meet each artist personally and experience the exciting synergy of talented people who love and admire each other’s artistry, and are singing together simply for the joy of it.”

Christina and Howard Rovics have appeared in numerous recitals since 1985, presenting vocal masterworks and premiering original works by Howard Rovics and other composers. They have five CDs to their credit including one of the few recordings of the famed Emily Dickinson Songs of Aaron Copland. The Rovicses opened the Christina Rovics Vocal Studio in Danbury in 1989, and moved into their current home/studio in Bethel in 2004. Over the years, they have developed friendships and working relationships with many accomplished musical artists in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York.

The performers on November 8 will include Nancy Brant of Ridgefield, Cheryl Hill of Danbury, Victoria Chiera of Brookfield, Michael Trnik of Bethel, Perry Price of Danbury, Gordon Jones of Southbury, and  Clarinetist Ann Howell of Brewster N.Y.

Soprano Cheryl Hill was recently a featured soloist with the Danbury Community Orchestra. In 1999, she shared a joint recital with Christina Rovics at the Danbury Music Centre. That same year, she released her CD, “Operatic Ovations”, and Christina Rovics’ produced her CD, “A Song Recital”.               

Victoria Chiera, a recent graduate of WestConn, studied continuously with Ms Rovics for eight years. While a sophomore in college, she won the opportunity to study and perform in Italy, a nationwide competition awarded to only 50 singers in the United States. Currently she is preparing for graduate school and is on the threshold of launching a professional singing career.

Tenor Perry Price has enjoyed an enviable career with opera companies including the San Francisco Opera, New York City Opera, Munich’s Theater am Gartnerplatz, National Theater Sao Carlo in Lisbon, The Rome Opera, La Fenice in Venice, the Canadian Opera in Canada, and many other companies throughout Europe and North America. Presently he is the director of the New England Vocal Studio and Music Director/Conductor of the new Hillhouse Opera Company in New Haven.

Michael Trnik, baritone and a protégé of Mr Price, has become a much sought after operatic soloist in the New York and New Haven areas. In October 2008 he sang the role of Don Giovanni in Mozart’s opera.  He also appeared as the Count in The Marriage of Figaro in two different productions, and is currently active in the world of independent opera companies in the New York metropolitan area and New Haven.

The November 8 concert will begin at 3 pm at the Danbury Music Centre at 256 Main Street. Suggested donations are $10, or $5 for students and seniors.

For additional information visit ChristinaRovics.com, call 744-5841, or send email to crovics@snet.net.