2016-448-E Arts - Chapel Hill Philharmonia - Spring 2016 Arts Grant Agreement

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DocuSign Envelope ID: 08671365-A26A-45AE-A1 BO-C9F674AC3364 Past Reviews Spring 2016 Arts Program Application "DivaFest 3, or an Afternoon at the Opera, with the Chapel Hill Philharmonia" John W. Lambert, CVNC Review of February 2012 Concert "... Recollections of all these things came streaming back during the Chapel Hill Philharmonia's latest concert, which featured(young) stars of the UNC Department of Music's Vocal Music Division. It was a somewhat better deal than the more frequent concerts of winners of various concerto competitions, in which a whole batch of hopefuls are boiled down to just two or three or four finalists. This time,we heard a big batch of vocalists in varying stages of readiness— 17, if we haven't miscounted—in arias and duets from operas by Mozart (mostly), Offenbach, Delibes, and Puccini. Excerpts from the Carmen Suite (one of which was conducted by Vincent L. Povazsay), the Prelude to Die Meistersinger, and the Brindisi from La traviata(with the afternoon's most mature vocalists—Caroline Mason and Ryan Griffin—as the soloists and the rest of the singers as the chorus)rounded out the afternoon. Donald L. Oehler, Music Director of the Philharmonia, conducted. Hill Hall was substantially full, despite the lousy weather and dearth of close-in parking places—people were straggling in till half past three. The crowd clapped and cheered and stood and yelled. The orchestra is large—90 players were on the roster—and the sound sometimes overflowed the hall, but a good time was had by nearly all, for sure. It may well have been like that at the Old Met on those long-ago Sunday nights. As a showcase for UNC's vocal efforts, the program was a very positive thing. We'll await DivaFest 4 with keen anticipation..." "Chapel Hill Philharmonia and Soloists Bring Mozart to Children" Chelsea Huber, CVNC Review of October 2014 Concert "Kenan Rehearsal Hall at UNC Chapel Hill was nearly filled to capacity with children and parents eager to hear the Chapel Hill Philharmonia play selections from Mozart's famous opera Die Zauberflote, or The Magic Flute. An array of soloists, mostly current students or graduates of UNC Chapel Hill,performed the various roles of the opera with the Philharmonia. Since the concert was geared towards young children, it was more interactive; rather than sitting in chairs with their parents, children sat in a group directly in front of the orchestra and soloists, allowing the soloists to sing directly to their young audience. Narrator Stafford Wing explained the opera's story in between each number, often speaking his synopsis in the form of humorous rhymed verse. The first selection was, naturally, the Overture to the opera; a playful flute melody was introduced among the other instruments,hinting at the theme of the opera. The first vocal selection was Papageno's aria"Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja," sung by Evan Adair with humorous expression. Costuming was minimal, but the half-bird-half-man Papageno was depicted with several colorful feathers. When Adair mimicked playing the flute with a sparkly party whistle, he was successful in making the children laugh, involving them in the storyline of Mozart's work. The prince Tamina's first aria"Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon"was sung by Drew Meyer, who provided a contrast to the previous selection with a wistful love song. One of the highlights of the afternoon was decidedly the performance of Diana Thompson, a professional coloratura soprano who played the role of the powerful Queen of the Night. With"0 zitt're nicht," she introduced herself as a mysterious and stately character, but later, in "Der Mille Rache,"she was convincingly angry and devious. Both of these arias contained impressive vocal runs, showcasing the difficulty of operatic singing clearly to